Q Theatre

Last updated

Q Theatre
Beatrice Lewisohn Q theatre programme 1935.jpg
A 1935 programme for "Crime on the Hill"
Q Theatre
Location Brentford, London
Coordinates 51°29′20″N0°17′11″W / 51.4890°N 0.2865°W / 51.4890; -0.2865 Coordinates: 51°29′20″N0°17′11″W / 51.4890°N 0.2865°W / 51.4890; -0.2865
Capacity 490
Opened1924 (1924)
ClosedMarch 1958

The Q Theatre was a British theatre located near Kew Bridge in Brentford, [1] west London, which operated between 1924 and 1958. It was built on the site of the former Kew Bridge Studios.

Contents

The theatre, seating 490 in 25 rows with a central aisle, [2] was opened in 1924 by Jack and Beatie de Leon with the financial support of Jack's sister Delia. [3] It was one of a number of small, committed, independent theatre companies which included the Hampstead Everyman, the Arts Theatre Club and the Gate Theatre Studio. These theatres took risks by producing new and experimental plays which, although often at first thought to be commercially unviable on the West-End stage, later went on to transfer successfully.

Actors including Dirk Bogarde, [4] Joan Collins, Vivien Leigh, Margaret Lockwood, Barry Morse, and Anthony Quayle started their theatrical careers here. Peter Brook, Tony Richardson, Charles Hawtrey and William Gaskell directed plays here and the theatre staged the first plays of Terence Rattigan and William Douglas-Home.

Opening night

The new enterprise was originally advertised as "A Bright, Cosy Theatre for the presentation of successful WEST END PLAYS". The opening night was scheduled for September 1924, but the doors finally opened to the public on Boxing Day, 26 December 1924 with a production of Gertrude Jenning's The Young Person in Pink. But the occasion was marred by the over-selling of tickets, resulting in a number of disappointed and angry ticket-holders. [5]

Local press retrospective

In April 1992, the theatre critic of the Richmond and Twickenham Times series of local newspapers, wrote the following retrospective to welcome Kenneth Barrow's history of the theatre:

Jack de Leon was the man of action: a trained solicitor who became a talented playwright, director and charismatic impresario. His wife Beatie yearned to be an actress. But she settled for being one of the most shrewd and astute of theatre managers, a perfectionist and the legendary 'Lilian Baylis' of her time. 'No experience?' she would say to an aspiring actor. 'Well you know we can't afford to pay you anything, but you've got to start somewhere.'

Formerly a derelict roller-rink and film studio, their Q Theatre opened on Boxing Day 1924, modelled on the Everyman at Hampstead, and soon became a focus for new writing. Plays were tried out, went to the West End or were gently forgotten. Dozens of writing careers were launched, although Philip King's clerical farce, See How They Run is the only Q discovery to become a classic. The tiny theatre was a scene of triumph, riot, litigation and a disastrous fire.

It staged its last professional show in February 1956 and then turned to amateur use, finally closing its doors in March 1958 before demolition and replacement by a faceless office block. But in its last decade the upcoming talents included Jill Bennett, Joan Collins, Geraldine McEwan, Patricia Routledge, Denholm Elliott and Irene Worth, among the thousands offered the chance to exercise their art while finding their feet in the profession. And there is an absorbing coda carrying us on to the creation of the De Leon Drama School in Richmond upon Thames, eventually forming the nucleus of the now thriving Richmond Drama School, part of the borough's Adult Community College." [6]

Related Research Articles

Chiswick Riverside district of London, England

Chiswick is a district of west London, England. It contains Hogarth's House, the former residence of the 18th-century English artist William Hogarth; Chiswick House, a neo-Palladian villa regarded as one of the finest in England; and Fuller's Brewery, London's largest and oldest brewery. In a meander of the River Thames used for competitive and recreational rowing, with several rowing clubs on the river bank, the finishing post for the Boat Race is just downstream of Chiswick Bridge.

London Borough of Hounslow London borough in United Kingdom

The London Borough of Hounslow is a London borough in West London, England, forming part of Outer London. It was created in 1965 when three smaller Middlesex council areas amalgamated under the London Government Act 1963. It is governed by Hounslow London Borough Council.

London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Borough in United Kingdom

The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in southwest London forms part of Outer London and is the only London borough on both sides of the River Thames. It was created in 1965 when three smaller council areas amalgamated under the London Government Act 1963. It is governed by Richmond upon Thames London Borough Council and is divided into nineteen wards. The population is 198,019 and the major settlements are Barnes, East Sheen, Mortlake, Richmond, Twickenham, Teddington and Hampton.

Dirk Bogarde English actor (1921–1999)

Sir Dirk Bogarde was an English actor, novelist, and screenwriter. Initially a matinée idol in films such as Doctor in the House (1954) for the Rank Organisation, he later acted in art-house films. In a second career, he wrote seven best-selling volumes of memoirs, six novels, and a volume of collected journalism, mainly from articles in The Daily Telegraph.

Richmond, London Town in Greater London, England

Richmond is a town in south-west London, 8.2 miles (13.2 km) west-southwest of Charing Cross. It is on a meander of the River Thames, with many parks and open spaces, including Richmond Park, and many protected conservation areas, which include much of Richmond Hill. A specific Act of Parliament protects the scenic view of the River Thames from Richmond.

<i>Renaldo and Clara</i> 1978 film by Bob Dylan

Renaldo and Clara is a 1978 American film directed by Bob Dylan and starring Bob Dylan, Sara Dylan and Joan Baez. Written by Dylan and Sam Shepard, the film incorporates three distinct film genres: concert footage, documentary interviews, and dramatic fictional vignettes reflective of Dylan's song lyrics and life.

Fortune Theatre West End theatre in London, England

The Fortune Theatre is a 432-seat West End theatre on Russell Street, near Covent Garden, in the City of Westminster. Since 1989 the theatre has hosted the long running play The Woman in Black.

Donald Sinden English actor

Sir Donald Alfred Sinden was an English actor.

<i>I Could Go On Singing</i> 1963 film by Ronald Neame

I Could Go On Singing is a 1963 British-American musical drama film directed by Ronald Neame, starring Judy Garland and Dirk Bogarde. Originally titled The Lonely Stage, the film was renamed so that audiences would know that Garland sings in it; she had not sung in a film since A Star Is Born in 1954.

Arts Theatre Theatre in London, England

The Arts Theatre is a theatre in Great Newport Street, in Westminster, Central London.

Henry Kendall (actor) English stage and film actor (1897–1962)

Henry Kendall AFC, was an English stage and film actor, theatre director and revue artiste.

<i>See How They Run</i> (play) Play

See How They Run is an English comedy in three acts by Philip King. Its title is a line from the nursery rhyme "Three Blind Mice". It is considered a farce for its tense comic situations and headlong humour, heavily playing on mistaken identity, doors, and vicars. In 1955 it was adapted as a film starring Roland Culver.

Gate Theatre Studio, often referred to as simply the Gate Theatre, is a former independent theatre on Villiers Street in London.

Philip King was an English playwright and actor, born in Yorkshire. He is best known as the author of the farce See How They Run (1944). He lived in Brighton and many of his plays were first produced in nearby Worthing. He continued to act throughout his writing career, often appearing in his own plays.

<i>Outward Bound</i> (play)

Outward Bound is a 1923 play written by Sutton Vane.

<i>The Vortex</i> 1924 play written by Noël Coward

The Vortex is a play in three acts by the English writer and actor Noël Coward. The play depicts the sexual vanity of a rich, ageing beauty, her troubled relationship with her adult son, and drug abuse in British society circles after the First World War. The son's cocaine habit is seen by many critics as a metaphor for homosexuality, then taboo in Britain. Despite, or because of, its scandalous content for the time, the play was Coward's first great commercial success.

<i>Doctor at Sea</i> (film) 1955 British film

Doctor at Sea is a 1955 British comedy film, directed by Ralph Thomas, produced by Betty E. Box, and based on Richard Gordon's 1953 novel of the same name. This was the second of seven films in the Doctor series, following the hugely popular Doctor in the House from the previous year. Once again, Richard Gordon participated in the screenwriting, together with Nicholas Phipps and Jack Davies, and once again Dirk Bogarde played the lead character Dr Simon Sparrow. The cast also includes James Robertson Justice and Joan Sims from the first film, but this time playing different characters. This was Brigitte Bardot's first English-speaking film.

<i>Chariots of Fire</i> (play)

Chariots of Fire is a 2012 stage adaptation of the 1981 Oscar-winning film of the same name. Production of the Olympic-themed play, which opened at London's Hampstead Theatre 9 May 2012 and transferred to the West End on 23 June 2012, was partially inspired by the 2012 London Summer Olympics.

The Kew Bridge Studios were a British film studio located in Kew Bridge, Brentford, west London which operated from 1919 to 1924. The site had originally been a theatre, but due to the rapid expansion of the British film industry after the First World War it switched to filmmaking as the existing studios were overspilling. The studios hosted a number of independent film-makers during the silent era, including Walter West and Guy Newall.

Beatrice Augusta de Leon born Beatrice Augusta Lewisohn was a British theatre manager, dance school owner and impresario. She and Jack de Leon founded the Q Theatre funded by Delia de Leon.

References

Citations
  1. McNamara, Janet (8 October 2009). "A Brief History of the Q Theatre: the great and the good of British theatre in Brentford". Brentford TW8. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
  2. Who's Who in the Theatre, 12th edition, Plans of Principal London Theatres
  3. "Leon, Jack de (1902–1956), theatre manager and impresario". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/74652 . Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  4. Bogarde, Dirk, A Postillion Struck by Lightning (autobiography) (1977) Chatto & Windus ISBN   0-7011-2207-2
  5. Barrow, Kenneth (1992). On Q: Jack and Beatie de Leon and the Q Theatre. The De Leon Memorial Fund in association with Heritage Publications and Houslow Leisure Services. ISBN   0-9519089-0-1.
  6. Thaxter, John, "Opening a Theatrical Treasure Trove", Richmond & Twickenham Times, 17 April 1992
Further reading