At this point, members raised the money to purchase a dilapidated paint store in Halifax Place in the Lace Market area of the city.

The result, achieved within a year, was a 118-seat auditorium with space in the upstairs bar for studio performances to smaller audiences.

The Club's objective (which remains to this day) was to stage plays that were challenging for the actors and technical crews, and which people would otherwise have had to travel to London to see.

Small-scale productions were regularly staged in the bar area so that first-time directors could cut their teeth.

While the Club continued to stage challenging pieces, the Trust pursued charitable and educational aims by giving grants to students who were going on to study at drama school.