The Playhouse, Cheltenham
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  The Playhouse Location within Gloucestershire | |
| Coordinates | 51°53′48″N 2°04′27″W / 51.896805°N 2.074265°W |
|---|---|
| Type | Theatre |
| Capacity | 186 |
| Opened | 1945 |
| Website | |
| cheltplayhouse | |
Cheltenham Playhouse is a community theatre in
History
In 1944, the Corporation of Cheltenham (now
On 5 April 1950, the auditorium was severely damaged by fire.[3] The repair work was evidently undertaken with speed and the theatre was only closed for five months. However, the fire destroyed part of one of the theatre’s balconies (which were formerly viewing balconies for the swimming pool) and this was not restored until 2007.
When the Corporation decided it no longer wished to fund the theatre, volunteers formed the Theatre & Arts Club in 1956 and they officially took over the running of the venue in 1958 and over time acquired more part of the building which, at that time, were still being used as baths or for medical treatments.[citation needed]
During the 2007 United Kingdom floods the theatre was flooded twice within the space of five weeks. Only two performances had to be cancelled.[3]
In 2008, the auditorium and green room underwent a £340,000 refurbishment, half of which was funded by the council, together with additional donations from the Summerfield Charitable Trust,
In 2019, planning permission was obtained for a major redevelopment of much of the complex (excluding the auditorium). Funding will be sought in the region of £3.5 million to achieve the charity's ambition to become a fully-staffed professional arts centre while still remaining home to local performers.[5]
The theatre failed to receive £50,000 from the Culture Recovery Fund (CRF) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Local residents launched a crowdfunder and this, together with individual donations, raised over £30,000. Pianist Peter Gill raised an additional £5,000 by playing non-stop for 24 hours. The theatre subsequently received £50,000 in the second round of the CRF.[citation needed]
Theatre companies
The Playhouse is the home of the amateur theatre group now known as Playhouse Arts, formerly The Playhouse Company.[6]
Montpellier Baths
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In 1716, the first
The complex was enlarged circa 1818 when it boasted 14 warm baths, fitted with marble and Dutch tile, one large cold bath plus smaller ones and a boiler capable of heating up to 190 °F (88 °C).[8] Further enlargements followed in the 1830s and in the 1840s a large swimming pool was established; this was refurbished by the Corporation of Cheltenham when they bought the complex in 1899. The current auditorium is built over this pool and is used as a furniture store; it is shown each September as part of Heritage Open Days. In the Edwardian times in addition to slipper baths upstairs, the ground floor was used as a medicinal spa for a variety of treatments including a radioactive mud bath.
References
- ^ a b "The Playhouse Theatre". Visit Cheltenham. Archived from the original on 26 October 2019. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
- ^ "About the company". The Playhouse Company. Archived from the original on 17 October 2016. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
- ^ a b "A brief history of our building". Cheltenham Playhouse. Archived from the original on 13 June 2016. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
- ^ "Grants paid 2008" (PDF). Summerfield Charitable Trust. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
- ^ Flowers, Sophie (1 March 2019). "Huge new plans to transform historic Cheltenham theatre into modern performing arts hub". Gloucestershire Live. Archived from the original on 2 March 2019. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
- ^ The Playhouse Company, Cheltenham. "WE ARE MOVING!". Retrieved 31 December 2023 – via Facebook.
- ^ "The discovery of Cheltenham's spa waters". The History Press. Archived from the original on 25 September 2019. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
- ^ "The Playhouse Cheltenham - A Brief History " Archived 24 April 2006 at the Wayback Machine