Address | Congleton United Kingdom |
---|---|
Owner | Daneside Community Theatre Trust Limited[1] |
Type | Local |
Capacity | 300[2][3] |
Production | Frankenstein (Production by Congleton Players 11-15 June 2024)[4] |
Construction | |
Built | 1980-1984[5] |
Opened | 3 October 1984[6] |
Renovated | 1997[7] |
Expanded | 2001[8] |
Construction cost | £198,000[9] |
Website | |
Official website |
Daneside Theatre is a theatre in the town of Congleton, Cheshire, England.[10] It opened in 1984 and expanded in 2001. The theatre is used by several local dramatic and musical societies.[11]
Daneside Theatre was built in response to the closure of the Players Hall on Eaton’s bank that was used by the Congleton Players.[5] The Players Hall was closed to allow for the construction of the Mountbatten Way inner relief road.[5]
In 4 October 1980, the first sod was cut.[5] The theatre was built by Daneside Theatre Trust Ltd. on top of the Congleton open-air swimming baths as part of the Daneside Leisure Development,[6] which led to the closure of the swimming baths.[5][11] The theatre cost £198,000 to build;[9] some funding came from local townspeople who paid to have a seat named after a family member.[11] The theatre officially opened on 3 October 1984 by the chairman of Congleton Inclosure trust, Jocelyn Solly.[12]
The first production at Daneside Theatre was Curtain Up which featured various amateur theatrical groups in and around Congleton.[5] In attendance were local members of parliament, mayors of both the Borough of Congleton and the town of Congleton, and other dignitaries.[6]
A projector from Barclays Bank's training centre in Knutsford, which had recently switched to using video units for training, was donating to the theatre, which allowed for film screenings.[6] The first movie to be screened at Daneside Theatre was Desperately Seeking Susan.[6] Among the audience that night were the mayor of Congleton Borough, councillor Joe Alcock, and Congleton town mayor councillor Mike Kitton.[6]
Daneside Theatre was refurbished in 1997[7] at a cost of over £100,000.[13] The refurbishment added a foyer and disabled toilets to the theatre, with a large amount of money coming from the estate of Jocelyn Solly.[13]
The theatre was subject to an arson attack in 1998,[7] when two storage containers outside the theatre were set alight.[14] The props and scenery stored in the containers were destroyed.[14] Firefighters were able to prevent the fire spreading between the burning containers and the theatre.[7][15]
The building was expanded at a total cost of £238,000 in 2001, of which £56,775 came as a grant from the Arts Council of England,[13] and some came though support other organisations, such as the Garfield Weston Foundation.[16] The expansion added new rehearsal rooms, a meeting room, and extra storage space.[8]
The expansion was opened by Ann Winterton, MP for Congleton, on 10 November 2001.[13]
The following theatrical societies use Daneside Theatre:
The Congleton Gang Show was formed in 1972.[26][27] The Congleton Gang Show performs one performance every two years at Daneside Theatre.[26]
The Congleton Gang Show was formed as part of the 1972 Congleton charter year celebrations.[26]
The following is a list of people linked to Daneside Theatre who have won awards.