Millfield Theatre

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Millfield Theatre
Millfield Theatre - Bruce Forsyth Auditorium.jpg
Millfield Theatre
Millfield Theatre
Location Edmonton
London, N18
United Kingdom
Coordinates 51°36′59″N0°04′43″W / 51.6165°N 0.0787°W / 51.6165; -0.0787
Public transit Overground roundel (no text).svg National Rail logo.svg Silver Street
Owner London Borough of Enfield
Capacity 362
Construction
Opened1988;36 years ago (1988)
Rebuilt2009
Website
www.millfieldtheatre.co.uk

Millfield Theatre forms part of Millfield Arts Centre, which encompasses Millfield Theatre and Millfield House in Edmonton, and The Dugdale Centre in Enfield Town. The theatre is owned, managed and funded entirely by London Borough of Enfield. It has 17 full-time staff working on site at the theatre, and employs many more casual staff. Ushers at the theatre are all volunteers. The 18th Century Millfield House houses the theatre's administration and contains rooms which are available for hire, and also plays host to a number of educational classes and workshops for children and adults.

Contents

History of Millfield Theatre

The opening of the Sir Bruce Forsyth Auditorium 6 October 2009 Sir Bruce Forsyth opening The Sir Bruce Forsyth Auditorium at Millfield Theatre on October 6th 2009 2014-08-10 12-29.jpg
The opening of the Sir Bruce Forsyth Auditorium 6 October 2009
Millfield Theatre's first production Humpty Dumpty Humpty Dumpty Millfield Theatre 1988 2014-08-10 12-40.jpg
Millfield Theatre's first production Humpty Dumpty

Millfield Theatre opened on 15 December 1988 in the grounds of Millfield House on Silver Street in Edmonton, North London. It was the first new theatre built in London after the National Theatre in 1976 and seats up to 362 in a variety of stage layouts.

The first production was the pantomime Humpty Dumpty starring Bobby Crush and set the trend of producing an annual Christmas pantomime that continues today.

The Millfield Theatre was built largely thanks to Councillor Lionel Genn who was the Mayor of the London Borough of Enfield from 1972-1973. In recognition of this the theatre auditorium was named the Lionel Genn auditorium in 1989. [1] However shortly after this, an Investigative News Television Programme implicated Mr Genn in a financial scandal and his name was removed from the theatre.[ citation needed ]

The theatre was re-opened on 6 October 2009 by the performer Bruce Forsyth following significant refurbishment, [2] gaining a new cafe bar, performance space, toilet block and box office. The main auditorium was renamed the Sir Bruce Forsyth Auditorium. Forsyth had been born in Edmonton.

Programme

Millfield Pantomime Millfield Theatre Pantomime - Mother Goose 2012.jpg
Millfield Pantomime

Millfield Theatre plays host to comedy, musical, drama, dance, children's and music shows throughout the year. Most shows at the theatre are professional shows which the management bring in for a fee, or a split of the ticket sales. The venue also hosts productions by local Amateur Theatre Companies and local Dance Schools throughout the year. When hired, the venue offers the ability to sell tickets through its own box office.

Transport

The theatre is located close to the Great Cambridge roundabout, where the North Circular and A10 meet. The nearest railway station is Silver Street, and the following London Bus routes serve the area:

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References

  1. (PDF) http://www.elods.org.uk/programmes/Chicago_1989.pdf.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. Baluch, Lalayn (31 March 2009). "Millfield Arts Centre begins £2.5m revamp". News. The Stage Newspaper. Retrieved 11 August 2010.