After years of hard graft, one of Oxford’s smallest theatres is about to transform itself into a venue fit for the 21st century.

WANT some feel good factor? Then head down to The Pegasus Theatre, because they’ve got goodwill coming out of their ears.

And thank God someone’s happy. But then if you’d just managed to raise £6.3m pounds, secure the future of Oxford’s most eclectic theatre, safeguard numerous jobs in the process, and procure a future for the 2,500 local youngsters who use the facility, then you’d be smiling.

Because this is what the Pegasus fund-raisers achieved last year, against all odds. And it wasn’t until the very last minute that they secured the final and vital £1.8m.

Euton Daley, the artistic director, recalls: “When we got the call to say our grant application had succeeded, everyone was screaming and shouting and jumping up and down.

“But then I never gave up hope. Because you have to keep believing.”

Celebrations aside, what does this money actually mean?

The current theatre is split into two buildings, with an electricity sub-station in between, so the plan is to move the substation to the back, knock down the rear building and rebuild the existing theatre.

It means that actors changing in the dressing rooms will not arrive on stage drenched, having run through torrential rain. It means staff can remove the buckets throughout the building.

It also means new dressing rooms, a dance studio and technical workshops, somewhere for the youth groups to learn costume design, lighting, sound, set building and construction. Audiences will have a proper foyer with a cafe and bar, a lift and toilets.

The stage will have two wings, and the theatre will have air-conditioning and comfy seats. It means the staff will have on-site offices.

In short, a total transformation. But reading between the lines, everyone recognised what pioneering work Pegasus carries out by providing a future base for performance art.

“Yes, we are recognised nationally for the work we do here and the work we produce and support,” Euton says.

“And that’s definitely something we want to continue.”

And yet the money has been a long time coming. Pegasus applied for lottery money 12 years ago.

ALTHOUGH it was turned down, the theatre was given a feasibility fund to put a decent fund-raising plan together.

The campaign started in 2006 following an award of £2.7m from the lottery. This plan included Pegasus agreeing to raise over half the remaining money, matched by £1.4m from Oxford city and Oxfordshire county councils. And so the £1.8m fundraising campaign began in earnest.

A year later Pegasus realised the target would not be reached, and extended the deadline by a year.

“We had to become fulll-time fundraisers,” Euton says.

“And there were tears along the way, because we had to give up lots of other things to do that.”

By September, worries were again resurfacing about the ability to meet the target.

And then, staff found out about a grant to build spaces for young people, and knew they’d found their niche.

The grant was awarded in early November and work has already started.

Pegasus is due to close properly in April, re-opening late 2010, but in the meantime church halls and school buildings have been rented, so Pegasus can continue its work.

And does Euton think there is room for a revamped revitalised theatre in Oxford?

“Oxford’s theatres complement each other.

“We support youth and emerging artists and that is recognised on a national level.

“We’re a core educational facility for the performing arts, so it’s a different brand because we concentrate on the grass roots level,” he says confidently.

Feeling better? I thought so.