The Theatre of Small Convenience
Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English Script error: No such module "Infobox".Template:Template otherScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". The Theatre of Small Convenience is a theatre on Edith Walk in Great Malvern, Worcestershire, England.
In 2002 it entered the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's smallest commercial theatre, seating up to 12 people.[1] It is less than half the size of the previous record holder, the Piccolo Theatre in Hamburg, Germany.[2][3] The theatre looked like it might close on 25 February 2017 when Dennis Neale retired. Warwickshire College Group took over the lease in (April 2018) for a brief period. After a fire caused by a dehumidifier it was closed, after the pandemic Malvern Hills District Council (the owners of the building) took back possession.
A new group The Theatre of Small Convenience CIC have now been identified as the new custodians of the building. They are embarking on a fundraising campaign to restore the interior and complete other structural work needed to enable the theatre to open again to the public for performances.
The theatre is featured in a recent publication entitled Twenty Theatres You Should See Before You Die by Amber Massie-Blomfield.[4]
The theatre is located in Edith Walk, Great Malvern. Local puppeteer Dennis Neale started work on the theatre in 1997,[2] opening for the first show in November 1999.[5] The theatre's name comes from the building's original purpose – it was converted from a derelict Victorian gentlemen's public convenience. It is trapezoidal in shape, Script error: No such module "convert". long and from Script error: No such module "convert". to Script error: No such module "convert". wide.[2]
The theatre regularly hosted puppetry, often created by Dennis himself, along with offerings by professional and amateur actors, drama, poetry, storytelling and opera, and became a regular venue of the Malvern Fringe Festival. In 2005 the theatre was chosen as one of the venues for an international puppetry festival.[6]
Productions
- Quackery Codswollop by Dennis Neale (2002)[7]
- Quing by Dennis Neale (2004)[8]
- The Tale of the Snowcake Man by Dennis Neale (2004)[9]
- Tempuss Tantrum by Dennis Neale (2006)[10]
See also
References
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- ↑ Malvern Gazette Guests invited to farewell party at Theatre of Small Convenience in Malvern (23 February 2017)
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