1990 - Zinc is set up as a partnership called Theatre Resource by our former Chief Executive, Jeff Banks. Initially the company is based in a busy secondary school and its work is primarily focussed on community and educational drama and theatre activities. Theatre Resource soon expands its activities to include visual media and performing arts projects with disabled people and people who experience disadvantage.
1993 - Theatre Resource merges with the disability agency Artlink East (Essex) and makes the transition from partnership to registered charity. Arts workshops and performance activities increase in scope and range, extending throughout Essex.
1998 – Having grown considerably, the organisation moves to its own premises, the former Great Stony School in Ongar, Essex. The old school site is refurbished to establish an accessible arts education centre. The new centre allows Theatre Resource to expand its work to include a new range of centre-based activities. Arts and education partners join Theatre Resource to offer complementary programmes and courses. In the same year the organisation begins to expand its outreach work to reach more widely into other counties in the Eastern Region.
2000 – Theatre Resource's work continues to flourish and the organsation recognises the need to extend the Arts Centre and develop it as a national centre of excellence in accessible arts activities. Planning and development work is initiated to develop the Great Stony site into a National Centre for Arts Access and Inclusion.
2006 – After five years of development, sustained growth and extension of its work Theatre Resource launches a capital appeal to develop the new centre.
2009 – An official ground breaking ceremony marks the start of the building work on our site at Great Stony in Chipping Ongar to create the new centre.
2010 – Theatre Resource is renamed Zinc and a new logo and identitity is launched.
2011 – The Organisation celebrates its 21st birthday and in November 2011 officially re-opens its redeveloped arts centre to the public.