The Charles Cryer Theatre is a studio theatre located in the High Street in
Carshalton
Carshalton () is a town, with a historic village centre, in south London, England, within the London Borough of Sutton. It is situated south-southwest of Charing Cross, in the valley of the River Wandle, one of the sources of which is Carshalton ...
in the
London Borough of Sutton
The London Borough of Sutton () is a London borough in south-west London, England and forms part of Outer London. It covers an area of and is the 80th largest local authority in England by population. It borders the London Borough of Croydon to ...
. The theatre is named after the man who led the campaign to open the
Secombe Theatre
The Secombe Theatre (originally the Secombe Centre) was a theatre in Cheam Road, Sutton, Greater London. The theatre was opened in 1983 by the Welsh comedian Sir Harry Secombe, who lived in Sutton for over 30 years, and was named after him. The ...
in neighbouring
Sutton
Sutton (''south settlement'' or ''south town'' in Old English) may refer to:
Places
United Kingdom
England
In alphabetical order by county:
* Sutton, Bedfordshire
* Sutton, Berkshire, a List of United Kingdom locations: Stu-Sz#Su, location
* S ...
.
It was opened by
Prince Edward in 1991.
It closed in 2016, but in November 2019 it reopened under new management.
Building
![Charles Cryer Studio Theatre, Carshalton, Surrey - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/08/Charles_Cryer_Studio_Theatre%2C_Carshalton%2C_Surrey_-_geograph.org.uk_-_485263.jpg)
The theatre is housed in a building which was built as a public hall in 1874 for the village. Prior to becoming a theatre it has been used as a
roller skating
Roller skating is the act of traveling on surfaces with roller skates. It is a recreational activity, a sport, and a form of transportation. Roller rinks and skate parks are built for roller skating, though it also takes place on streets, sid ...
rink (from 1900 to 1912) and a cinema (from 1912 to 1939).
To convert the building to a theatre, the roof and the facade were renewed. A stone-set wind vane and three red brick entrance arches were kept. Notable are the tiled eaves to each side of the building, which project past the front. The interior was renewed including staircases and porthole shaped windows. A new floor was designed to divide the hall in half. There is a restaurant downstairs with the box office while upstairs are the auditorium and dressing rooms. The auditorium itself features flexible seating for between 68 and 125, dependent upon the arrangement. The stage has limited space to the sides. There is a rehearsal room for performing to 20 people or less.
The 1992
RIBA
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture under its royal charter granted in 1837, three suppl ...
Downland Design Award judges commented that "the project makes a significant social contribution to the High Street. The theatre is in constant use and well-liked".
Productions and workshops
Past performances have included a "sensitive treatment by a clever director and fine cast" in 2009 of
Anton Chekhov
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; 29 January 1860 Old Style date 17 January. – 15 July 1904 Old Style date 2 July.) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer who is considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career ...
's play ''
Uncle Vanya
''Uncle Vanya'' ( rus, Дя́дя Ва́ня, r=Dyádya Ványa, p=ˈdʲædʲə ˈvanʲə) is a play by the Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. It was first published in 1898, and was first produced in 1899 by the Moscow Art Theatre under the direct ...
'' by the Square Peg Theatre Company, which received a five star review from the ''
Croydon Advertiser
''The Croydon Advertiser'' (with locally branded editions) is a paid-for weekly newspaper with five editions covering the London Boroughs of Croydon, Sutton and two neighbouring towns and with a free up-to-the-minute maintained web presence.
Ci ...
''.
In 2013 the theatre hosted the Breakfast Cat Theatre Company's treatment of
George Orwell
Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950), better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to totalitar ...
's novel ''
Nineteen Eighty-Four
''Nineteen Eighty-Four'' (also stylised as ''1984'') is a dystopian social science fiction novel and cautionary tale written by the English writer George Orwell. It was published on 8 June 1949 by Secker & Warburg as Orwell's ninth and final ...
,'' which was noted by the ''Croydon Citizen'' for its "skill and flair."
Other past productions have included ''
Steel Magnolias
''Steel Magnolias'' is a 1989 American comedy-drama film directed by Herbert Ross and starring Academy Award winner Sally Field, Dolly Parton, Shirley MacLaine, Daryl Hannah, Olympia Dukakis and Julia Roberts. The picture is a film adaptation ...
'', ''
The Tempest'', ''
Jesus Christ Superstar
''Jesus Christ Superstar'' is a sung-through rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. Loosely based on the Gospels' accounts of the Passion, the work interprets the psychology of Jesus and other characters, with ...
'' and ''
The Witches of Eastwick
''The Witches of Eastwick'' is a 1984 novel by American writer John Updike. A sequel, '' The Widows of Eastwick'', was published in 2008.
Plot
The story, set in the fictional Rhode Island town of Eastwick in the early 1970s, follows the witc ...
.''
The theatre was included by the ''
Independent Newspaper
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid format in 2003. The last p ...
'' in a 1998 article entitled "The 50 Best: Britain's Best-kept Summer Secrets", which covered its drama workshops for children.
2014 to 2015 closure risk, rescue and renaissance
Because of the local council's need to make budgetary savings, the venue was, along with its sister theatre, the
Secombe Theatre
The Secombe Theatre (originally the Secombe Centre) was a theatre in Cheam Road, Sutton, Greater London. The theatre was opened in 1983 by the Welsh comedian Sir Harry Secombe, who lived in Sutton for over 30 years, and was named after him. The ...
in
Sutton
Sutton (''south settlement'' or ''south town'' in Old English) may refer to:
Places
United Kingdom
England
In alphabetical order by county:
* Sutton, Bedfordshire
* Sutton, Berkshire, a List of United Kingdom locations: Stu-Sz#Su, location
* S ...
, identified by the
Theatres Trust
The Theatres Trust is the National Advisory Public Body for Theatres in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1976 by an Act of Parliament to "promote the better protection of theatres for the benefit of the nation". The Trust has played a leadi ...
as one of 33 theatres in the country for inclusion on its "At Risk" register.
Comedian
Tim Vine
Timothy Mark Vine (born 4 March 1967) is an English comedian, actor, writer, and presenter best known for his one-liners and his role on the sitcom ''Not Going Out'' (2006–2014). He has released a number of stand-up comedy specials and has wr ...
, called on Sutton Council to reconsider its proposals.
In November 2014 the local council announced that four organisations submitting outline bids to take over the two theatres had been invited to submit full business cases.
In January 2015 the bid by the new "Sutton Theatres Trust" (STT) was given approval by the council's environment and neighbourhood committee to take over the theatres, thus saving them from closure. Speaking about the future running of the theatres, a spokesperson for STT said:
[
In June 2015 the theatres were official handed over to the STT. Cllr Jill Whitehead said: "Now we can look forward to an exciting programme of activity to be unveiled by Sutton Theatres Trust this summer and their contribution to cultural life in Sutton."
]
2016 closure
In August 2016, the Sutton Theatre Trust went into administration and the theatre (along with its sister theatre in the borough) closed. The administrator began looking for a buyer for the Trust. Audience numbers had doubled under the new management, but this was still not enough for the Trust to be financially viable without additional support.
Reopening of the theatre
At a meeting in October 2018, the local council announced that the theatre would be brought back into use, following a successful bid to run the venue (on a 25-year lease) by Cryer Arts Ltd. The company plans a range of events, including music, film and theatre. In November 2019 it was announced that the theatre would reopen later that month. The local councillor responsible for cultural services, Steve Cook, said: "I’m really pleased that we have completed this lease and that Cryer Arts can move forward with their plans to make the Cryer a real asset to the community and a successful business. It’s great to have a new performance and music space and this has come at a good time for our bid to be London Borough of Culture in 2023. I wish Cryer Arts every success and would encourage everyone to visit, use the restaurant and bar, see a performance or hire the theatre for their group."
Transport
The theatre is on TfL bus routes 127, 157, 407, and X26, and within walking distance of Carshalton railway station
Carshalton railway station is a railway station at Carshalton in the London Borough of Sutton in South London. It is located between Sutton and Hackbridge.
The station is served by Southern and Thameslink. It is in Travelcard Zone 5. From h ...
and Wallington railway station
Wallington railway station is in the London Borough of Sutton in south London. The station, and all trains serving it, is operated by Southern, and is in Travelcard Zone 5. It is between and , down the line from , measured via Forest Hill.
...
.
References
External links
{{commons category-inline, Charles Cryer Theatre
Theatres in the London Borough of Sutton
Carshalton