The Garrison Theatre is a 280-capacity venue in

Lerwick Lerwick (; non, Leirvik; nrn, Larvik) is the main town and port of the Shetland archipelago, Scotland. Shetland's only burgh, Lerwick had a population of about 7,000 residents in 2010. Centred off the north coast of the Scottish mainland ...

Shetland Shetland, also called the Shetland Islands and formerly Zetland, is a subarctic archipelago in Scotland lying between Orkney, the Faroe Islands and Norway. It is the northernmost region of the United Kingdom. The islands lie about to the no ...

, Scotland, with a sprung

proscenium A proscenium ( grc-gre, προσκήνιον, ) is the metaphorical vertical plane of space in a theatre, usually surrounded on the top and sides by a physical proscenium arch (whether or not truly "arched") and on the bottom by the stage floor ...

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, drama, stand-up comedy,

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 ...

and music productions. It used to host regular film screenings; however, the purpose-built cinema

Mareel Mareel is a multi-purpose entertainment venue located on the waterfront of Lerwick, the capital of Shetland. Opening in 2012, the facility includes a music venue, cinema, conference rooms and educational facilities. Facilities Mareel is desig ...

opened in 2012. It was opened in 1903 and used as a drill hall and gymnasium during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. It was also the headquarters of the 7th Volunteer Battalion Gordon Highlanders. The building was converted to a theatre by ENSA in 1942 to be used as a venue to entertain troops 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 opposin ...

. During the 1950s and 1960s it was owned by the Zetland County Council, who decided to repair and refurbish the theatre in 1989, and was programmed by Islesburgh Drama Group and an Entertainments Committee. Ownership was then transferred to the Islesburgh Trust before coming under

Shetland Arts Shetland Arts Development Agency or Shetland Arts for short, is a Scottish charity formed in 2006 (to replace the Shetland Arts Trust) with a remit to "encourage and assist in promoting and advancing the creation, practice and presentation and stu ...

management in April 2007. * *

Technical specifications

The stage width is and the depth is . There are four lighting bars above the stage and one (plus the sidebars) in the auditorium. At the entrance there is a mini food and drink stall, plus a box office. Backstage are two large dressing rooms, three toilets, and two showers.

References

External links

Shetland Arts website
Buildings and structures in Shetland Tourist attractions in Shetland Theatres in Scotland 1903 establishments in Scotland Lerwick {{Shetland-struct-stub