Everyman Theatre

Located in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. The Opera House was opened on 1st October 1891 with Lily Langtry starring in the play “Lady Clancarty”. It was designed as a drama theatre by noted theatre architect Frank Matcham, and was one of his smaller theatre projects, having only 679 seats. The auditorium is designed with seating provided in orchestra stalls, dress circle and balcony levels with a gallery on top. There are two boxes on each side of the 24 feet wide proscenium. The stage is 30 feet deep. The Rococo style plasterwork is similar to the Grand Theatre, Blackpool and the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith, London.

From 1929 it was in use as a cinema, and by 1934 it had been re-named Regent Theatre & Opera House in use as a cinema, equipped with a Western Electric(WE) sound system. It now had increased the seating capacity to 800. By 1937 it had reverted back to the Opera House name, still in use as a cinema, and also variety shows. It now had a café for the convenience of its patrons. By 1953, stage plays had been added back into the programming, as well as films and variety shows.

In 1960 it was re-named Everyman Theatre and was a full-time live theatre again. It was re-furbished in 1983 and again in 2011. The Everyman Theatre is a Grade II Listed building.

(Not to be confused with the Everyman Cheltenham (former Tivoli Cinema) which has its own page on Cinema Treasures)

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ChrisNoble on April 20, 2015 at 3:21 pm

Photographs of the stunning restoration of the Everyman Theatre can be found on its website: http://www.everymantheatre.org.uk/the-restoration/in-pictures/