The theatre will close for 12 weeks between June and August in order to allow the work to be carried out, although the box office and its conference and meeting room facilities will operate as normal.

It is expected that the new backstage area, which will include a new scene dock facility to store scenery, will be fully operational by spring 2010, ensuring that the venue can cope with the evolving demands of touring productions.

Land at the back of the Mayflower Theatre has been earmarked for a new housing development by the Mayflower Theatre in partnership with Southampton City Council, Atlantic Housing and Drew Smith in a bid to provide key worker homes for the city.

Dennis Hall, chief executive of the Mayflower Theatre, said: "The fact that we are getting this exciting and modern facility, which will improve and update the working practices of the theatre's technical stage crew, means that the land at the back of the theatre is now released for the much-needed key worker homes for the city."

It is the third major scheme to be carried out at the Mayflower Theatre, following a £250,000 seating upgrade in 1998 and a £2m stage and dressing room renovation in 2002, which also included improvements to stalls seating.

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