A cross-community theatre school in Omagh is to move out of its iconic Bridge Street premises in the Co Tyrone town after almost 30 years there.
The Hazel Wand Theatre School will now move its classes and performances to the nearby council-owned Strule Arts Centre.
The school was first founded in 1993 by Sister Aengus Fitzpatrick and provides classes for those aged between 3 and 19 years old.
Read more: Terminally ill Co Tyrone mum Jemma McGowan trolled for 'looking too good to have cancer'
Director Leanne Daly says it is the end of an era for many ‘Hazel Wanders’ but one which is necessary to allow it to grow to its potential.
“It’s bittersweet for us as this will be our thirtieth year in here,” Leanne told MyTyrone.
“We first started under the direction of Sister Aengus Fitzpatrick and she passed away in 2017.
“We’re leaving the building and we feel like we’re leaving her but we’re not, because she’s coming with us.
“It’s not just a building, it’s the community that she built up and that we’ve been able to keep going.”
Leanne added a change in the building ownership may have sped up the move, but she said it was an opportune time to take advantage of the facilities at the Strule.
“Now we’ve expanded and there’s specialised dance, there is GCSE and A Level Drama, there’s adult classes and the studio was just not really big enough any more.
“The building was put up for sale and it’s changed ownership so the move was a little bit forced on us in a way, but we felt it was the sensible thing to do to make the move now.
“We have hundreds of kids coming in on a weekly basis.
“We have a long line of former students who are currently on the West End or Broadway and it’s just growing.
“Hopefully we’ll continue to grow and make the most of the many TV and film opportunities that are now available to us that weren’t all those years ago.”
Read more: Strabane community mourns death of local school teacher Caroline Browne
Read more: Family in desperate plea for treatment for NI man with aggressive brain tumour
For the latest breaking Co Tyrone news straight to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter here.
