QUAD to celebrate birthday with newly named cinema launch

QUAD has revealed it will be holding a full day of entertainment to mark its 17th birthday – while also launching a newly-named cinema screen.

The Market Place building will be staging a venue-wide party on Saturday 27 September as part of Derby Festé and to celebrate its latest landmark.

It will also use the opportunity to officially open its newly-named Metro Cinema, formerly known as Cinema Two.

The celebrations will begin at 12noon with the opening of two free exhibitions in the QUAD Gallery – Henry Driver: Waterportals and Tracey Meek: A Celebration in Colour, along with a special curation of QUAD and Metro Cinema’s history along the Montage Gallery.

The venue’s refurbished Participation Studio on the ground floor, which is a permanent drop-in space for families to engage in art and play, will be relaunched shortly after,

The space will also include a showreel featuring archival Q arts material.

The downstairs foyer will play host to family friendly games along with a raffle with prizes donated by Bondholders, including Derby Museums, Derby County, Derbyshire County Cricket Club and Vaillant Live.

Elsewhere in the Bar & Lounge there will be live music from local artists curated by Dubrek.

Upstairs in the cinemas, QUAD will celebrate being 17 years old with a one-off screening of teen classic ‘Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging’ (12A) at 1pm.

Next up at 3.15pm, QUAD will lean into its Metro Cinema past with a one-off screening of ‘Cinema Paradiso’, screened at the Metro Cinema previously.

To end the Birthday film programme, QUAD will host a special preview of ‘I Swear’ at 6pm.

The preview will follow the official ribbon cutting ceremony to launch the Metro Cinema.

The Metro Cinema screen and archive corridor represent QUAD looking back at its roots in such a pivotal time for the charity.

The archive corridor will serve as a permanent reminder of those who shaped the organisation.

Alongside the official Metro Cinema screen launch, QUAD’s head of film Adam J Marsh will introduce the preview.

This will also mark the beginning of the QUAD ‘£17 for 17th’ fundraiser to raise money to go towards building refurbishments such as those completed in the Participation Studio.

The birthday celebrations will come to a close in the Bar & Lounge with a DJ set from QUAD staff members from 8pm until late.

Eleanor Thornley, QUAD chief executive, said: “We’re delighted to be celebrating 17 years of QUAD and looking to the future while showcasing what made us who we are today.

“We’re equally as excited to be doing this as part of the Festé fringe programme.

“Festé is a huge day for culture in the city so it’s great that we can be a part of that.”