Press Release
Congress Theatre Proves Ultimately FLX-able
Tuesday 3rd November, 2020
It’s been a tough time for all performance venues and especially for community theatres like The Congress in Cwmbran which cancelled all its shows in March as Covid-19 took hold, mid-way through one of its busiest seasons! However, through successive lockdowns, the venue has been reimagined as The Congress Virtual Studio, a fully equipped streaming facility encouraging local artists and businesses to record and broadcast music shows and engage in events, generating interest and at least some income during this period.
Cwmbran is also the home of Zero 88’s manufacturing facility. There are close ties between the popular lighting control brand and the 300-seat venue, which has Zero 88 Chilli dimmers installed, and furthermore, Zero 88’s international sales manager Tyler Holpin is actively involved as a volunteer on the technical side.
The Congress Theatre opened in 1972 and became a charity run venue in 1992 after being faced with closure. Martyn Redwood then assumed its management 16 years ago has seen many challenges over that time, but it’s always managed to keep going, so he and the team are determined that this will be the case again!
Jon Salman and Green Room Events based nearby in Abertillery are also regular technical suppliers to the theatre, and he, Tyler, Martyn, and a few others came up with the idea of transforming the space into a studio.
