Everyman 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 ...

based in Regent Street,

Cheltenham Cheltenham (), also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a spa town and borough on the edge of the Cotswolds in the county of Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort, following the discovery of mineral s ...

. There are two auditoria in the building - the 675 seat main

auditorium An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances. For movie theatres, the number of auditoria (or auditoriums) is expressed as the number of screens. Auditoria can be found in entertainment venues, community ...

and the 60 seat Studio Theatre, originally named The Ralph Richardson Studio after

Ralph Richardson Sir Ralph David Richardson (19 December 1902 – 10 October 1983) was an English actor who, with John Gielgud and Laurence Olivier, was one of the trinity of male actors who dominated the British stage for much of the 20th century. He wo ...

History

The

Grade II listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

was designed by

Frank Matcham Francis Matcham (22 November 1854 – 17 May 1920)Mackintosh, Iain"Matcham, Frank" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, accessed 7 July 2019 was an English architect who specialised in the design o ...

and was originally called "The New Theatre and Opera House". It was opened on 1 October 1891 with a performance by

Lilly Langtry Emilie Charlotte, Lady de Bathe (née Le Breton, formerly Langtry; 13 October 1853 – 12 February 1929), known as Lillie (or Lily) Langtry and nicknamed "The Jersey Lily", was a British socialite, stage actress and producer. Born on the isla ...

in 'Lady Clancarty'. When it was first built, the theatre seated around 1500 people on bench seating. In 1929, the New Theatre and Opera House gained a licence to screen projected film, becoming a multi-purpose theatre and

cinema Cinema may refer to: Film * Cinematography, the art of motion-picture photography * Film or movie, a series of still images that create the illusion of a moving image ** Film industry, the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking * ...

. The licence stipulated that the building must continue to present live performance as well as cinema. In

World War II 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 opposin ...

, the theatre became a

Garrison Theatre The Garrison Theatre is a 280-capacity venue in Lerwick, Shetland, Scotland, with a sprung proscenium stage with fixed raked seating. The auditorium has 19 rows, named A to S, with 8, 12, 13, 15, or 16 seats in each row. The venue hosts dance, dr ...

, continuing to present theatre throughout the war years to civilians and the US soldiers based at Pittville. Many actors from London left the capital to escape

the Blitz The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term , the German word meaning 'lightning war'. The Germa ...

, bringing big names to Cheltenham. The Cheltenham Corporation ran the building after World War II until 1960. In 1959 the building closed and was at risk of being sold. The Cheltenham Theatre Association published an advertisement in September 1959 advertising "Urgent - Wanted £3,000 at once, to re-open Cheltenham Opera House". Theatre at night Jan 2018

In May 1960, the Cheltenham Theatre Association published another advertisement titled "Great News", which announced that the Everyman Theatre would open on Monday 22 May 1960 with a world premiere presentation of

N.C. Hunter Norman Charles Hunter (18 September 1908 – 19 April 1971) was a British playwright whose plays attracted such notable actors to perform them as John Gielgud, Wendy Hiller, Sybil Thorndike, Ralph Richardson, Vanessa Redgrave, Michael Redgrave ...

's "A Piece of Silver", starring

Joyce Heron Elizabeth Joyce Heron (6 November 1916 – 1 April 1980) was a British stage, film and television actress. She was a West End stage star from 1937, and was married to the actor Ralph Michael. Filmography * ''Premiere'' (1938) - Dancer * ''Wom ...

and

Esmond Knight Esmond Penington Knight (4 May 1906 – 23 February 1987) was an English actor. He had a successful stage and film career before World War II. For much of his later career Knight was half-blind. He had been badly wounded in 1941 while on active ...

. The Cheltenham Theatre Association rebranded itself as the Everyman Theatre Association (ETA). It enjoyed booking advantages and raised money for the Theatre. Its 50th anniversary in 2010 was a great success; sadly, Covid lockdown prevented the 60th. Members enjoyed a variety of social activities, but, even before lockdown, support diminished and the ETA was wound up in late 2021. The benefits transferred to a new Priority Access Membership scheme administered directly by the theatre. On re-opening in 1960, the Everyman Theatre operated as a

Repertory Theatre A repertory theatre is a theatre in which a resident company presents works from a specified repertoire, usually in alternation or rotation. United Kingdom Annie Horniman founded the first modern repertory theatre in Manchester after withdrawing ...

, with several household names being part of the rep, including

William Gaunt William Charles Anthony Gaunt (born 3 April 1937 in Pudsey, West Riding of Yorkshire) is an English actor. He became widely known for television roles such as Richard Barrett in ''The Champions'' (1968–1969), Arthur Crabtree in '' No Place ...

Steven Berkoff Steven Berkoff (born Leslie Steven Berks; 3 August 1937) is an English actor, author, playwright, theatre practitioner and theatre director. As a theatre maker he is recognised for staging work with a heightened performance style eponymously k ...

Windsor Davies Windsor Davies (28 August 1930 – 17 January 2019) was a British actor. He is best remembered for playing Battery Sergeant Major Williams in the sitcom ''It Ain't Half Hot Mum'' (1974–1981) over its entire run. The show's popularity resulted ...

and

Penelope Keith Dame Penelope Anne Constance Keith, (née Hatfield; born 2 April 1940) is an English actress and presenter, active in film, radio, stage and television and primarily known for her roles in the British sitcoms '' The Good Life'' and ''To the Man ...

. The theatre closed in 1983 to coincide with the development of the Regent Arcade, during which the building underwent significant rebuilding and refurbishment. The theatre reopened in 1986 with a production of

My Fair Lady ''My Fair Lady'' is a musical based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play ''Pygmalion'', with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story concerns Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl who takes speech lessons f ...

, starring Jacqueline Dankworth. The Everyman Theatre is the oldest surviving working Matcham Auditorium.

2011 refurbishment

In 2011, the theatre closed in early May for a £3.2 million refurbishment. During the refurbishment, the main auditorium was restored and returned to a decorative style resembling Frank Matcham's original style, including bespoke wallpaper and carpets, painting by fine arts and replacement of cherubs around the auditorium. The pink paint on the iconic narrow and high Opera House proscenium arch was removed to reveal the original Scagliola marble. Above the proscenium arch, the

spandrel A spandrel is a roughly triangular space, usually found in pairs, between the top of an arch and a rectangular frame; between the tops of two adjacent arches or one of the four spaces between a circle within a square. They are frequently fill ...

s were restored to put original paintings representing the angels of Comedy and Tragedy back in place. The theatre reopened in September 2011 with a performance by

Sir Ken Dodd Sir Kenneth Arthur Dodd (8 November 1927 – 11 March 2018) was an English comedian, singer and occasional actor. He was described as "the last great music hall entertainer", and was primarily known for his live stand-up performances. A life ...

References

External links

* Everyman Theatre * Everyman Theatre Priority Access Membership {{Authority control Theatres in Gloucestershire Buildings and structures in Cheltenham Culture in Cheltenham 1891 establishments in England Event venues established in 1891

History

2011 refurbishment

See also

References

External links