Crescent Theatre

The Crescent Theatre is a multi-venue theatre run mostly by volunteers in Birmingham City Centre. It is part of the Brindleyplace development on Sheepcote Street. It has a resident company, one of the oldest theatre companies in the city, and also hires its three performance spaces to a host of visitors each year, nationally and internationally, both amateur and professional.

The Crescent Theatre
The Municipal Players
AddressSheepcote Street
Birmingham
England
Capacity
  • 340 (main house)
  • 120 (Ron Barber Studio)
Construction
Opened1932 (1932)
Rebuilt
  • 1964
  • 1997
ArchitectGraham Winteringham
Website
crescent-theatre.co.uk

The company began, as the Municipal Players, in 1924. The first theatre was a converted building, formerly Baskerville Hall, in The Crescent, Cambridge Street.[1] The first production was Edmund Rostand's "The Romantics" in 1932. The theatre moved to newly built premises on Cumberland Street in 1964, designed by Graham Winteringham of S.T. Walker and Partners, with a seating capacity of 296. The apron stage and first seven rows of seats were on a revolving platform to turn the interior into an arena theatre. The two-storey building was faced with London stock bricks and black-framed windows. Phase Two of the construction would have included a restaurant and a rehearsal stage.[2]

The second theatre on Cumberland Street, 1964-1998

The present theatre was opened in 1998 by Celia Imrie. The theatre it replaced was demolished in the same year. It houses four performance spaces: The Main House, Ron Barber Studio, Roma's Room, and the Bar with capacities of 340, 120, 40 and 70 respectively. The building was designed by Terry Farrell and John Chatwin.

The theatre is run by a board of directors elected from the membership including chairman, secretary and treasurer. They oversee the general direction of the theatre and all the membership activities. There is a small team of paid staff who look after the day-to-day running of the building and supervise the hire operation.

The theatre has hosted a variety of event for: Birmingham Royal Ballet, Birmingham Rep, NHS and BBC. Recently live broadcasts of Radio 1's Newsbeat and Radio 4's Any Questions.

References
  1. Thornton, Roy (2009). Lost Buildings of Birmingham. The History Press. p. 75. ISBN 978 0750950992.
  2. Douglas Hickman (1970). Birmingham. Studio Vista Ltd. p. 77.

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