Culture of Somerset - Theatres

Theatres

Bath has the greatest number of theatres in the county. The oldest is the Theatre Royal which was built in 1720 by Thomas Greenway, and was Beau Nash's first house: The theatre, along with the neighbouring Garrick's Head public house, is a Grade II* listed building and is considered a prime example of Georgian architecture. The auditorium has tiers of ornate plasterwork, with sumptuous red and gilt decoration, and a majestic trompe l'oeil ceiling and glittering chandelier. It was extensively renovated in 1982, and refurbished in 1999 and now provides a 900-seat auditorium. The Ustinov Studio, a studio theatre is the Theatre Royal's second space, built in 1997 at the rear of the building on Monmouth Street. It is named after the actor Peter Ustinov. It is the home of Britain's largest annual international festival of adult puppetry, and a venue for an eclectic range of drama, dance and classical music. In 2006 it closed for a £1.5million, 15-month refurbishment undertaken by Haworth Tompkins. Also connected to the Theatre Royal is the egg which was built specifically for the use of young people. It was converted from a former cinema by architects Haworth Tompkins. The Grade II listed Victorian building houses the eponymous 'egg'-shaped auditorium, around which an arts cafe, rooftop rehearsal space and basement technical workshop are arranged. The idea was supported by the children's author Bel Mooney. It opened in October 2005. In 2007, the Peter Hall Company made use of the space in order to stage a production of George Orwell's Animal Farm. The auditorium is unique in the UK enabling both fully day-lit or blacked out theatre and is usable end-on, in the round, flat floor and traverse.

In 2004, the Next Stage Theatre Company took possession of a grade II listed building in Bath originally built as a Congregational hall in 1797, which had been used by The People's Mission until 1998, and began building work to convert it into the Mission Theatre. It is now owned by the Bath and North East Somerset Council, which has granted a lease to occupy and use the building as a 100-seat theatre, arts centre and multi-purpose facility for community activities. On the first floor there is a small 30-seat theatre (The Theatre Upstairs) and a Bistro open during the day and providing meals before performances in the theatre. The Rondo Theatre, which was established in 1989 through the generosity of Doreen and Wilf Williams, who bought the former church hall from St. Saviours Church, Larkhall in 1976 and gifted the freehold to a newly formed charity, The Rondo Trust for the Performing Arts. The building has been converted into a one hundred and five seat theatre, with a bar down the side of the raked seating. In 1996 the theatre received a major lottery and sports and arts grant that enabled the building to be extended to provide dressing rooms, a backstage room, offices and a foyer at the front of the building. In 2003 the theatre received a second lottery grant to install state-of-the-art lighting equipment, finally creating a true professional class theatre.

The Blakehay Theatre in Weston-super-Mare was originally built in 1850 as Wadham Street Baptist Church. During World War II the theatre was hit by incendiary bombs. After the war it was rebuilt inside the original Victorian shell. In 1985 the building ceased to be a place of worship. In 1986 the Blakehay was saved from demolition by the Weston-super-Mare Building Trust and run by the Civic Society. In September 2004 Weston Town Council purchased the theatre for £195,000. Also in Weston is The Playhouse a 664-seat theatre that hosts a largely entertainment based programme of shows all year round including opera, ballet, comedy, music and pantomime performances. In 1946, an old market building, designed by local architect Hans Price, was converted into a 500-seat theatre. For the next 18 years this theatre, The Playhouse, provided the town with a great variety of entertainment and played host to stars including Frankie Howerd, Bob Monkhouse and Ken Dodd. On 21 August 1964, a fire destroyed most of the theatre and the unsafe structure had to be demolished. In 1969, at a cost of £230,000 a new theatre opened and has been in continuous use ever since. The stage measures 59 feet (18 m) by 28 feet (9 m) and can be extended by covering the orchestra pit.

The Brewhouse Theatre on the banks of the River Tone in Taunton, opened in March 1977, and now offers a 350-seat auditorium and supporting studio and exhibition spaces. Strode Theatre in Street is part of Strode College and provides rehearsal and drama space for students from the college. It opened on 5 October 1963 with a performance by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.

There are two theatres in Frome: The Memorial Theatre was built in 1924 in memory of the fallen of the First World War, whilst the 240-seat Merlin Theatre is part of the Community College campus.