Roses Theatre

Last updated
Roses Theatre
Company typeTheatre and Cinema
Founded1973 (opened 1975)
Headquarters Tewkesbury, England, UK
ProductsLive Theatre, Cinema, Community
Number of employees
30+
Website Roses Theatre

The Roses Theatre is an arts centre located in the centre of Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, England. Its main auditorium seats 375 and accommodates 35mm film / digital projection as well as live performance. It offers patrons music, theatre, film and dance. The seating layout is based on "the Continental system" avoiding the loss of seats on the axis of the theatre.

Contents

History

The Roses Theatre stands on the site of the Sabrina Cinema – an art deco cinema which closed in the 1960s. [1]

Building work started in 1973 and, at that time, Roman remains were unearthed and the project was suspended whilst a full archaeological exploration of the site was conducted. This took some six months and, due to the poor nature of the medieval excavated material, large quantities of ballast were imported. However the project was completed two weeks ahead of a revised schedule in 1975, [2] despite delays occasioned by a national steel shortage. The architects were The Preece Payne Partnership of Gloucester and the primary architect was James Rendell, who was assisted by Roger Payne. [3]

Her Royal Highness Princess Anne attended the opening gala, which took place on 30 October 1975. [4] [5]

The Roses Theatre was run as a council arts centre from 1975 to 1980 by the Courtyard Arts Trust. From 1980 to 1993 the theatre was operated by The Stennett Company, managed by Stan Stennett and his family. [6]

In 1993 the operating lease for the theatre was up for renewal by Tewkesbury Borough Council. A London-based theatre company, the Crummles Theatre Company, was appointed as new operators. The theatre reopened in November 1994 after nearly a year of closure due to maintenance and refurbishment work. The gala reopening event included performances by Ned Sherrin, Michael Palin and Robert Lindsay.

Financial difficulties forced the Crummles Theatre Company into liquidation and the Roses Theatre closed in May 1995.

Following the closure, a group of business owners formed The Roses Theatre Trust with the view to re-open the theatre on a full-time basis as a charitable trust. [7] The theatre re-opened in 1996 and continues to operate as a registered charity today.

In 2015 the front of the theatre underwent a £1m refurbishment which included the complete remodelling of the front of house areas, the introduction of a coffee shop and the installation of a lift to the first floor bar. The refurbishment also included the redecoration of the auditorium, which had not been renovated since the early 1990s. [8]

Notable events

Final performance of Eric Morecambe

The popular British comedian Eric Morecambe collapsed just off stage at the theatre after taking a final curtain call in May 1984. He never regained consciousness and died shortly afterwards at Cheltenham General Hospital, aged 58. [9]

The theatre remembered the comic legend by naming the theatre's conference room after him. The Eric Morecambe Room is used by local and national companies for conferences and meetings. The theatre has been featured in TV shows documenting his life and featuring photographs of his final performance as well as interviews with Stan Stennett who was a friend of Eric Morecambe. Despite rumours, no video footage is known to exist of Eric Morecambe's final performance.

Charlton Heston

Actor Nick Wilkes, who was a technician at the theatre in the late 1990s, approached Hollywood actor Charlton Heston to assist with his £2,450-a-term fees at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School by appearing in a one-night-only show. Mr Heston agreed and the theatre welcomed the Hollywood legend onto its stage for a question-and-answer evening, followed by a cinema screening of his most recent film 'Alaska'. [10]

Following the show, Mr Heston was approached by Theatre Director Robert Hamlin to help launch the theatre's 'replace a seat' campaign which aimed at replacing the auditorium's ageing 375 seats.

1989 Crossroads Roadshow

In 1989 the Roses Theatre was transformed into the famous Crossroads Motel as part of the soap's 25th Anniversary.

Stan Stennett, manager of the Roses Theatre from 1980 to 1993, starred in Crossroads during the 1980s. [11]

51°59′45.5″N2°9′17.5″W / 51.995972°N 2.154861°W / 51.995972; -2.154861

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlton Heston</span> American actor and political activist (1923–2008)

Charlton Heston was an American actor and political activist. He gained stardom for his leading man roles in numerous Hollywood films including biblical epics, science-fiction films and action films. He won the Academy Award as well as nominations for three Golden Globe Awards, and three Primetime Emmy Awards. He won numerous honorary accolades including the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 1978, the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award in 1967, the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 1971, the Kennedy Center Honors in 1997, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric Morecambe</span> English comedian (1926–1984)

John Eric Bartholomew, known by his stage name Eric Morecambe, was an English comedian who together with Ernie Wise formed the double act Morecambe and Wise. The partnership lasted from 1941 until Morecambe's death in 1984. Morecambe took his stage name from his home town, the seaside resort of Morecambe in Lancashire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tewkesbury</span> Town and civil parish in England

Tewkesbury is a market town and civil parish in the north of Gloucestershire, England. The town grew following the construction of Tewkesbury Abbey in the twelfth century and played a significant role in the Wars of the Roses. It stands at the confluence of the River Severn and the River Avon, and thus became an important trading point, which continued as railways and, later, the M5 and M50 motorway connections were established. The town gives its name to the Borough of Tewkesbury, a local government district of Gloucestershire. The town lies on the border with Worcestershire, marked largely by the Carrant Brook.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dolby Theatre</span> Live-entertainment auditorium in Los Angeles, United States

The Dolby Theatre is a live-performance auditorium in the Ovation Hollywood shopping mall and entertainment complex, on Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue, in the Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States. Since its opening on November 9, 2001, it has been the venue of the annual Academy Awards ceremony. It's adjacent to Grauman's Chinese Theatre and across from the El Capitan Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Empire, Leicester Square</span> Cinema in Leicester Square, London

The Empire, Leicester Square is a cinema currently operated by Cineworld on the north side of Leicester Square, London, United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Odeon Luxe Leicester Square</span> Cinema in London, England

The Odeon Luxe Leicester Square is a prominent cinema building in the West End of London. Built in the Art Deco style and completed in 1937, the building has been continually altered in response to developments in cinema technology, and was the first Dolby Cinema in the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AMC Theatres</span> American movie theater chain

AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. is an American movie theater chain founded in Kansas City, Missouri, and now headquartered in Leawood, Kansas. It is the largest movie theater chain in the world. Founded in 1920, AMC has the largest share of the U.S. theater market ahead of Regal and Cinemark Theatres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liverpool Empire Theatre</span> Theatre in Liverpool, England

The Liverpool Empire Theatre is a theatre on the corner of Lime Street in Liverpool, England. The playhouse, which opened in 1925, is the second one to be built on the site. It has the largest two-tier auditorium in the United Kingdom and can seat 2,348 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Theatre Royal, Newcastle</span>

The Theatre Royal is a historic theatre, a Grade I listed building situated on Grey Street in Newcastle upon Tyne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buxton Opera House</span> Opera house in Buxton, England

Buxton Opera House is in The Square, Buxton, Derbyshire, England. It is a 902-seat opera house that hosts the annual Buxton Festival and the International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival, among others, as well as pantomime at Christmas, musicals and other entertainments year-round. Hosting live performances until 1927, the theatre then was used mostly as a cinema until 1976. In 1979, it was refurbished and reopened as a venue for live performance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pellissier Building and Wiltern Theatre</span> Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument

The Pellissier Building and adjoining Wiltern Theatre is a 12-story, 155-foot (47 m) Art Deco landmark at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Western Avenue in Los Angeles, California. The entire complex is commonly referred to as the Wiltern Center. Clad in a blue-green glazed architectural terra-cotta tile and situated diagonal to the street corner, the complex is considered one of the finest examples of Art Deco architecture in the United States. The Wiltern building is owned privately, and the Wiltern Theatre is operated by Live Nation's Los Angeles division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mayflower Theatre</span>

Mayflower Theatre is a Grade II listed theatre in the city centre of Southampton, England, with a capacity of 2,300. It features West End theatre shows when they tour the United Kingdom. In addition to this, one-off comedy shows and music events often take place at the theatre too.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stan Stennett</span> Welsh musician and comedian (1925–2013)

Stanley Llewelyn Stennett was a Welsh comedian, actor and jazz musician.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heinz Hall</span> Performing arts center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Heinz Hall is a performing arts center and concert hall located at 600 Penn Avenue in the Cultural District of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Home to the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (PSO) and the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra, the 2,676 seat hall presents about 200 performances each year. Originally built in 1927 as Loew's Penn Theatre, the former movie palace was renovated and reopened as Heinz Hall in 1971.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canberra Theatre Centre</span> Performing arts venue in Canberra

Canberra Theatre Centre (CTC), also known as the Canberra Theatre, is the Australian Capital Territory’s central performing arts venue and Australia's first performing arts centre, the first Australian Government initiated performing arts centre to be completed. It opened on 24 June 1965 with a gala performance by the Australian Ballet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plaza Cinema, Stockport</span> Cinema in England

The Plaza is a Grade II* listed art deco single-screen cinema and theatre in Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. It opened in 1932, its construction having involved the excavation of the sandstone cliff behind it. After an initial closure in 1966 and a subsequent period in use as a bingo hall by Rank Leiure, it has now been restored as a cinema and theatre, showing films and staging live shows.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham</span> Theatre in Cheltenham, England

Everyman Theatre is a theatre based in Regent Street, Cheltenham. There are two auditoria in the building - the 718 seat main auditorium and the 60 seat Studio Theatre, originally named The Ralph Richardson Studio after Ralph Richardson.

Bradford Odeon is the name applied to two different cinemas in central Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. One, in Godwin Street, was built in 1930 and survives; the other, in Manchester Road, was built in 1938 and demolished in 1969.

<i>The Morecambe & Wise Show</i> (1978 TV series) British television comedy sketch series (1978–1983)

The Morecambe & Wise Show is a comedy sketch show originally produced by Thames Television and broadcast on the ITV network. The second show to be broadcast under the title, it was the fourth and final television series by English comedy double-act Morecambe and Wise, and saw their return to ITV after their successful nine-year association with the BBC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chiswick Empire</span>

The Chiswick Empire was a theatre facing Turnham Green in Chiswick that opened in 1912 and closed and was demolished in 1959. A venue for touring artists, some of the greatest names in drama, variety and music hall performed there including George Formby, Laurel and Hardy, Chico Marx, Peter Sellers and Liberace.

References

  1. ↑ 'Tewkesbury Cinemas Locations' Archived 7 June 2010 at the Wayback Machine at Gloucestershire On Screen
  2. ↑ "The Roses Theatre". RIBA. Archived from the original on 22 August 2020. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
  3. ↑ Verey, David; Brooks, Alan (2002). Buildings of England. Gloucestershire, Volume 2. Yale University Press. p. 742. ISBN   9780300097337. Archived from the original on 22 August 2020. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
  4. ↑ "Roses Theatre". Cinema Treasures. Archived from the original on 11 March 2020. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
  5. ↑ "Our History | The Roses Theatre". www.rosestheatre.org. Archived from the original on 1 January 2018. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
  6. ↑ Jenkins, Robin (19 December 2019). "Comedy great Eric Morecambe has bar named after him at theatre where he collapsed before dying". Gloucestershire Live. Archived from the original on 7 January 2020. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
  7. ↑ "Our History | The Roses Theatre". www.rosestheatre.org. Archived from the original on 1 January 2018. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
  8. ↑ "Roses Theatre, Tewksbury". New Stages Ltd. Archived from the original on 8 March 2019. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
  9. ↑ Taylor, DJ (19 January 2005). "'Look at me - I'm dying!'". Guardian. Archived from the original on 8 October 2019. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
  10. ↑ "BBC News | Entertainment | Charlton's theatrical gesture". news.bbc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 22 August 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
  11. ↑ "When Hollywood great appeared on Roses stage". Pressreader. Gloucestershire Echo. Archived from the original on 22 August 2020. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.