Show will go on at Theatre Severn after wooden panel falls on audience

The theatre's management confirmed that the panel that fell, leaving three audience members requiring treatment, was about a metre square.

Following the accident last Friday an investigation was launched, with bosses saying that "further precautionary measures" have been introduced to prevent a repeat.

David Jack, venues and programme manager for Theatre Severn, said: "The panel that fell is about a metre square, and fortunately as it was at the rear of the upper circle, didn't fall too far. Our primary concern has been to ensure the theatre is safe and immediate action was taken by specialists to secure all remaining panels using extra fixings and installing safety netting to panels we can't access. Thankfully this is an isolated incidentt and current and future performances continue as planne."

Despite being treated at the scene by emergency services, all three audience members were able to leave the venue without any need for further medical attention.

The wooden acoustic panel fell into the upper circle of the theatre's main auditorium after the conclusion of a performance of the sell-out West End show, The Simon and Garfunkel Story.

The theatre was closed in January for routine maintenance. That work involved the ground floor foyer and other public areas.

Routine maintenance is often undertaken at the theatre in January and August and is scheduled to ensure no disruption to its programme of live events.

Theatre Severn, which cost £28 million, was opened in 2009 by the Earl of Wessex. It has hosted a range of top performers and productions. The venue took three years to build and was approved on September 26, 2005, with construction beginning the following year. It features a 650-seat main auditorium, complete with air-conditioning and full technical facilities, and a 250-seat studio theatre, which hosts a more experimental programme and provides space for amateur and community-based groups to perform their work.