Gloucestershire's creative community gathered in Cheltenham to see Gloucestershire's own Hollywood actor, Josh O'Connor, officially open the Everyman Theatre's new Grove Street Education Centre, this November 2026.
After a significant investment from the theatre, followed by a hugely successful £1 million fundraising campaign, the Everyman Theatre has transformed the disused building into a modern new arts hub, where people of all ages and backgrounds can engage with the arts, improve their wellbeing, and build confidence through creativity.
Josh – who starred in Steven Spielberg's 2026 blockbuster Disclosure Day, Netflix's The Crown, and is reported to be one of the final contenders in the running to play James Bond in the next movie in the franchise – is a former member of the Everyman Youth Theatre, and cut the ribbon to officially open the centre on Tuesday 3 November 2026, along with some 'assistance' from Tweedy the Clown!
Speaking to SoGlos at the event, Josh said: 'It's the greatest gift for any community to have this kind of community space, whether it's arts or otherwise.
'To have somewhere that teaches drama, which covers so many subjects, social skills, empathy, life skills, relationship skills, it's the greatest gift.
'When I was at the Everyman Youth Theatre there was six of us, and we did it in any church hall that would let us go in – and it was magic – but to come back and see a space like this is incredible, and in this location which is so close to town, where both sides of Cheltenham can access it, it's an incredibly magical space so you've got to come and visit.'
When asked if he could have imagined starring in a Steven Spielberg film back in his days at the Everyman Youth Theatre, Josh said: 'Absolutely not!
'I think I played the caterpillar in Alice in Wonderland in the Everyman Youth Theatre, which was the hype for me at the time, I certainly didn't imagine myself in a Spielberg movie. Dreams can come true!'
The theatre's award-winning Education and Community team work with over 22,000 people each year, with the new centre providing a permanent home for its education and community programmes.
The centre's mission is to break down geographic, social, cultural and financial barriers by providing a centrally located and welcoming space for all, at the heart of the community, and will accommodate everything from the Everyman Youth Theatre to community choirs and independent theatre-makers.
The Everyman Theatre's CEO, Mark Goucher, described the centre as 'the most important project the Everyman has undertaken since the theatre’s major refurbishment in 2010', and represents an aspiration to expand the theatre's education and community work.
For more information about the Everyman Theatre's Grove Street Education Centre, and to support the project, visit everymantheatre.org.uk/grove-street-appeal.
