A THEATRE performance will take place in a museum closed for a major refurbishment.

Wimborne’s Priest’s House Museum has temporarily shut its doors after it was awarded £982,200 from the Heritage Lottery Fund. It will reopen in spring 2020.

However, before work gets under way, a production by members of Wimborne Community Theatre will take place in the empty space.

The performance, Echoes of the Past, will commemorate the museum’s history. It was commissioned by Emma Ayling, director of Priest’s House.

The theatre group researched the history of the building in its various previous uses as a private home and shop ahead of the performance.

Ms Ayling said: “Our ‘revival project’ will transform the access and facilities of the museum, provide some fantastic opportunities for volunteers in the coming months, and ensure the area’s heritage is shared more widely than ever.”

Wimborne Community Theatre has worked in partnership with Millstream Theatre, a group for actors with learning disabilities, as well as a number of professional artists to create the production.

Sound artist Adrian Newton has developed soundscapes to capture the atmosphere of the building, while artists Alastair Nisbet and Nic Rawling from ScreenPlay are working with students from St Michael’s Middle School to create drawings and animations for video installations.

The performance will also feature four large ‘zoetropes’, a Victorian-style animation device.

Public performances will take place at the museum at 6pm and 8pm on Wednesday, June 5.

Tickets are priced at £7 or £6 for concessions. They are available at Wimborne Tourist Information Centre or by calling 01202 886116. Booking is essential.

The museum’s £1.6m revival project started in autumn last year. It was supported by National Lottery funding awarded through the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF); charitable foundations including Garfield Weston, the Talbot Village Trust, the Valentine Trust and the Pilgrim Trust; now-defunct councils East Dorset District Council and Dorset County Council; the local community; and local businesses Bloor Homes, Teacher’s Building Society and Renaissance Homes.

Priest’s House holds more than 35,000 objects that tell the story of the people who have lived in East Dorset, including artefacts of national significance.