West End Centre, Aldershot

Last updated

West End Centre
West End Centre logo.jpg
West End Centre Aldershot.jpg
The West End Centre in Aldershot
West End Centre, Aldershot
Alternative namesThe Westy
General information
TypeArts Centre
Architectural styleVictorian
Address48 Queens Road
Town or city Aldershot
CountryUnited Kingdom
Coordinates 51°14′53″N0°46′11″W / 51.24796°N 0.76965°W / 51.24796; -0.76965 Coordinates: 51°14′53″N0°46′11″W / 51.24796°N 0.76965°W / 51.24796; -0.76965
Opened1975 (1975)
Other information
Seating typeraked
Seating capacity106
Website
hampshireculturaltrust.org.uk/west-end-centre

The West End Centre is an entertainment venue and arts centre [1] located on Queens Road in Aldershot. The centre hosts classes, workshops, art exhibitions, music performances (of heavy metal, blues, folk and punk music), stand-up comedy, and small-scale and intimate theatre. [2] [3]

Contents

Background

The Auditorium West End Centre Aldershot Auditorium.jpg
The Auditorium

Opening in 1975 in the former West End Junior School once attended by comedian Arthur English, the West End Centre (or the 'Westy') is described as "the creative hub of Aldershot and the surrounding areas". [4] It was originally run by volunteers and faced closure in its early years until the Poet Laureate John Betjeman had the building locally listed. [5] The Graeae Theatre Company was based at the Centre from 1981 to 1982. [6] [7]

When managed by Hampshire County Council the centre faced closure again in 2007 until public protests forced the decision to be reversed. [5] Every year since 2006 the West End Centre has held the Summer Westival which creates an indoor music festival complete with real grass throughout the venue. [4]

Performers who have appeared at the centre include Andy Parsons, Matt Forde, Sam Simmons, Roger McGough, [5] Seann Walsh, Stewart Lee, Adrian Henri, [5] Shappi Khorsandi, Miriam Margolyes, Omid Djalili, Dara Ó Briain, Jimmy Carr, Dave Gorman, Tony Hawks [8] Daniel Kitson, [9] Simon Munnery, Nish Kumar, Phill Jupitus, Justin Moorhouse, Pete Firman and Al Murray. [10]

Bands who have appeared at the WEC include Blur, [5] Happy Mondays, Stone Roses, Spiritualized, A, Primal Scream, Manic Street Preachers, [11] Peter Green, Chas & Dave, Foals, The 1975, Biffy Clyro, The Temperance Movement, Nine Below Zero, Funeral for a Friend, PJ Harvey, The Xcerts and We Are the Ocean. [10] The Centre has also provided support for local musicians Hundred Reasons and Sonny Black. [12]

Today the Centre is managed by Hampshire Cultural Trust as an arts centre and venue for professional touring shows, the theatre space having a capacity of 106 with raked seating. [2] From 2001 to 2019 the arts centre director was Barney Jeavons, [13] [14] the former manager of the British rock band Reuben and the son of the actor Colin Jeavons.

See also

Related Research Articles

Farnborough, Hampshire Town in Hampshire, England

Farnborough is a town in northeast Hampshire, England, part of the borough of Rushmoor and the Farnborough/Aldershot Built-up Area. Farnborough was founded in Saxon times and is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. The name is formed from Ferneberga which means "fern hill". According to the UK-wide 2011 Census, the population of Farnborough is 57,486.

Aldershot Town in Hampshire, England

Aldershot is a town in the Rushmoor district of Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, about 31.8 mi (51.2 km) southwest of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 36,321, while the Aldershot Urban Area, a loose conurbation has a population of 243,344, making it the thirtieth-largest urban area in the UK.

West End theatre term for mainstream professional theatre staged in and near the West End of London

West End theatre is mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres in and near the West End of London. Along with New York City's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English-speaking world. Seeing a West End show is a common tourist activity in London.

West Kowloon Cultural District

The West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD) is a development project that aims to form an international-grade arts and culture hub on an area of land in West Kowloon, Hong Kong that was originally reclaimed in the 1990s as part of the Airport Core Programme. Located at the wedge-shaped waterfront reclaimed land west of Yau Ma Tei, the district will feature a new museum of visual culture, numerous theatres, concert halls and other performance venues under the management of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, which is directly financed by the government with an upfront endowment of HK$21.6 billion for construction and operation.

Graeae Theatre Company, often abbreviated to just Graeae is a British organisation composed of deaf and disabled artists and theatre makers. As well as producing theatre which it tours nationally and internationally to traditional theatres and outdoor spaces, Graeae run a large and varied Creative Learning and training programme for emerging, young and mid-career deaf and disabled artists.

Daniel Kitson

Daniel John Kitson is an English comedian and writer.

Gecko is a British based international touring physical theatre company, founded in 2001, led by Artistic Director Amit Lahav.

Colin Abel Jeavons is a retired English television actor.

Culture of London Overview of the culture in London

The culture of London concerns the music, museums, festivals and lifestyle within London, the capital city of the United Kingdom. The city is particularly renowned for its theatre quarter, and its West End theatre district has given the name to "West End theatre", the strand of mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres in London. London is also home to notable cultural attractions such as the British Museum, the Tate Galleries, the National Gallery, the Notting Hill Carnival and The O2.

Swansea Grand Theatre Theatre and former cinema in Swansea, Wales

Swansea Grand Theatre is a performing arts venue in the centre of Swansea, Wales. The theatre stages plays, pantomimes and touring theatrical acts visiting Swansea. Swansea Grand Theatre was the base for the UK's only Russian ballet company, the Swansea Ballet Russe.

Snibston

Snibston is an area east of Ravenstone, north west Leicestershire, in the English Midlands. Originally rural, part of Snibston was transformed into a coal mining village by the opening of coal mines by the Snibston Colliery Company in the early 1830s. This industrial part of Snibston was subsequently subsumed into the developing town of Coalville, though small rural areas of Snibston survive within the civil parishes of Ravenstone with Snibston and Hugglescote and Donington le Heath. In the part of Snibston within the latter civil parish stands the 13th-century church of St Mary, noted as the smallest church still in use for regular worship in England. The main Snibston Colliery was sunk in 1831, and after its closure the Snibston Country Park with the Snibston Discovery Museum was built on part of the colliery site. Part of the park is Snibston Grange Local Nature Reserve. The population is included in the civil parish of Ravenstone with Snibston.

Farnborough College of Technology

Farnborough College of Technology is a college located in the town of Farnborough, Hampshire in the South East of England. Although primarily a further education college, Farnborough College of Technology also has a University Centre which offers a range of higher education courses, accredited by the University of Surrey.

Southwark Playhouse Theatre located in London

Southwark Playhouse is a theatre in London, located between Borough and Elephant and Castle tube stations.

Reece William Connolly is an English footballer who plays as a striker for Crowborough Athletic in the Southern Counties East Premier Division.

Barbican Centre

The Barbican Centre is a performing arts centre in the Barbican Estate of the City of London and the largest of its kind in Europe. The centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings and art exhibitions. It also houses a library, three restaurants, and a conservatory. The Barbican Centre is member of the Global Cultural Districts Network.

The Hub (Verwood)

The Hub is a multi-purpose venue based in Verwood, [[Dorset[[, England, hosting a range of live music, theatre, art, conferences, workshops, children’s activities and other community based projects. There is also a 7.1 surround sound cinema, a state-of-the-art gym and a café.

Harrow Arts Centre

Harrow Arts Centre (HAC) is a professional arts venue in the London Borough of Harrow. HAC is located in Hatch End, Harrow, North London, in the Elliott Hall and other buildings that were previously part of the Royal Commercial Travellers School. It is the only dedicated performing arts venue in the borough.

Polka Theatre

Polka Theatre is a children’s theatre in Wimbledon, London Borough of Merton, for children aged 0– 13. The theatre contains two performance spaces - a 300-seat main auditorium and a 70-seat studio dedicated to early years performances. Polka Theatre is a producing theatre which also tours shows nationally and internationally.

Ashcroft Arts Centre is a performing arts venue in Fareham, Hampshire. It is named after Dame Peggy Ashcroft, and opened by her in 1989, after being refurbished from its original use as a school.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the performing arts Aspect of viral outbreak

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the performing arts, mirroring its impacts across all arts sectors. Due to physical distancing requirements and closure of the physical venues, curtailing not only public performances but also rehearsals, many performing arts institutions attempted to adapt by offering new digital services. In particular this resulted in the free online streaming of previously recorded performances of many companies – especially orchestral performances and plays – lists of which were collated by journalists as well as bespoke crowdsourcing projects.

References

  1. The West End Centre on the Princes Hall website
  2. 1 2 "West End Centre | house". Housetheatre.org.uk. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
  3. "West End Centre, Aldershot". Visit-hampshire.co.uk. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
  4. 1 2 "West End Centre Aldershot Events & Tickets 2021". Ents24. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "West End Centre in Aldershot Celebrates 40th Birthday – Get Hampshire website – 26 February 2015". gethampshire.co.uk. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
  6. "Graeae Theatre Company". Unfinishedhistories.com. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
  7. "Graeae Theatre company, world's first professional theatre company of disabled actors". www.oocities.org. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
  8. The West End Centre on the Tony Hawks website
  9. 'Daniel Kitson at the West End Centre, Aldershot' The Times – 19 May 2008
  10. 1 2 "The West End Centre on the Get Hampshire website". Gethampshire.co.uk. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
  11. [ dead link ]
  12. "The West End Centre". Fleethants.com. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
  13. "Barney Jeavons and the West End Centre – Hampshire Gateway website (2016)". Hampshiregateway.info. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
  14. "Aldershot Civic Society Meeting with Barney Jeavons from the West End Centre – 25 October 2016". Aldershotcivicsociety.org.uk. Retrieved 10 January 2021.

External list