The theatre has quite an interesting history. It all started back in the 1920s with two amateur dramatic societies called the Nottingham Playgoers Club and the Nottingham Philodramatic Society. These societies joined forces in 1946 to become the Nottingham Theatre Club. They initially set up shop in a school until they moved to Hutchinson Street, closer to the city center.
But it wasn't until 1972, during a slum-clearance project, that the club found its current home in the Lace Market area. They converted a dilapidated paint store, which had once been a chapel built in 1761. Fun fact, William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army, attended school here! It's quite a historic building and is even Grade II-listed.
To make it even more impressive, the members of the club themselves carried out most of the renovations. They created a lovely 118-seat auditorium and an upstairs bar for smaller studio performances. They wanted to bring challenging plays to Nottingham, so people wouldn't have to travel all the way to London to see them. Way to save on train fare, right?
The club has always believed in "training by doing," so they regularly staged small-scale productions in the bar area. These productions were called "Fents," in homage to the textile-making history of the Lace Market area. Can you imagine watching a play while sipping a cocktail in their bar? Sounds like a great night out to me!
In 1977, the club seized the opportunity to expand by acquiring more land. This led to the formation of the Lace Market Theatre Trust Ltd, which helped raise funds for a three-storey extension. And guess what? They even received grants to support students pursuing drama school. Talk about supporting the next generation of performers!
Now, here's a juicy tidbit: Prunella Scales and Timothy West became patrons of the theatre shortly after the extension was completed in 1984. And in 2012, Matthew Macfadyen and Keeley Hawes joined them as patrons. Joyce Redman was also a patron for many years, may she rest in peace.
You'll be delighted to know that the Lace Market Theatre has been twinned with the Jakobus Theatre and Die Kaeuze in Germany since 1982. How cool is that? They even exchange productions with each other every few years. That's a long-distance theatre friendship if I've ever seen one!
Alright, my friend, it's time to move on to our next stop. We're heading to the Lace Market, which is just a short stroll away. Lace up your walking shoes, and let's hit the pavement!
