Thwaites Empire Theatre

The Empire opened in 1910 as cine-variety. The exterior, with piers and cornice band, minimally dressed with terra cotta, defining the bays. Pitched slated roof and an asymmetrical Dutch gable at one end. No architect is recorded. Its design and building seem to have been the joint effort of three builders, Hope, Caton and Duckworth, of whom Duckworth assumed running of the building. Under Essoldo and later Classic, it was a full-time cinema. It closed in the late 1960s and was later a bingo hall and another short-lived cinema. In 1979 it was purchased by the Blackburn Theatre Trust. Preliminary works for conversion to a theatre were started but lack of funds prevented progress beyond internal stripping and the provision of some temporary facilities. A study of Blackburn theatres by Iain Mackintosh recommended matched funding to reopen the Empire as an amateur theatre, but this was never realised. A feasibility study commissioned from Tim Ronalds in 1991 provided a plan for a 350-seat theatre. A grant from the Foundation for Sport and the Arts permitted the creation of the stage area. The first phase received further FSA grant aid and financial support from Thwaites Brewery. It opened in 2002 with a capacity of 150 with a further 50 in the balcony. The exterior of the building is little changed apart from the loss of the Dutch gable. Internally the foyer and bar have been extended. The bar has doors and light fittings salvaged from hotels and other buildings. These include an Art Deco mirror and the room has been redecorated in the same style. The stage, now without the original proscenium has an apron, and downstairs seating is in a small raked fan. The balcony is completely rebuilt with slips and re-raked seating. The stage apron itself is semi-octagonal and the stalls seating and balcony front reflect that stage; an interesting innovation. A small factory at the rear has been acquired and named the Capita Arts centre. This houses a dance studio, workshop and other rooms for use/hire for teaching/practicing/rehearsing and provides a useful dressing room over-flow for the theatre. Bars and front of house provision are adequate. The two present dressing rooms are the original and the get-in, off a busy main road, is not easy, but the theatre as seen is a remarkable testament to the efforts of local volunteers and donors. They were called on again when a ceiling collapsed on to the stage in April 2016 and the building had to be closed for 5 weeks for repairs. Volunteers created a mini-auditorium in the theatre bar to stage a series of fundraising events.