AFTER two years of building work and £5million investment, the curtain has finally risen on East 15’s new professional theatre.

The doors to the Clifftown Studios, in Nelson Street, Southend, will open tonight and the public will be invited to step inside the acting school’s dynamic new building.

However, the opening won’t be marked by a traditional ribbon cutting ceremony.

Instead, and arguably more appropriately, a huge weekend of theatre performances, featuring more than 250 actors, led by ten directors, ten artistic designers and the entire technical department, will take place to celebrate the launch.

“It’s like opening your house to visitors,” quips East 15’s artistic director Leon Rubin.

So what’s in store for the inquisitive souls who venture into the former Clifftown United Reformed Church this weekend?

Entitled the Real Britain, the project is made up of a number of live performances which will take place simultaneously in the building’s many individual zones.

It examines how different cultures over various time periods have led to the creation of modern Britain.

Just some of the elements to the show are combat students from the school fighting as Romans, a Hungarian-style trapeze demonstration from physical theatre students and even an exploration of the Forties Jewish jazz community.

“It’s an examination of immigration and asylum seekers, and how people of various cultures have travelled to the UK,” says Leon.

“We are very much an international school and we feel this is in keeping with that.

“This format is very unique and it’s a huge experiment.

“But we have such an extraordinary group of actors and staff that nobody else could do this, and it’s a chance to exploit that.”

The audience can move through the nine different zones, such as the Eastern European red light district and Chinese restaurant, during the 90-minute performances.

They will be guided by “immigration enforcement officers”, but are free to spend as much time as they choose in any one place.

The Real Britain is also attracting a number of prestigious names from the acting world.

Acclaimed playwright Jonathan Lichtenstein is assisting in the Hungarian zone, while the composer Colin Sell and fight director Nicholas Hall will also be lending their support.

Essex actress Juliet Stevenson, who starred in films Bend It Like Beckham and Mona Lisa Smile, will also attend the event, along with Olivier award-winning musical star Maria Friedman.

East 15’s new studios have been refurbished and redesigned by the University of Essex, which works closely with the school, and in partnership with architects Thomas Ford and Partners.

The work was funded by a number of organisations, including the East of England Development Agency and Thames Gateway.

The first phase to redeveloping the Grade II-listed church, which dates back to 1866, was completed in February last year.

It created a huge studio for use by students of stage combat and weaponry, world performance and physical theatre, like circus skills.

The project’s second phase has added another two studios, but was mainly concerned with putting in a professional theatre.

Now finished, it seats 200 people and also has a side wall which can be extended to create a bigger studio space.

Phase two also saw the completion of a bar, box office, reception and costume making facilities. “The theatre offers a platform for all kinds of shows which wouldn’t usually have a venue in this area,” explains Leon.

“It will run like a professional theatre, with a full programme.

“The theatre itself is quite unique and is a balance between the modern and high tech, plus the existing architecture of the church.

“There is nothing quite like it anywhere else.”

East 15 is now one of the biggest professional acting schools in the UK, with 650 students from more than 23 countries.

Half of the students are based at the University of Essex’s Southend campus, while the other half attend a campus in Loughton.

“It’s a wonderful building,” adds Leon. “It will allow us to do new wave work – acting for this century and not last century.”

Performances of the Real Britain take place at 7.30pm tonight; 2pm, 5pm and 7.30pm tomorrow and at 2pm and 5pm on Sunday.

Tickets are £5. To book, call the box office on 01702 328335.