Reconnect Regal Theatre is a

performance art Performance art is an artwork or art exhibition created through actions executed by the artist or other participants. It may be witnessed live or through documentation, spontaneously developed or written, and is traditionally presented to a pu ...

movie A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...

located in

Bathgate, Scotland Bathgate ( or , ) is a town in West Lothian, Scotland, west of Livingston, Scotland, Livingston and adjacent to the M8 motorway (Scotland), M8 motorway. Nearby towns are Linlithgow, Livingston, and West Calder. A number of villages fall under ...

Reconnect

The Reconnect Regal is the first project of the "Reconnect Charity(Scio). The former cinema was built in 1938 and has an art-deco-style architecture. Reconnect took over the Regal in 2018 and has since grown its popularity by providing a blend of professional and community programming. The Regal requires modernization and restoration, and therefore, a comprehensive redevelopment plan is being formulated to ensure its stable future. The restoration project includes the reinstatement of the balcony, restoration of the auditorium, opening up of the bar space, and the addition of a fly tower to attract professional touring theatre to the venue. The revamped venue, which will have 500 seats, will serve both regional and local community needs.

History

The Regal Community Theatre was a

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

cinema and venue situated in

Bathgate Bathgate ( or , ) is a town in West Lothian, Scotland, west of Livingston, Scotland, Livingston and adjacent to the M8 motorway (Scotland), M8 motorway. Nearby towns are Linlithgow, Livingston, and West Calder. A number of villages fall under ...

West Lothian West Lothian (; ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, bordering (in a clockwise direction) the City of Edinburgh council area, Scottish Borders, South Lanarkshire, North Lanarkshire and Falkirk (council area), Falkirk. The modern counci ...

. The building became a

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

in 1999 and was upgraded to Category B in 2008, the decisive factor being the plasterwork by John Alexander. The Leven-based architect Andrew David Haxton designed the cinema in 1938. In 1995 the building was renovated; currently it serves as a venue for the community, offering a diverse programme of film, music, theatre, comedy, children's events and workshops. Until a change of management, it was also the home o
Regal Radio
(now based in another building), and it had its own animation company called Regal Animation (now closed). The three-storey theatre is located on North Bridge Street in the centre of Bathgate. The

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

building is located on a flattened slope. The entrance front faces south and has five

bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a ''gulf'', ''sea'', ''sound'', or ''bight''. A ''cove'' is a small, ci ...

s. It is decorated with plasterwork, colossal

pilaster In architecture, a pilaster is both a load-bearing section of thickened wall or column integrated into a wall, and a purely decorative element in classical architecture which gives the appearance of a supporting column and articulates an ext ...

s and stylized keystones. The outer, two-storey elements stand out in particular, with the colourful-lettered REGAL logo adorning the façade. The building has a flat-roof structure. The floor of the foyer is decorated with terrazzo tiles, and the ceiling is decorated with plasterwork. The original stained glass windows are partially preserved, the interior still showing the building's original purpose. The foyer is flanked by stairs that lead to the gallery and the upstairs bar. The lower parts of the walls are decorated with walnut veneer. Small exhibition rooms have been set up on both the ground floor and the second floor. The gallery on the second floor has been turned into an office.

References

External links

Official website
Cinemas in Scotland Bathgate Category B listed buildings in West Lothian {{Scotland-struct-stub