Bedford Civic Theatre
Encyclopedia
The Bedford Civic Theatre is a theatre
located on Horne Lane in the town centre
of Bedford
, Bedfordshire
, England
.
The theatre is operated by the Corn Exchange, Bedford
and hosts a variety of events, exhibitions and performances. Groups such as the Bedford Marianettes regularly produce plays and musicals in the venue. The Bedford Pantomime Company started off producing a traditional pantomime
at the theatre each Christmas before moving to the Corn Exchange.
The building itself is a Grade II Listed Building. It was built in 1859-1860 as the assembly hall of Bedford Grammar School
. The architect was James Horsford, who also designed the former St Luke’s Church in St Peter’s Street. When the School relocated to its current site in 1892 the building was sold to Bedford Council and became part of the Town Hall, and was used as a council chamber and meeting room. The stage and proscenium arch were installed in about 1900. The name Civic Theatre was given to it by the late Weyman Mackay, a leading light in am-dram circles after Second World War, about the time that it was refurbished as a theatre around 1948-52. There used to be a plaque in the entrance foyer, but this was thrown away during the last redecoration in about 1995.
The Theatre is documented on The Theatres Trust website and is listed by the Trust in the 2010 Directory of Theatre Buildings At Risk.
The Bedfringe festival, a pre-Edinburgh Fringe
festival opened in 2007 and used the Civic Theatre as its main venue.
In April 2010, Bedford Borough Council announced its intention to close the Civic Theatre, converting the space into a 'one-stop-shop' for council services. The plans form part of the proposed redevelopment of the area, which will include the demolition of Bedford Town Hall.
A local campaign to Save Our Civic made up from members of the Amateur Dramatic Societies in Bedford and the surrounding area and other users of the Civic Theatre is opposing the closure and conversion of the Theatre. They are supported by Patrick Hall
, the town's former Member of Parliament, and Richard Fuller
the current MP.
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
located on Horne Lane in the town centre
Town centre
The town centre is the term used to refer to the commercial or geographical centre or core area of a town.Town centres are traditionally associated with shopping or retail. They are also the centre of communications with major public transport hubs such as train or bus stations...
of Bedford
Bedford
Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire, in the East of England. It is a large town and the administrative centre for the wider Borough of Bedford. According to the former Bedfordshire County Council's estimates, the town had a population of 79,190 in mid 2005, with 19,720 in the adjacent town...
, Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
The theatre is operated by the Corn Exchange, Bedford
Corn Exchange, Bedford
Bedford Corn Exchange is located on St Paul's Square in the Castle area of Bedford, Bedfordshire, England.-History of the Corn Exchange:The building was designed to be a concert venue and meeting space, as well as a place of business. The basement contained offices, cloakrooms, kitchen, hall...
and hosts a variety of events, exhibitions and performances. Groups such as the Bedford Marianettes regularly produce plays and musicals in the venue. The Bedford Pantomime Company started off producing a traditional pantomime
Pantomime
Pantomime — not to be confused with a mime artist, a theatrical performer of mime—is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta, and is mostly performed during the...
at the theatre each Christmas before moving to the Corn Exchange.
The building itself is a Grade II Listed Building. It was built in 1859-1860 as the assembly hall of Bedford Grammar School
Bedford School
Bedford School is not to be confused with Bedford Modern School or Bedford High School or Old Bedford School in Bedford, TexasBedford School is an HMC independent school for boys located in the town of Bedford, England, United Kingdom...
. The architect was James Horsford, who also designed the former St Luke’s Church in St Peter’s Street. When the School relocated to its current site in 1892 the building was sold to Bedford Council and became part of the Town Hall, and was used as a council chamber and meeting room. The stage and proscenium arch were installed in about 1900. The name Civic Theatre was given to it by the late Weyman Mackay, a leading light in am-dram circles after Second World War, about the time that it was refurbished as a theatre around 1948-52. There used to be a plaque in the entrance foyer, but this was thrown away during the last redecoration in about 1995.
The Theatre is documented on The Theatres Trust website and is listed by the Trust in the 2010 Directory of Theatre Buildings At Risk.
The Bedfringe festival, a pre-Edinburgh Fringe
Edinburgh Fringe
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the world’s largest arts festival. Established in 1947 as an alternative to the Edinburgh International Festival, it takes place annually in Scotland's capital, in the month of August...
festival opened in 2007 and used the Civic Theatre as its main venue.
In April 2010, Bedford Borough Council announced its intention to close the Civic Theatre, converting the space into a 'one-stop-shop' for council services. The plans form part of the proposed redevelopment of the area, which will include the demolition of Bedford Town Hall.
A local campaign to Save Our Civic made up from members of the Amateur Dramatic Societies in Bedford and the surrounding area and other users of the Civic Theatre is opposing the closure and conversion of the Theatre. They are supported by Patrick Hall
Patrick Hall
Patrick Hall is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Bedford from 1997 to 2010.-Early life:...
, the town's former Member of Parliament, and Richard Fuller
Richard Fuller (politician)
Richard Fuller is a British Conservative Party politician. He was elected at the 2010 general election as the Member of Parliament for Bedford, where he was born.-Early life:...
the current MP.