The Theatre of Small Convenience
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The Theatre of Small Convenience was a
theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...
in
Malvern, Worcestershire Malvern is a spa town and civil parish in Worcestershire, England. It lies at the foot of the Malvern Hills, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The centre of Malvern, Great Malvern, is a historic conservation area, which grew dr ...
,
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. In 2002 it entered the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's smallest commercial theatre, seating up to 12 people. It is less than half the size of the previous record holder, the Piccolo Theatre in Hamburg, Germany. The theatre looked like it might close on 25 February 2017 when Dennis Neale retired from the theatre. Warwickshire College Group is currently the tenant of the theatre building (April 2018) and a future programme of events is currently under consideration. The theatre is featured in a recent publication entitled ''Twenty Theatres You Should See Before You Die'' by Amber Massie-Blomfield.Malvern Gazette
''Guests invited to farewell party at Theatre of Small Convenience in Malvern'' (23 February 2017) The theatre was located in Edith Walk,
Great Malvern Great Malvern is an area of the spa town of Malvern, Worcestershire, England. It lies at the foot of the Malvern Hills, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, on the eastern flanks of the Worcestershire Beacon and North Hill, and i ...
. Local puppeteer Dennis Neale started work on the theatre in 1997, opening for the first show in November 1999. The theatre's name comes from the building's original purpose – it was converted from a derelict Victorian gentlemen's public convenience. It is
trapezoid A quadrilateral with at least one pair of parallel sides is called a trapezoid () in American and Canadian English. In British and other forms of English, it is called a trapezium (). A trapezoid is necessarily a convex quadrilateral in Eu ...
al in shape, long and from to wide. The theatre used to regularly host puppetry, professional and amateur actors, drama, poetry, storytelling and opera, and became a regular venue of the
Malvern Fringe Festival The Malvern Fringe Festival was an arts festival (founded 1977) which took place in Great Malvern, England. The main events of the Malvern Fringe Festival were the annual Malvern May Day and parade, and the annual three-day festival held in Jun ...
. In 2005 the theatre was chosen as one of the venues for an international puppetry festival.


Productions

*''Quackery Codswollop'' (2002) *''Quing'' (2004) *''The Tale of the Snowcake Man'' (2004) *''Tempuss Tantrum'' (2006)


See also

* List of theatres in the United Kingdom


References


External links


Official webpage (archived)The British Puppet and Model Theatre Guild
{{DEFAULTSORT:Theatre of Small Convenience, The Puppet theaters Buildings and structures in Malvern, Worcestershire Theatres in Worcestershire Theatres completed in 1999 1999 establishments in England Puppetry in the United Kingdom