The Wyvern Theatre in Swindon, Wiltshire, England, opened in 1971. It is managed on behalf of Swindon Borough Council by Wyvern Theatre Ltd, a subsidiary of HQ Theatres Ltd. The auditorium has 635 seats, all designed to be within 70 feet from the stage.

History

The theatre was built in 1968–71 by Casson, Conder and Partner as part of Swindon Civic Centre. It is named after the mythical

wyvern A wyvern ( , sometimes spelled wivern) is a legendary winged dragon that has two legs. The wyvern in its various forms is important in heraldry, frequently appearing as a mascot of schools and athletic teams (chiefly in the United States, Un ...

which was once the emblem of the kings of

Wessex la, Regnum Occidentalium Saxonum , conventional_long_name = Kingdom of the West Saxons , common_name = Wessex , image_map = Southern British Isles 9th century.svg , map_caption = S ...

. The building was opened on 7 September 1971 by Queen

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

and

Prince Philip Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 1921 – 9 April 2021) was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he served as the consort of the British monarch from E ...

. The first performance was by a Ukrainian dance company. On 3 September 2006, it closed temporarily after the discovery of traces of asbestos in the venue's offices and roof void during a routine inspection. It remained closed until September 2007 and the opportunity was taken to refurbish the venue, bringing new decor, bars, cafés, disabled entrances and new seating costing £1.3 million. The first performance afterwards was on 25 September 2007.

Management companies

* 1971–1994 – Wyvern Arts Trust Ltd * 1994–2001 – Apollo Leisure – General Manager Ted Doan * 2001–02 – SFX Venues – General Manager Ted Doan * 2002–05 – Clear Channel Entertainment – General Manager Ted Doan, Andrew Lister * 2005–07 – Hetherington Seelig Theatres Ltd. – General Manager Nick Shaw, Darren Edwards, Andrew Hill * From 2007: HQ Theatres, a joint venture between H.S.T Ltd and Qdos Entertainment – Theatre Director Derek Aldridge, Robert Miles, Laura James

Pantomimes

* 1971/72 – ''Dick Whittington and His Cat'' * 1972/73 – ''Cinderella'' starring Howell Evans and

Sue Holderness Susan Joan Holderness (born 28 May 1949) is an English actress on both stage and screen having had appearances in '' Bless This House'' (1974), '' The New Avengers'' (1977), ''Canned Laughter'' (1979), ''The Sandbaggers'' (1980), ''The Cleopatr ...

* 1973/74 – ''Dick Whittington'' starring

Ian Lavender Arthur Ian Lavender (born 16 February 1946) is an English stage, film and television actor. He is best known for his role as Private Pike in the BBC sitcom '' Dad's Army'', and is the last surviving major cast member of the series following t ...

and Helen Shapiro * 1974/75 – ''Aladdin'' * 1975/76 – ''Mother Goose'' starring Patsy Blower * 1976/77 – ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'' * 1977/78 – ''Jack and the Beanstalk'' starring Tony Brandon * 1978/79 – ''Cinderella'' * 1979/80 – ''Jack and the Beanstalk'' * 1981/82 – ''Aladdin'' starring

Bernie Winters Bernie Winters (born Bernie Weinstein; 6 September 1930 – 4 May 1991), was an English comedian, actor, musician & TV presenter, and the comic foil of the double act Mike and Bernie Winters with his older brother, Mike. Winters later perform ...

and Tim Swinton, Jackie Pallo, Jimmy Thompson and Anne Sidney * 1982/83 – ''Babes in the Wood'' Starring Jess Conrad (Robin Hood) & Norman Vaughan (Merry Norman) * 1984/85 – ''Cinderella'' starring Sheila Harrod (Dandini) Roger Dean (Ugly Sister Ruby) Don Crann (Ugly Sister Sal) and April Walker (Prince Charming) * 1985/86 – ''Aladdin'' starring David Griffin (Wishee Washee) & Don Crann (Widow Twanky) * 1986/87 – ''Jack and the Beanstalk'' starring

Johnny Ball Johnny Ball (born Graham Thalben Ball; 23 May 1938) is an English television personality, a populariser of mathematics and the father of BBC Radio 2 DJ Zoe Ball. Early life Ball was born in Bristol and attended Kingswood Primary School on th ...

* 1987/88 – ''Babes in the Wood'' starring Peter Duncan (Silly Billy) & Bruce Montague (Sheriff of Nottingham) & Pollyann Tanner (Maid Marion) * 1988/89 – ''Dick Whittington'' starring Andrew O'Connor (Idle Jack), Michael Groth (Dick Whittington) & Peter Denyer (King Rat) * 1989/90 – ''Mother Goose'' – Starring

Adam Woodyatt Adam Brinley Woodyatt (born 28 June 1968) is an English actor. He is known for his role as Ian Beale in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', which he played between 1985 and 2022. Early life and education Woodyatt was born on 28 June 1968 in W ...

(Silly Billy) and Chris Harris with Terry Hall and Lenny the Lion Adam Woodyatt and Lenny the Lion Wyvern Panto Flyer

* 1990/91 – ''Aladdin'' – Starring

Floella Benjamin Floella Karen Yunies Benjamin, Baroness Benjamin, (born 23 September 1949GRO Register of Marriages: SEP 1980 14 0207 LAMBETH – Keith D. Taylor=Floella K.Y. Benjamin) is a Trinidadian-British actress, singer, presenter, author, businesswoman, ...

(Aladdin) and Bobby Gee Floella Benjamin Wyvern Panto Flyer

* 1991/92 – ''Cinderella'' – Starring

Matthew Kelly Matthew Kelly (born David Allan Kelly, 9 May 1950) is an English actor and presenter. Having been trained as a theatre actor, he first came to public prominence as a television presenter of ITV light entertainment shows such as '' Game for a ...

(Buttons) * 1992/93 – ''Jack and the Beanstalk'' – Starring

Trevor Bannister Trevor Gordon Bannister (14 August 193414 April 2011) was an English actor best known for having played the womanising junior salesman Mr Lucas in the sitcom ''Are You Being Served?'' from 1972 to 1979, and for his role as Toby Mulberry Smith i ...

(Dame Trott) Mark Franklin (Jack)

Hugo Myatt Hugo Myatt (born 1945) is a British actor, presenter and theatre director, best known for his role as the dungeon master Treguard in the children's game show ''Knightmare''. ''Knightmare'' Myatt played the role of Treguard of Dunshelm, the d ...

(Igor the Henchman) & Scarlott O'Neal (Jill) * 1993/94 – ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'' – Starring

Brian Hibbard Brian Hibbard (26 November 1946 – 17 June 2012) was a Welsh actor and singer from Ebbw Vale, Wales, best remembered as the lead vocalist in the original The Flying Pickets. Early life and career Hibbard was born into a working class family in ...

(Herman the Henchman) Dave Lynn (Queen Morgiana) & Danielle Carson (Snow White) & Pollyann Tanner (Fairy Godmother) * 1994/95 – ''Dick Whittington'' – Starring

Jimmy Cricket James Mulgrew (born 17 October 1945), known professionally as Jimmy Cricket, is an Irish comedian. He first came to prominence as a comedian in the 1970s and has had his own shows on television and radio. Early life and career Cricket was bor ...

* 1995/96 – ''Aladdin'' – Starring

Timmy Mallett Timothy Luke Mallett (born 18 October 1955) is an English TV presenter, broadcaster, and artist. He is known for his striking visual style, colourful glasses, loud shirts, and giant pink foam mallet, known as "Mallett's Mallet", as well as hi ...

(Aladdin) * 1996/97 – ''Cinderella'' – Starring Jess Conrad as Prince Charming and

Bernie Clifton Bernie Clifton (born Bernard M. Quinn, 30 April 1936) is a British comedian and entertainer, known for his work with his orange ostrich puppet costume Oswald the Ostrich. Early life Clifton was born on 30 April 1936 in St Helens, Lancashire, wh ...

as Buttons * 1997/98 – ''Babes in the Wood'' – (Charles Vance Productions) Starring Paul Leyshon (Robin Hood),

(the Sheriff of Nottingham) and the Roly Polys as the Merry Men * 1998/99 – ''Jack and the Beanstalk'' – (Charles Vance Productions) Starring

Colin Baker Colin Baker (born 8 June 1943) is an English actor who played Paul Merroney in the BBC drama series '' The Brothers'' from 1974 to 1976 and the sixth incarnation of the Doctor in the long-running science fiction television series ''Docto ...

(Dame Durden). With Rod, Jane and Freddy * 1999/2000 – ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'' – (Charles Vance Productions) Starring Jacinta Stapleton ('' Neighbours Amy Greenwood) as Snow White and Paul Ladlow as the Wicked Queen. Also featured Mike McCabe and Sandy Martin (BBC Radio Swindon). Jacinta Stapleton Wyvern panto flyer

* 2000/1 – ''Aladdin'' – (Charles Vance Productions) Starring Aleetza Wood ('' Home and Away's''

Peta Janossi Peta Janossi is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera '' Home and Away'', portrayed by Aleetza Wood. She made her first appearance during the episode broadcast on 27 May 1999 and departed on 14 July 2000. Peta is a loca ...

) as Aladdin, Geoffrey Hinsliff (''Coronation Street's'' Don Brennan) as Widow Twanky,

Bobby Dazzler ''Bobby Dazzler'' was an Australian television sitcom produced by Crawford Productions, starring pop singer John Farnham as well as Daniel Rumpf and Darrin Collier as the title characters: up-and-coming pop music stars Frankie Marie Vicars and B ...

as Wishee Washee and

Juliette Kaplan Marlene Juliette Kaplan (2 October 1939 – 10 October 2019) was a British actress who was most famous for playing the role of Pearl Sibshaw in the BBC comedy ''Last of the Summer Wine'', from 1985 to 2010. Early years Kaplan was born in Bo ...

(''

Last of the Summer Wine ''Last of the Summer Wine'' is a British sitcom created and written by Roy Clarke and originally broadcast by the BBC from 1973 to 2010. It premiered as an episode of '' Comedy Playhouse'' on 4 January 1973, and the first series of episodes f ...

's'' Pearl) as the Empress of China. Also featured Tweedy & Alexis as Ping and Pong. * 2001/2 – ''Cinderella'' starring

Emma Willis Emma Louise Willis (née Griffiths; born 18 March 1976) is an English broadcaster. She is known for her television and radio work with Channel 5, BBC, ITV, and Heart FM.

(Cinderella), Bernie Clifton (Buttons), Pollyann Tanner (Dandini), Paul Mead (Baron Hardup) * 2002/3 – ''Dick Whittington'' starring

Geoffrey Hayes Charles Geoffrey Hayes (13 March 1942 – 30 September 2018) was an English television presenter and actor. He presented Thames Television's children's show ''Rainbow'' from 1972 to 1992. Early life and education Hayes had various jobs such as ...

(Simple Simon), Pollyann Tanner (Dick), Hugo Myatt (King Rat), Colin Baker (Sarah the Cook). * 2003/4 – ''Goldilocks and the Three Bears'' starring

Vicky Binns Victoria Jane Binns (born 27 August 1982) is an English actress, known for her two roles in the two veteran ITV soap operas ''Emmerdale'' and '' Coronation Street'' respectively. She had a lead role in ''Von Trapped'' opposite Caroline Quentin ...

(Goldilocks), Howard Taylor (Ringmaster), Ross Davidson (Dame Dolly), Amanda Sandow, Alfie the Alligator and Willy Wyvern * 2004/5 – ''Jack and the Beanstalk'' starring

(Fairy), Paul Bradley (Fleshcreep), Jo Martell (Jill), Daniel Boys (Jack) * 2005/6 – ''

Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the mythi ...

'' starring Steven Pinder (Captain Hook), Daniel Boys (Peter Pan), Jonah Cook (John Darling), Aaron Jenkins (Michael Darling). * 2007/8 – ''Cinderella'' starring

Britt Ekland Britt Ekland (; born Britt-Marie Eklund; 6 October 1942) is a Swedish actress, model and singer. She appeared in numerous films in her heyday throughout the 1960s and 1970s, including roles in '' The Double Man'' (1967), '' The Night They Raided ...

(Fairy Godmother) and ''Tequila'' her Chihuahua & Ross Hunter * 2008/9 – ''Aladdin'' starring

Shaun Williamson Shaun Williamson (born 29 November 1965) is an English actor best known as Barry Evans in '' EastEnders'' and as a satirical version of himself in the BBC/ HBO sitcom '' Extras'', 'Barry off EastEnders'. Early life Williamson was born in Park ...

(Abanazar), Neal Andrews (Wishee Washee) * 2009/10 – ''Sleeping Beauty'' starring

Lorraine Chase Lorraine Chase (born 16 July 1951) is an English actress and former model. She became well known for her strong south east London accent and frequent use of cockney slang, and found fame through a series of television adverts for Campari be ...

(Carabosse), Ceri-Lyn Cissone (Sleeping Beauty), Edd Post (Prince Harry) * 2010/11 – ''Peter Pan'' starring

Paul Nicholas Paul Nicholas (born Paul Oscar Beuselinck; 3 December 1944) is an English actor and singer. He started out with a pop career, but soon changed to musical theatre, playing the lead role in ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' at the West End’s Palace T ...

(Captain Hook), Richard Vincent (Peter Pan), Pearce Barron (John Darling), Thomas Snowball (Michael Darling) * 2011/12 – ''Cinderella'' starring

Keith Chegwin Keith Chegwin (17 January 1957 – 11 December 2017) was an English television presenter and actor, appearing in several children's entertainment shows in the 1970s and 1980s, including '' Multi-Coloured Swap Shop'' and ''Cheggers Plays Pop''. ...

(Buttons), Saskia Strallen (Cinderella), Adam King (Prince Charming), Alex Young (Fairy Godmother) * 2012/13 – ''Aladdin'' starring

(Wishee Washee) David Ashley (Abanazar) Suzie Chard (Fairy) * 2013/14 – ''Jack and the Beanstalk'' starring

(Silly Billy), David Ashley (Dame Trot), Jennifer Greenwood (The Fairy) * 2014/15 – ''Dick Whittinton'' starring

Nigel Havers Nigel Allan Havers (born 6 November 1951) is an English actor. His film roles include Lord Andrew Lindsay in the 1981 British film ''Chariots of Fire'', which earned him a BAFTA nomination; as Dr. Rawlins in the 1987 Steven Spielberg war dram ...

(King Rat), David Ashley (Sarah the Cook), Lucy Kane (Alice Fitzwarren) * 2015/16 – ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'' starring

(Chambers) & David Ashley (Nurse Nelly) * 2016/17 – Cinderella starring Ryan Thomas and David Ashley * 2017/18 – Peter Pan starring Adam Woodyatt * 2018/19 – Aladdin starring Adam Woodyatt * 2019/20 – Sleeping Beauty starring Michelle Collins and Adam Woodyatt * 2020/21 – No pantomime due to COVID-19 * 2021/22 – Jack and the Beanstalk * 2022/23 – Beauty and the Beast starring

Anne Hegerty Anne Solway Hegerty (born 14 July 1958) is an English quizzer and television personality. Since 2010, she has been a "chaser" on the ITV game show '' The Chase'' as "The Governess", and was a contestant on the 2018 series of the ITV reality sh ...

Behind the scenes

Image:wyvern_backstage.jpg, Backstage at the Wyvern Theatre 11/10/08 Image:wyvern_backstage2.jpg, Backstage at the Wyvern Theatre 11/10/08 Image:wyvern_backstage3.jpg, Backstage at the Wyvern Theatre 11/10/08 Image:wyvern_backstage4.jpg, Backstage at the Wyvern Theatre 11/10/08

Awards

* 2015 – The Wyvern Theatre was awarded the Venue of the Year Award at the annual HQ Theatre awards * 2016 – Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence * 2017 – Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence * 2017 – UK Theatre's Most Welcoming Venue in the South West * 2017 – Muddy Stilettos Best Theatre in the South West * 2018 – Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence * 2019 – Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence * 2020 – Not won due to COVID-19 * 2021 – Not won due to COVID-19 * 2022 –

Summer Youth Project

* 1994 – ''

Bugsy Malone ''Bugsy Malone'' is a 1976 gangster musical comedy film written and directed by Alan Parker (in his feature film directorial debut). A co-production of United States and United Kingdom, it features an ensemble cast, featuring only child actor ...

'' * 1995 – '' Annie'' * 1996 – '' 42nd Street'' * 1997 – ''

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 ...

'' * 1998 – '' Oliver!'' * 1999 – '' Me and My Girl'' * 2000 – '' Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'' * 2001 – '' Crazy for You'' * 2002 – ''

West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play '' Romeo and Juliet'', the story is set in the mid ...

'' * 2003 – '' Fame'' – 10th Anniversary year of SYP * 2004 – ''

The Sound of Music ''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, ''The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. S ...

'' * 2005 – ''

Guys and Dolls ''Guys and Dolls'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" (1933) and "Blood Pressure", which are two short stories by Damon Runyon, and also bo ...

'' * 2006 – '' Annie'' * 2007 – ''No show due to temporary closure'' * 2008 – '' Oliver!'' * 2009 – '' Boogie Nights'' * 2010 – '' The Wizard of Oz'' * 2011 – ''

Anything Goes ''Anything Goes'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The original book was a collaborative effort by Guy Bolton and P. G. Wodehouse, heavily revised by the team of Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. The story concerns madcap ant ...

'' * 2012 – ''

'' * 2013 – '' Our House'' * 2014 – ''

'' – 20th Anniversary year of SYP * 2015 – ''

Hairspray Hairspray may refer to: * Hair spray, a personal grooming product that keeps hair protected from humidity and wind * ''Hairspray'' (1988 film), a film by John Waters ** ''Hairspray'' (1988 soundtrack), the film's soundtrack album ** ''Hairspray ...

'' * 2016 – '' Grease'' * 2017 – '' Summer Holiday'' * 2018 – '' Oliver!'' * 2019 – Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Mascot

Over the years The Wyvern Theatre has had its own mascot in the form of a 6-foot-high green dragon-like creature known as Willy the Wyvern. Willy the Wyvern became the theatre's mascot originally during its founding years but faded into obscurity for over two decades. In 2001, Willy was reborn and returned to the Wyvern theatre with a new look and a new lease of life just in time to celebrate its 30th anniversary. He has now seemingly gone into retirement making rare appearances, the last being in the 2013 Summer Youth Project

References

External links

* {{Official website Theatres in Wiltshire Buildings and structures in Swindon Theatres completed in 1971