Roses Theatre
Encyclopedia
The Roses Theatre is an art-house cinema
and live performance
venue 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 a wide range of 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.
cinema which closed in the 1960s.
Building work started in 1973 and, at that time, Romans 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 2 weeks ahead of a revised schedule in 1975, despite delays occasioned by a nation steel shortage.The theatre cost £300,000 to build and featured state-of-the-art sound, lighting and projection equipment. The fly tower is the third highest structure in Tewkesbury. The architects were The Preece Payne Partnership of Gloucester and the project Partner was Roger Payne, assisted by James Rendell.
Her Royal Highness, Princess Anne, attended the Opening Gala, which took place on 30 October 1975.
The Roses Theatre was run as a council arts centre from 1975 to 1980 by The Courtyard Arts Trust. Since 1980, the theatre has been run by a number of different companies and organisations, which includes The Stennett Company (1980-1993) and The Crummels Theatre Company (1994-1995).
Tewkesbury Borough Council appointed a London based theatre company, The Crummels Theatre Company. The theatre reopened in November 1994 after nearly a year of closure due to essential maintenance and refurbishment work. The gala reopening event included performances by Ned Sherrin
, Michael Palin
and Robert Lindsay
.
Financial difficulties forced the Crummels Theatre Company into liquidation and, subsequently, the Roses Theatre closed in May 1995.
In 1995, The Roses Theatre Trust was formed, which won a 21-year licence to run the theatre from Tewkesbury Borough Council. The Roses Theatre reopened in 1996 with Robert Hamlin as Theatre Director. Previously, from 1980, Robert had been Director of the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry. In 2006, Deborah Rees took over from Robert Hamlin as Director.
collapsed in Dressing Room 1 at the theatre after taking a final curtain call in May 1984. He died shortly afterwards at Cheltenham General Hospital.
The theatre remembers the comic legend by naming the theatres' 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 featured 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.
Stan Stennett, manager of The Roses Theatre from 1980 to 1993, starred in Crossroads during the 1980s.
Art film
An art film is the result of filmmaking which is typically a serious, independent film aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience...
and live performance
Performance
A performance, in performing arts, generally comprises an event in which a performer or group of performers behave in a particular way for another group of people, the audience. Choral music and ballet are examples. Usually the performers participate in rehearsals beforehand. Afterwards audience...
venue located in the centre of Tewkesbury
Tewkesbury
Tewkesbury is a town in Gloucestershire, England. It stands at the confluence of the River Severn and the River Avon, and also minor tributaries the Swilgate and Carrant Brook...
, Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Its main auditorium seats 375 and accommodates 35mm
35 mm film
35 mm film is the film gauge most commonly used for chemical still photography and motion pictures. The name of the gauge refers to the width of the photographic film, which consists of strips 35 millimeters in width...
film / digital
Digital cinema
Digital cinema refers to the use of digital technology to distribute and project motion pictures. A movie can be distributed via hard drives, optical disks or satellite and projected using a digital projector instead of a conventional film projector...
projection as well as live performance. It offers patrons a wide range of 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.
History
The Roses Theatre stands on the site of the Sabrina Cinema - an art decoArt Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
cinema which closed in the 1960s.
Building work started in 1973 and, at that time, Romans 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 2 weeks ahead of a revised schedule in 1975, despite delays occasioned by a nation steel shortage.The theatre cost £300,000 to build and featured state-of-the-art sound, lighting and projection equipment. The fly tower is the third highest structure in Tewkesbury. The architects were The Preece Payne Partnership of Gloucester and the project Partner was Roger Payne, assisted by James Rendell.
Her Royal Highness, Princess Anne, attended the Opening Gala, which took place on 30 October 1975.
The Roses Theatre was run as a council arts centre from 1975 to 1980 by The Courtyard Arts Trust. Since 1980, the theatre has been run by a number of different companies and organisations, which includes The Stennett Company (1980-1993) and The Crummels Theatre Company (1994-1995).
The '90s
The Stennett Company, who ran the theatre from 1980, lost the fight to renew their lease of the theatre in 1993.Tewkesbury Borough Council appointed a London based theatre company, The Crummels Theatre Company. The theatre reopened in November 1994 after nearly a year of closure due to essential maintenance and refurbishment work. The gala reopening event included performances by Ned Sherrin
Ned Sherrin
Edward George "Ned" Sherrin CBE was an English broadcaster, author and stage director. He qualified as a barrister and then worked in independent television before joining the BBC...
, Michael Palin
Michael Palin
Michael Edward Palin, CBE FRGS is an English comedian, actor, writer and television presenter best known for being one of the members of the comedy group Monty Python and for his travel documentaries....
and Robert Lindsay
Robert Lindsay
Robert Lindsay may refer to:*Robert Lindsay of Pitscottie , Scottish chronicler*Robert Lindsay , English actor*Robert Lindsay , British Olympic track and field athlete...
.
Financial difficulties forced the Crummels Theatre Company into liquidation and, subsequently, the Roses Theatre closed in May 1995.
Charitable Trust and Reopening
Talks of forming a Charitable Trust to run the theatre had been circulating since the early 1990s when the lease of the theatre was available following the Stennett Company's run.In 1995, The Roses Theatre Trust was formed, which won a 21-year licence to run the theatre from Tewkesbury Borough Council. The Roses Theatre reopened in 1996 with Robert Hamlin as Theatre Director. Previously, from 1980, Robert had been Director of the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry. In 2006, Deborah Rees took over from Robert Hamlin as Director.
Eric Morecambe
The popular British comedian Eric MorecambeEric Morecambe
John Eric Bartholomew OBE , known by his stage name Eric Morecambe, was an English comedian who together with Ernie Wise formed the award-winning double act Morecambe and Wise. The partnership lasted from 1941 until Morecambe's death of a heart attack in 1984...
collapsed in Dressing Room 1 at the theatre after taking a final curtain call in May 1984. He died shortly afterwards at Cheltenham General Hospital.
The theatre remembers the comic legend by naming the theatres' 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 featured 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.
The 1989 Crossroads Stageshow
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.