Arts Guild Theatre (Greenock)
Encyclopedia
The Arts Guild Theatre is located in Greenock
, Scotland
. The idea for the theatre was conceived by a group of local drama enthusiasts in 1946. The building contains two theatres, the Wallace Bennett Theatre and the Main Auditorium, and was previously a disused Victorian
swimming pool. The Guild is now half receiving house
and half producing house
featuring performers including Dorothy Paul
, Scottish Opera
, Dean Park
, Frank Pilkington and other acts such as Frankie Boyle
and Amy Macdonald
.
, Inverclyde
and is close to Greenock
town centre.
area and the group bought the "Old West End Baths" for £1000. The Wallace Bennett theatre was the first of the two theatres located on the first floor of the building and was named after a local amateur actor of the same name, who died in the recent war. (World War II
)
The construction of the bottom floor theatre (now named the Main Auditorium) was estimated in 1947 to cost within the region of £18,000.The Scottish Arts Council
at the time where impressed with the enthusiasm of the group and proposed to lend £9,000 to aid with its construction.
The Wallace Bennett Theatre was opened to public performances in 1949 and allowed the Arts Guild to gather a local reputation to help it cover the cost of building the Main Auditorium. Construction of the theatre finished in 1951, making it the first theatre to be built within Scotland in 25 years.
Refurbishment of this building was financed by a fund-raising campaign in 2006 as part of a deal with Scottish Arts Council, the deal was if they could raise £2.7 million then they would match the earnings.
, Alex Salmond
and actress Dorothy Paul
. There was also a period of time in which the local public could suggest new names for the building.
The new name was announced as The Beacon Arts Centre on the 25 November 2010 by the patron of Greenock Arts Guild, HRH The Earl of Wessex
(of the British Royal Family
) and the theatre is due for completion in 2012. The reason the name was chosen was due to the location of the new theatre having an association with a Georgian lamp which sits in front of the Customhouse located near the building site. Originally known as 'The Beacon' it was used as a guiding light for ships mooring
at the quayside.
Patron, The Earl of Wessex, visited the site of the construction in November 2010 unveiling a commemorative artwork by glass artist Alec Galloway. HRH became patron of Greenock Arts Guild in 2009 but has been involved in theatre throughout his life. In the 1980s he worked as part of two theatrical production companies, including Andrew Lloyd Webber
's Really Useful Theatre Company, working on shows such as The Phantom of the Opera
, Starlight Express
and Cats (musical)
. An estimated cost of completion is £9.3 million.
Greenock
Greenock is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council area in United Kingdom, and a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, located in the west central Lowlands of Scotland...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. The idea for the theatre was conceived by a group of local drama enthusiasts in 1946. The building contains two theatres, the Wallace Bennett Theatre and the Main Auditorium, and was previously a disused Victorian
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
swimming pool. The Guild is now half receiving house
Receiving house
A receiving house is a theatre which does not produce its own repertoire but instead receives touring theatre companies, usually for a brief period such as three nights or a full week...
and half producing house
Producing house
A producing house is a theatre which produces its own shows in-house. Theaters which do not produce their own material are known as receiving houses....
featuring performers including Dorothy Paul
Dorothy Paul
Dorothy Paul is a Scottish actress, comedienne and entertainer. She is best known for her stage shows often at the Pavilion Theatre in Glasgow.-Acting career:...
, Scottish Opera
Scottish Opera
Scottish Opera is the national opera company of Scotland, and one of the five national performing arts companies funded by the Scottish Government...
, Dean Park
Dean Park
Dean Park may refer to:*Dean Park, New South Wales, Australia, a suburb of the City of Blacktown*Dean Park Cricket Ground, a cricket ground in Bournemouth, England...
, Frank Pilkington and other acts such as Frankie Boyle
Frankie Boyle
Francis Martin Patrick "Frankie" Boyle is a British comedian and writer, well known for his pessimistic, often controversial sense of humour...
and Amy Macdonald
Amy MacDonald
Amy MacDonald is an American author of children's books. Her works include Little Beaver and the Echo, which has been translated into 28 languages around the world, and Rachel Fister's Blister. Her first book, a satire of Jill Krementz's children's books, was A Very Young Housewife.Amy MacDonald...
.
Location
The theatre is situated on Campbell Street in GreenockGreenock
Greenock is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council area in United Kingdom, and a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, located in the west central Lowlands of Scotland...
, Inverclyde
Inverclyde
Inverclyde is one of 32 council areas used for local government in Scotland. Together with the Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire council areas, Inverclyde forms part of the historic county of Renfrewshire - which current exists as a registration county and lieutenancy area - located in the west...
and is close to Greenock
Greenock
Greenock is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council area in United Kingdom, and a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, located in the west central Lowlands of Scotland...
town centre.
History
The need for the Arts Guild Theatre was originally thought of by a group of local drama enthusiasts in 1946. This was due to the lack of proper facilities in which cultural and theatrical activities could take place in the InverclydeInverclyde
Inverclyde is one of 32 council areas used for local government in Scotland. Together with the Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire council areas, Inverclyde forms part of the historic county of Renfrewshire - which current exists as a registration county and lieutenancy area - located in the west...
area and the group bought the "Old West End Baths" for £1000. The Wallace Bennett theatre was the first of the two theatres located on the first floor of the building and was named after a local amateur actor of the same name, who died in the recent war. (World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
)
The construction of the bottom floor theatre (now named the Main Auditorium) was estimated in 1947 to cost within the region of £18,000.The Scottish Arts Council
Scottish Arts Council
The Scottish Arts Council is a Scottish public body that distributes funding from the Scottish Government, and is the leading national organisation for the funding, development and promotion of the arts in Scotland...
at the time where impressed with the enthusiasm of the group and proposed to lend £9,000 to aid with its construction.
The Wallace Bennett Theatre was opened to public performances in 1949 and allowed the Arts Guild to gather a local reputation to help it cover the cost of building the Main Auditorium. Construction of the theatre finished in 1951, making it the first theatre to be built within Scotland in 25 years.
Refurbishment of this building was financed by a fund-raising campaign in 2006 as part of a deal with Scottish Arts Council, the deal was if they could raise £2.7 million then they would match the earnings.
New Theatre - The Beacon Arts Centre
As of 2010 a new Art's Guild Theatre is being built on the East India Harbour on the waterfront of Greenock. It is planned to contain 500-seat main auditorium, 130-capacity studio theatre, plus rehearsal rooms and a riverside café/bar. The project is jointly funded by Greenock Arts Guild, Creative Scotland, Inverclyde Council, Riverside Inverclyde and the Big Lottery Fund. The initiation of construction was attended by First MinisterFirst Minister
A First Minister is the leader of a government cabinet.-Canada:In Canada, "First Ministers" is a collective term that refers to all Canadian first ministers of the Crown, otherwise known as heads of government, including the Prime Minister of Canada and the provincial and territorial premiers...
, Alex Salmond
Alex Salmond
Alexander Elliot Anderson "Alex" Salmond MSP is a Scottish politician and current First Minister of Scotland. He became Scotland's fourth First Minister in May 2007. He is the Leader of the Scottish National Party , having served as Member of the Scottish Parliament for Gordon...
and actress Dorothy Paul
Dorothy Paul
Dorothy Paul is a Scottish actress, comedienne and entertainer. She is best known for her stage shows often at the Pavilion Theatre in Glasgow.-Acting career:...
. There was also a period of time in which the local public could suggest new names for the building.
The new name was announced as The Beacon Arts Centre on the 25 November 2010 by the patron of Greenock Arts Guild, HRH The Earl of Wessex
Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex
Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex KG GCVO is the third son and fourth child of Elizabeth II and The Duke of Edinburgh...
(of the British Royal Family
British Royal Family
The British Royal Family is the group of close relatives of the monarch of the United Kingdom. The term is also commonly applied to the same group of people as the relations of the monarch in her or his role as sovereign of any of the other Commonwealth realms, thus sometimes at variance with...
) and the theatre is due for completion in 2012. The reason the name was chosen was due to the location of the new theatre having an association with a Georgian lamp which sits in front of the Customhouse located near the building site. Originally known as 'The Beacon' it was used as a guiding light for ships mooring
Mooring
Mooring may refer to:* Mooring , any device used to hold secure an object by means of cables, anchors, or lines* Mooring mast, a structure designed to hold airships and blimps securely in the open when they are not in flight....
at the quayside.
Patron, The Earl of Wessex, visited the site of the construction in November 2010 unveiling a commemorative artwork by glass artist Alec Galloway. HRH became patron of Greenock Arts Guild in 2009 but has been involved in theatre throughout his life. In the 1980s he worked as part of two theatrical production companies, including Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber is an English composer of musical theatre.Lloyd Webber has achieved great popular success in musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 13 musicals, a song cycle, a set of...
's Really Useful Theatre Company, working on shows such as The Phantom of the Opera
The Phantom of the Opera
Le Fantôme de l'Opéra is a novel by French writer Gaston Leroux. It was first published as a serialisation in "Le Gaulois" from September 23, 1909 to January 8, 1910...
, Starlight Express
Starlight Express
Starlight Express is a rock musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber , Richard Stilgoe and Arlene Phillips , with later revisions by Don Black and David Yazbek . The story follows a child's dream in which his toy train set comes to life; famously the actors perform wearing roller skates...
and Cats (musical)
Cats (musical)
Cats is a musical composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot...
. An estimated cost of completion is £9.3 million.