The Theatre of Small Convenience
ToSC | |
 The Theatre of Small Convenience | |
 | |
| Address | Edith Walk Malvern, Worcestershire United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 52°06′43″N 2°19′47″W / 52.11194°N 2.32972°W |
| Owner | Malvern Hills District Council |
| Designation | World's smallest commercial theatre |
| Type | specialist, puppetry. exhibition space |
| Capacity | 12 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | November 1999 |
| Rebuilt | = |
| Years active | 18 |
| Tenants | |
| The Theatre of Small Convenience CIC | |
The Theatre of Small Convenience is a theatre on Edith Walk in Great Malvern, Worcestershire, England.
In 2002 it entered the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's smallest commercial theatre, seating up to 12 people.[1] It is less than half the size of the previous record holder, the Piccolo Theatre in Hamburg, Germany.[2][3] The theatre looked like it might close on 25 February 2017 when Dennis Neale retired. Warwickshire College Group took over the lease in (April 2018) for a brief period. After a fire caused by a dehumidifier it was closed, after the pandemic Malvern Hills District Council (the owners of the building) took back possession.
A new group The Theatre of Small Convenience CIC have now been identified as the new custodians of the building. They are embarking on a fundraising campaign to restore the interior and complete other structural work needed to enable the theatre to open again to the public for performances.
The theatre is featured in a recent publication entitled Twenty Theatres You Should See Before You Die by Amber Massie-Blomfield.[4]
The theatre is located in Edith Walk, Great Malvern. Local puppeteer Dennis Neale started work on the theatre in 1997,[2] opening for the first show in November 1999.[5] The theatre's name comes from the building's original purpose – it was converted from a derelict Victorian gentlemen's public convenience. It is trapezoidal in shape, 16 feet (4.9 m) long and from 6 feet (1.8 m) to 10 feet (3.0 m) wide.[2]
The theatre regularly hosted puppetry, often created by Dennis himself, along with offerings by professional and amateur actors, drama, poetry, storytelling and opera, and became a regular venue of the Malvern Fringe Festival. In 2005 the theatre was chosen as one of the venues for an international puppetry festival.[6]
Productions
[edit]- Quackery Codswollop by Dennis Neale (2002)[7]
- Quing by Dennis Neale (2004)[8]
- The Tale of the Snowcake Man by Dennis Neale (2004)[9]
- Tempuss Tantrum by Dennis Neale (2006)[10]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Young, Mark C., ed. (28 September 2001). Guinness Book of World Records 2002. Guinness Publishing. p. 196. ISBN 0-85112-124-1.
- ^ a b c Smith, Richard (15 March 1997). "Loo becomes a theatre of convenience". The Independent. Retrieved 2 January 2010.
- ^ Young, Mark C., ed. (November 1996). Guinness Book of World Records 1997. Guinness Publishing. p. 146. ISBN 0-9652383-0-X.
- ^ Malvern Gazette Guests invited to farewell party at Theatre of Small Convenience in Malvern (23 February 2017)
- ^ Neale, Dennis (22 July 2009). "The Theatre of Small Convenience". The Theatre of Small Convenience. Archived from the original on 7 January 2010. Retrieved 2 January 2010.
- ^ "Theatre's key role in international festival". Droitwich Spa Advertiser. Newsquest Media Group. 13 May 2005. Archived from the original on 2 January 2010. Retrieved 2 January 2010.
- ^ "Quackery Codswallop Review: Theatre of Small Convenience, Malvern". Malvern Gazette. Newsquest Media Group. 6 September 2002. Retrieved 31 December 2011.
- ^ "No small convenience". Malvern Gazette. Newsquest Media Group. 9 September 2004. Retrieved 31 December 2011.
- ^ "Theatre enjoys big hit with a sweet fairytale". Malvern Gazette. Newsquest Media Group. 17 December 2004. Retrieved 31 December 2011.
- ^ "A convenient way to spend some time". Malvern Gazette. Newsquest Media Group. 30 August 2006. Retrieved 31 December 2011.