East Riding Theatre, is a theatre and café[1] in a converted former Baptist church located in Beverley in the East Riding of Yorkshire.[2]

East Riding Theatre
Map
Address10 Lord Roberts Road
Beverley
England
Coordinates53°50′25″N 0°25′41″W / 53.840166°N 0.428014°W / 53.840166; -0.428014
DesignationGrade II listed
TypeStage theatre
Capacity192
Construction
Builtas a church in 1910
converted to a theatre 2013
Opened2014 (2014)
ArchitectGeorge Pennington
Website
eastridingtheatre.co.uk

Building

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The theatre is in a red brick chapel, built in the "English Free" style.[3] It has a seating capacity of 192 with a thrust stage.[4]

History

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The building originally opened as church in 1910, it stopped being used as such in 1964 and came into the ownership of the East Riding of Yorkshire Council. For some time it was used as a venue for local people to receive vaccinations. Between 1995 and 2007 it was home to the council's archives.[5] In April 2013, the East Riding of Yorkshire Council approved planning for the conversion of the building into a theatre which opened in 2014.[4]

The theatre's founder and original artistic director was Vincent Regan, who instead of using Arts Council or Heritage Lottery Fund funding, used sponsorship from local businesses.[2] A significant amount of funding also came from the building being used in the filming of Dad's Army.[5]

In 2017 Adrian Rawlins took over the role of artistic director, [6] and the role later went to Richard Avery.[7]

References

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  1. ^ "East Riding Theatre House Café Launch Night". HU17.net. 22 December 2015.
  2. ^ a b "ERT (East Riding Theatre)". Future Humber. Bondholders. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  3. ^ Historic England. "The Baptist Church (Grade II) (1161948)". National Heritage List for England.
  4. ^ a b "East Riding Theatre". Theatres Trust. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  5. ^ a b "A Brief History of ERT". East Riding Theatre. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  6. ^ "Adrian Rawlins Named As New Artistic Director". HU17.net. 10 January 2017.
  7. ^ Richard Vergette (4 May 2023). "Under Milk Wood". British Theatre Guide. Retrieved 30 April 2024.