Assembly Hall, Tunbridge Wells - geograph

The Assembly Hall Theatre is a

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

Tunbridge Wells Royal Tunbridge Wells is a town in Kent, England, southeast of central London. It lies close to the border with East Sussex on the northern edge of the High Weald, whose sandstone geology is exemplified by the rock formation High Rocks. T ...

seating 1,020 people. The theatre hosts a variety of popular music, comedy, family, dance, drama, classical music and variety events, as well as an annual

pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speaking ...

. Since 1967, the Assembly Hall has been home to the Tunbridge Wells Operatic and Dramatic Society. Their first performance was Gilbert and Sullivan’s

The Gondoliers ''The Gondoliers; or, The King of Barataria'' is a Savoy Opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 7 December 1889 and ran for a very successful 554 performances (at that time the ...

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performers The performing arts are arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which are the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art objects. Perfo ...

have included

Shane Filan Shane Steven Filan (born 5 July 1979) is an Irish pop singer. He is one of the two lead singers of pop vocal group Westlife, which was formed in 1998, disbanded in 2012, and regrouped in 2018. Westlife have released thirteen albums, embarked on ...

Westlife Westlife is an Irish pop vocal group formed in Dublin, Ireland in 1998. The group currently consists of members Shane Filan, Mark Feehily, Kian Egan, and Nicky Byrne. Brian McFadden was a member, until he left in 2004. The group temporarily di ...

, Coolio,

Let Loose Let Loose is a British pop trio, with Richie Wermerling (born Richard John Wermerling, 11 May 1968 in Whitechapel, London) on lead vocals and keyboards, Rob Jeffrey (born Robert George Edward Jeffrey, 30 November 1967 in Romford, East London) o ...

and

The Stranglers The Stranglers are an English rock band who emerged via the punk rock scene. Scoring 23 UK top 40 singles and 19 UK top 40 albums to date in a career spanning five decades, the Stranglers are one of the longest-surviving bands to have origin ...

History

Built by the Tunbridge Wells Corporation and designed by Percy Thomas and Ernest Prestwich, the Assembly Hall Theatre opened on 24 May 1939. When first built, the auditorium had a capacity of 822 on the ground floor, with a further 320 in the balcony. It was also equipped with a 22ft x 29ft cinema screen to allow films to be shown. It now seats up to 993 people, with 672 on the ground floor (373 in the stalls and 300 in tiered stalls) and 320 on the balcony (circle).Assembly Hall website
/ref> During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, the theatre was used for dances for troops, film shows and events to raise money for the war effort.Kent and Sussex Courier
/ref> By 2001, the theatre was attracting audiences of over 150,000 each year. The theatre was refurbished in 2001 with works including the provision of additional dressing rooms, remodelling the bar, repainting of the foyer and front of house areas, and new seating, air conditioning and other facilities. The auditorium closed again in August 2015 for a £1.5 million refurbishment. New tiered charcoal-coloured seating replaced the previous fixtures. The balcony seating was re-upholstered in the same hard-wearing material. Overheating was addressed and the bar area was redesigned in black, charcoal and gold. Upon reopening, the bar will accept

contactless payments Contactless payment systems are credit cards and debit cards, key fobs, smart cards, or other devices, including smartphones and other mobile devices, that use radio-frequency identification (RFID) or near-field communication (NFC, e.g. Samsung P ...

Location

The theatre is located on Crescent Road, forming part of the Tunbridge Wells Civic Centre in the centre of the town.

Architecture

The building is predominantly built from brick, with details in silver and red bricks and in Portland Stone. The walls and floor of the entrance hall are of Roman

Travertine Travertine ( ) is a form of terrestrial limestone deposited around mineral springs, especially hot springs. It often has a fibrous or concentric appearance and exists in white, tan, cream-colored, and even rusty varieties. It is formed by a p ...

Marble, with gold and fawn ceilings. A large lounge was constructed parallel with the main hall, originally designed for suppers to be served when the hall was used for dances.

References

External links

Official WebsiteThe Tunbridge Wells Project - Assembly Hall Image Gallery
{{Royal Tunbridge Wells Assembly Hall Theatre, Tunbridge Wells Buildings and structures in Royal Tunbridge Wells 1939 establishments in England