Swindon Arts Centre is a 212-seat entertainment venue in the

Old Town In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins. In some cases, newer developments on t ...

area of

Swindon Swindon () is a town in Wiltshire, England. At the time of the 2021 Census the population of the built-up area was 183,638, making it the largest settlement in the county. Located at the northeastern edge of the South West England region, Swi ...

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated to Wilts) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It borders Gloucestershire to the north, Oxfordshire to the north-east, Berkshire to the east, Hampshire to the south-east, Dorset to the south, and Somerset to ...

, England.Arts and Culture: About the Arts Centre
,

Swindon Borough Council Swindon Borough Council is the local authority of the Borough of Swindon in the ceremonial county of Wiltshire, England. It was founded in 1974 as Thamesdown Borough Council, and was a lower-tier district council until 1997. In 1997 it was re ...

, UK. It opened in 1956. The Swindon Arts Centre is at the heart of Swindon's Old Town, on Devizes Road. The venue hosts a varied programme of entertainment all year round, made up of both professional and amateur productions.

Opening

The current Swindon Arts Centre was opened officially on Saturday 1 September 1956 by the mayor, N V Toze and

Llewelyn Wyn Griffith Llewelyn Wyn Griffith CBE (30 August 1890 – 27 September 1977) was a Welsh novelist, born in Llandrillo yn Rhos, Clwyd. He is known for his memoir, ''Up to Mametz'', based on his service during World War I. Educated at Dolgellau Grammar School ...

, vice-chairman of the

Arts Council of Great Britain The Arts Council of Great Britain was a non-departmental public body dedicated to the promotion of the fine arts in Great Britain. It was divided in 1994 to form the Arts Council of England (now Arts Council England), the Scottish Arts Council (l ...

. Prior to this date there had been an Arts Centre in the former Methodist Hall in the town centre, some ten years earlier.

Refurbishments

The Swindon Arts Centre reopened in January 2003 following its refurbishment. Improvements included the addition of a lift in the new entrance foyer to give easy access to the auditorium on the first floor, new accessible toilets and new seats in the auditorium. In 2010 the venue underwent a major refurbishment. The ground floor was completely redesigned to create a new performance studio, bar and cafe, and the refurbishment also made room for the Swindon Old Town public library to relocate into the building.

Management

The theatre is managed by Trafalgar Theatres on behalf of

. Theatre managers and directors include: *Theatre Manager – Clarry Bean (1994–2013) *Theatre Manager – Darren Edwards (2013–2015) *Theatre Manager – Elly Stimpson Duffy (2015–2019) *Theatre Director – Laura James (2019 – present) In early 2015, Swindon Borough Council awarded the management contract to run Swindon Arts Centre to HQ Theatres & Hospitality who would run the venue in conjunction with the

Wyvern Theatre The Wyvern Theatre is a 635-seat indoor auditorium in Swindon, England, opened in September 1971. It is owned by Swindon Borough Council and operated by Trafalgar Entertainment. In March 2019, Swindon Borough Council stated the building was l ...

Patron

In November 2010, television personality

Richard Digance Richard Digance (pronounced DYE-jance; born 24 February 1949) is an English comedian and folk singer. Early life Digance was born in Plaistow, East London. After his family moved to nearby East Ham, he attended Vicarage Lane Primary School ...

became the first Patron of the venue.

Pam Ayres Pamela Ayres MBE (born 14 March 1947) is a British poet, comedian, songwriter and presenter of radio and television programmes. Her 1975 appearance on the television talent show '' Opportunity Knocks'' led to appearances on other TV and radio ...

is the Patron of the Friends of Swindon Arts Centre.

References

External links

* 1956 establishments in England Theatres in Wiltshire

Arts Centre An art centre or arts center is distinct from an art gallery or art museum. An arts centre is a functional community centre with a specific remit to encourage arts practice and to provide facilities such as theatre space, gallery space, venues fo ...