Crescent Theatre
Encyclopedia
The Crescent Theatre is a small, amateur theatre
run mostly by volunteers, based in Sheepcote Street, Brindleyplace
in Birmingham
, England
.
It houses one of the oldest theatre companies in the city: The Crescent Theatre Company. The Crescent also plays host to numerous visiting companies every year, both amateur and professional.
The company began, as the Municipal Players, in 1924. The first theatre was a converted building, formerly Baskerville Hall, in the Crescent, Cambridge Street. The first production being Edmund Rostand's "The Romantics" in 1932. The second theatre to be built was opened on Cumberland Street in 1964. It was designed by Graham Winteringham
of S. T. Walker and Partners and had 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.
The present theatre was opened in 1998 by Celia Imrie. The theatre it replaced was demolished in the same year. It houses two performance spaces: The Main Auditorium, and The Ron Barber Studio. The Main House seats up to 340, and the Studio up to 120. The building was designed by Terry Farrell
and John Chatwin.
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...
run mostly by volunteers, based in Sheepcote Street, Brindleyplace
Brindleyplace
Brindleyplace is a large mixed-use canalside development, in the Westside district of Birmingham, England. It is often written erroneously as Brindley Place, the name of the street around which it is built...
in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, 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...
.
It houses one of the oldest theatre companies in the city: The Crescent Theatre Company. The Crescent also plays host to numerous visiting companies every year, both amateur and professional.
The company began, as the Municipal Players, in 1924. The first theatre was a converted building, formerly Baskerville Hall, in the Crescent, Cambridge Street. The first production being Edmund Rostand's "The Romantics" in 1932. The second theatre to be built was opened on Cumberland Street in 1964. It was designed by Graham Winteringham
Graham Winteringham
Graham Winteringham is an English architect who was born in Louth, Lincolnshire. Winteringham's work has consisted either of public buildings or the restoration of historic buildings.-Early life:...
of S. T. Walker and Partners and had 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
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
stock bricks and black-framed windows. Phase Two of the construction would have included a restaurant and a rehearsal stage.
The present theatre was opened in 1998 by Celia Imrie. The theatre it replaced was demolished in the same year. It houses two performance spaces: The Main Auditorium, and The Ron Barber Studio. The Main House seats up to 340, and the Studio up to 120. The building was designed by Terry Farrell
Terry Farrell (architect)
Sir Terry Farrell, CBE, RIBA, FRSA, FCSD, MRTPI is a British architect.-Life and career:Farrell was born in Sale, Cheshire. As a youth he moved to Newcastle upon Tyne, where he attended St Cuthbert's High School. He graduated with a degree from Newcastle University, followed by a Masters in urban...
and John Chatwin.