| 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 / 52.11194; -2.32972 |
| Owner | Malvern Hills District Council |
| Designation | World's smallest commercial theatre |
| Type | specialist, puppetry. exhibition space |
| Capacity | 12 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | November 1999 (1999-11) |
| 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. 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. 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.
The theatre is located in Edith Walk, Great Malvern. 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 trapezoidal in shape, 16 feet (4.9 m) long and from 6 feet (1.8 m) to 10 feet (3.0 m) wide.
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.
Productions
- Quackery Codswollop by Dennis Neale (2002)
- Quing by Dennis Neale (2004)
- The Tale of the Snowcake Man by Dennis Neale (2004)
- Tempuss Tantrum by Dennis Neale (2006)
See also
References
- Young, Mark C., ed. (28 September 2001). Guinness Book of World Records 2002. Guinness Publishing. p. 196. ISBN 0-85112-124-1.
- ^ 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.
External links
- Official webpage (archived)
- Panoramic view of the Theatre of Small Convenience
- The British Puppet and Model Theatre Guild