Questors Theatre
Encyclopedia
The Questors Theatre is a theatre venue located in the London Borough of Ealing
, west London
. It is home of The Questors, a non-professional theatre company and is a member of The Little Theatre Guild of Great Britain
.
in 1964, replacing the previous theatre building which had been converted from an old church; and the new theatre's adaptable configuration was one of the first in a new wave of thrust stage
theatres in Britain. The site also contains a studio theatre (the Constantin Stanislavsky Room, built as a rehearsal room in 1960 and converted into a studio theatre in 1968), three rehearsal rooms (the Bernard Shaw
Room built in 1958; the Michael Redgrave
Room, opened in 1968, converted from part of the original Mattock Lodge; and the Alfred Emmet Room built in 1998), a scenery workshop, and a members' bar (The Grapevine, opened in 1959, converted from part of Mattock Lodge).
s who were already holding their meetings there. In 1938, the Boy Scouts pulled out of the venue, and The Questors took over as the sole lessees of the old church building. After the death of Miss Webb in 1951, The Questors raised £8,500 to buy the freehold of the complete site on 25 April 1952.
drew upon his experiences as an acting member of The Questors (from 1953) when he wrote his book The Art of Coarse Acting (published 1964) which he dedicated to The Questors.
In 1972, The Questors hosted the World Coarse Acting Championship, and then took The Coarse Acting Show to the 1977 Edinburgh Festival Fringe and The Coarse Acting Show 2 to the 1979 Festival Fringe. The Coarse Acting Show 2 subsequently transferred to the Shaftesbury Theatre
, London
, where it was visited by HRH The Prince of Wales
. In 1984, The Questors presented the Third Great Coarse Acting Show at The Questors Theatre (which was again visited by HRH The Prince of Wales
), and in 1988 took Coarse Acting Strikes Back to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
, Ion Swinley, Ben Webster
, Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies
and Margaret Webster
. Subsequent presidents have been:
London Borough of Ealing
The London Borough of Ealing is a borough in west London.-Location:The London Borough of Ealing borders the London Borough of Hillingdon to the west, the London Borough of Harrow and the London Borough of Brent to the north, the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham to the east and the London...
, west 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...
. It is home of The Questors, a non-professional theatre company and is a member of The Little Theatre Guild of Great Britain
Little Theatre Guild of Great Britain
The Little Theatre Guild of Great Britain is an Umbrella organisation promoting and supporting independent amateur theatre companies which have control over their own premises and produce drama of a high quality for the benefit of their communities...
.
Activities
The Questors theatre club was founded in 1929 and – pursuing an adventurous artistic policy led by the late Alfred Emmet – has grown into a vibrant non-professional theatre company which in the 2006-07 season staged 15 productions (drawing all actors and backstage teams from its membership), and five student and youth theatre productions. In August 2007, the company had 1,716 members (of whom 333 were actors and around 300 worked backstage and front-of-house, with the remainder supporting the theatre as audience members), as well as a youth theatre with nearly 500 members. The Questors also run a part-time student acting course based on the acting techniques of Constantin Stanislavski.Site
The Questors Theatre building was opened by Queen Elizabeth the Queen MotherElizabeth Bowes-Lyon
Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon was the queen consort of King George VI from 1936 until her husband's death in 1952, after which she was known as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, to avoid confusion with her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II...
in 1964, replacing the previous theatre building which had been converted from an old church; and the new theatre's adaptable configuration was one of the first in a new wave of thrust stage
Thrust stage
In theatre, a thrust stage is one that extends into the audience on three sides and is connected to the backstage area by its up stage end. A thrust has the benefit of greater intimacy between performers and the audience than a proscenium, while retaining the utility of a backstage area...
theatres in Britain. The site also contains a studio theatre (the Constantin Stanislavsky Room, built as a rehearsal room in 1960 and converted into a studio theatre in 1968), three rehearsal rooms (the Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw was an Irish playwright and a co-founder of the London School of Economics. Although his first profitable writing was music and literary criticism, in which capacity he wrote many highly articulate pieces of journalism, his main talent was for drama, and he wrote more than 60...
Room built in 1958; the Michael Redgrave
Michael Redgrave
Sir Michael Scudamore Redgrave, CBE was an English stage and film actor, director, manager and author.-Youth and education:...
Room, opened in 1968, converted from part of the original Mattock Lodge; and the Alfred Emmet Room built in 1998), a scenery workshop, and a members' bar (The Grapevine, opened in 1959, converted from part of Mattock Lodge).
History
The original building on the site, Mattock Lodge, is a house dating from the early 1850s, owned from around 1895 by a 'Father O'Halloran' who built a small church on the land behind the house, and on his death willed all the property to Miss Ann Webb as life tenant, who then lived in the house with her sister. In 1933, The Questors theatre club, who were looking for a permanent venue, were invited to share the old church premises by the Ealing Boy ScoutBoy Scout
A Scout is a boy or a girl, usually 11 to 18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement. Because of the large age and development span, many Scouting associations have split this age group into a junior and a senior section...
s who were already holding their meetings there. In 1938, the Boy Scouts pulled out of the venue, and The Questors took over as the sole lessees of the old church building. After the death of Miss Webb in 1951, The Questors raised £8,500 to buy the freehold of the complete site on 25 April 1952.
Coarse Acting
Writer Michael GreenMichael Green (humorist)
Michael Green is a British journalist and author of humorous books. He is best known for The Art of Coarse Rugby, The Art of Coarse Acting and other books with similar titles.-Career:...
drew upon his experiences as an acting member of The Questors (from 1953) when he wrote his book The Art of Coarse Acting (published 1964) which he dedicated to The Questors.
In 1972, The Questors hosted the World Coarse Acting Championship, and then took The Coarse Acting Show to the 1977 Edinburgh Festival Fringe and The Coarse Acting Show 2 to the 1979 Festival Fringe. The Coarse Acting Show 2 subsequently transferred to the Shaftesbury Theatre
Shaftesbury Theatre
The Shaftesbury Theatre is a West End Theatre, located on Shaftesbury Avenue, in the London Borough of Camden.-History:The theatre was designed for the brothers Walter and Frederick Melville by Bertie Crewe and opened on 26 December 1911 with a production of The Three Musketeers, as the New...
, 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...
, where it was visited by HRH The Prince of Wales
Charles, Prince of Wales
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...
. In 1984, The Questors presented the Third Great Coarse Acting Show at The Questors Theatre (which was again visited by HRH The Prince of Wales
Charles, Prince of Wales
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...
), and in 1988 took Coarse Acting Strikes Back to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Presidents
Among those who accepted an invitation between 1930 and 1944 to serve as The Questors' Presidents were Robert AtkinsRobert Atkins (actor)
Sir Robert Atkins, CBE was an English actor, producer and director.Born in Dulwich, London, England, Atkins was most famous for his participation in the theatre. An early graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, he also appeared many times on film and in television, though not with the...
, Ion Swinley, Ben Webster
Ben Webster (actor)
Ben Webster was a British-born actor, and the husband of actress Dame May Whitty, and father of the British-American stage actress, Margaret Webster. His father, W. S. Webster, was the son of the famous actor Benjamin Nottingham Webster.Ben Webster was born on June 2, 1864 in London and married...
, Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies
Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies
Dame Gwen Lucy Ffrangcon-Davies, DBE was a British actress and centenarian. She was born in London of a Welsh family; the name "Ffrangcon" originates from a valley in Snowdonia...
and Margaret Webster
Margaret Webster
Margaret Webster was an American-born theater actress, producer and director. Through her parents, she held dual US/UK citizenship.-Career:...
. Subsequent presidents have been:
- John Burrell (1944–52)
- Tyrone GuthrieTyrone GuthrieSir William Tyrone Guthrie was an English theatrical director instrumental in the founding of the Stratford Festival of Canada, the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota and the Tyrone Guthrie Centre, at his family's home, Annaghmakerrig, in County Monaghan, Ireland.-Life and career:Guthrie...
(1952–58) - Michael RedgraveMichael RedgraveSir Michael Scudamore Redgrave, CBE was an English stage and film actor, director, manager and author.-Youth and education:...
(1958–85) - Judi DenchJudi DenchDame Judith Olivia "Judi" Dench, CH, DBE, FRSA is an English film, stage and television actress.Dench made her professional debut in 1957 with the Old Vic Company. Over the following few years she played in several of William Shakespeare's plays in such roles as Ophelia in Hamlet, Juliet in Romeo...
(1985–present)