Rugby Theatre is an amateur

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 ...

Rugby, Warwickshire Rugby is a market town in eastern Warwickshire, England, close to the River Avon. In the 2021 census its population was 78,125, making it the second-largest town in Warwickshire. It is the main settlement within the larger Borough of Rugby whi ...

, located in Henry Street in the town centre. The building which the theatre is based in on Henry Street was first opened as a 550 seat

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 ...

called ''The Empire'' in 1913, being renamed as ''The Scala'' in 1923. In 1946 the cinema was taken over by the rival Granada company and closed. In 1946 the Rugby Amateur Theatre Society was formed with the intention of founding a permanent theatre in the town, in 1947 they obtained the former cinema and set about converting it into a theatre, re-opening it as such in 1949. Among the founders of the theatre was Harry Pigott-Smith, father of famous actor

Tim Pigott-Smith Timothy Peter Pigott-Smith, (13 May 1946 – 7 April 2017) was an English film and television actor and author. He was best known for his leading role as Ronald Merrick in the television drama series '' The Jewel in the Crown'', for which he wo ...

. Today the theatre society has over 500 members. The main theatre has 270 seats, and puts on up to twelve live shows a year, ranging from classical drama to musicals, as well as hosting musical entertainments, and showing up to 20 films a year in the small cinema. The theatre is a member of the

Little Theatre Guild of Great Britain The Little Theatre Guild of Great Britain (''LTG'') is an Umbrella organisation promoting and supporting independent amateur theatre companies which have control over their own premises and produce drama of a high quality for the benefit of thei ...

, as well as being affiliated to the

National Operatic and Dramatic Association NODA has a membership of 2500 amateur theatre groups and 1000 individual enthusiasts throughout the UK, staging musicals, operas, plays, concerts and pantomimes in a wide variety of performing venues, ranging from the country's leading profes ...

and the

Association of British Theatre Technicians The Association of British Theatre Technicians (ABTT) is a British charitable organisation representing technical staff working within theatre. Overview The ABTT was founded in 1961 by group of theatre producers, technicians and architects. The ...

References

External links

Official Website
{{coord, 52.374129, -1.260282, type:landmark_region:GB-WAR, display=title Buildings and structures in Rugby, Warwickshire Theatres in Warwickshire 1949 establishments in England Community theatre Amateur theatre companies in England Little_Theatre_Guild_of_Great_Britain Theatres completed in 1949

See also

References

External links