THE artist commissioned to produce a unique stained glass window for the newly refurbished Palace Theatre has given Advertiser readers an insight into how his final design was created.

Steven Cartwright took these work-in-progress pictures to show how his simple pencil drawings were transformed into an eye-catching window.

The 30 year old, who has a workshop at Longbarn Village in Alcester, was commissioned to design and make the piece for the theatre last autumn.

He appealed for Advertiser readers to get in touch with their memories of the popular town playhouse over the last 90 years, which helped inspire the final design.

Mr Cartwright explained he wanted to use the same grid formations as the restored windows within the theatre to create continuity between the original Bertie Crewe building and the new state-of-the-art entrance.

For the finished article, he used a sandblasting technique to etch a faint art nouveau style pattern onto the window, creating the impression of theatrical stage lights.

The clear red curved panels, which decrease in size towards the top of the panel, symbolise how the seats in the stalls would be seen from the stage.

And sandblasted onto the seats, and in between, are some of the names of shows and thespians to have appeared at the Palace, as suggested by readers.

Some of the top-flight performers whose names grace the window include Felicity Kendal, Honor Blackman, Julie Andrews and Redditch's own Millicent Phillips.

"Being sandblasted, the names will not be apparent upon first glance but will draw the public to the window, giving them an insight into the theatres rich past," said the artist.

But Mr Cartwright didn't just find his design ideas locally, he also sourced his materials from English Antique Glass based in Alvechurch.

"I have chosen quite vivid colours within the design as this will create coloured reflections within the passageway between the auditorium and the bar. Some of the colours have been inspired by the auditorium's elaborate interior."

He added: "The window has been created with a modern, fresh approach utilising traditional stained glass techniques."

The final window will be just one of the features of the refurbished theatre, which reopens this month.