Little Theatre (Leicester)

Leicester Little Theatre
Address Leicester
 United Kingdom
Coordinates 52°37′54″N 1°07′45″W / 52.6318°N 1.1292°W / 52.6318; -1.1292
Owner Leicester Drama Society
Type Amateur Theatre
Capacity 349
Opened 1932
Website
http://www.thelittletheatre.net/

The Little Theatre is a small theatre in Leicester, England with a main auditorium of 349 seats, along with an additional studio space for performances and workshops. The Theatre also houses an interval bar, rehearsal spaces and library for members, and operates a costume hire facility. A youth theatre group also operates for ages 8–12, and 13-18. It has an annual turnover of £580,000 and receives 50,000 visitors a year.[1] The theatre hosts around 200 productions a year, with a season usually consisting of 12 plays.[2]

The theatre is home to the Leicester Drama Society, and the programme primarily showcases plays from the resident amateur theatre company as well as hosting some professional acts and wider community groups, usually for short runs or one night events, particularly during the Leicester Comedy Festival. Prunella Scales, William Roache, Topping and Butch and Charles Dance have all recently appeared in events at the theatre.

Leicester playwright Joe Orton and actor Richard Attenborough are both former alumni from the society. It is believed that Attenborough made his stage début at the theatre at the age of three.

The theatre won the Best Venue award at Dave's Leicester Comedy Festival in 2012.[3]

History

Leicester Drama Society was formed in 1922 and occupied the upper floor of the old Rechabite Chapel in Dover Street. The society bought the building for £14,000 in 1932 and have remained there ever since. Parts of the theatre had to be rebuilt after a fire in 1955.[1] The theatre celebrated its 1,000th production in 2011 with the Thornton Wilder play Our Town.[4]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 This is Leicestershire - 3 August 2009 - Little Theatre is a big attraction
  2. ↑ This is Leicestershire - 9 August 2012 - Leicester's Little Theatre is about to get rather bigger...
  3. ↑ This is Leicestershire - 13 March 2012 - Festival's favourite's honoured
  4. ↑ This is Leicestershire - 24 May 2011 - Curtain rises for the Little Theatre's 1000th

External links


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