People's Theatre (Newcastle upon Tyne)

• Theatre ID
  1079
• Built / Converted
  1962
• Dates of use
  • 1962: continuing
• Current state
  Extant
• Current use
  Theatre (amateur theatre)
• Address
  Stephenson Road, Heaton, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear, NE6 5QL, England
• Website
  • http://www.peoples-theatre.co.uk

Details

Externally the building remains largely as originally conceived by Marshall & Tweedy in 1936 with one notable exception. When the building was acquired for conversion in 1962, the stage house was added, its curious shape emphasizing that the hard curved cyclorama was regarded as more important than the facility to fly scenery. Positioned on a corner site, constructed mainly of brick with a small amount of Art-Deco detailing. The pitched roof has distinctive green pantiles. Internally the auditorium was little altered in 1962, retaining the original stalls and balcony installed by Marshall & Tweedy of 1936. An art gallery was however created with financial support from the Gulbenkian Foundation. Additional FOH stage lighting positions were inserted on the flank walls on either side of the proscenium, the lanterns being concealed behind doors. By 1982 the auditorium seating (918) was too large for the People’s Theatre and so they embarked upon a scheme of alterations. This involved creating a single tier of seating, continuing the circle rake down into the stalls, and the physical removal of the balcony front. This in turn created additional space for FOH, which had been the rear stalls, underneath the balcony. A demountable forestage was also created at this time.

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• Other names
  The Lyric Cinema, Heaton, current: People’s Theatre Arts Group
• Events
  • 1935 Design/Construction: as a cinema
    • Marshall & Tweedy - Architect
  • 1936 Owner/Management: James MacHarg & John Thompson of Tyne Picture Houses
  • 1946 Owner/Management: Tynesides Citizen’s Theatre Ltd
  • 1962 Use: continuing
  • 1962 Alteration: Birks, Dick & Mackeller, adapted and re-opened as theatre
    • Chackett - Architect
  • 1975 Owner/Management: People’s Theatre Arts Group Ltd
  • 1982 Alteration: auditorium reconfigured with a single rake; studio theatre with 100 seats formed at the rear of the original auditorium
    • Alan Williams & Partners - Architect
• Capacities
  • Later: 1946: 302 1975: up to 900
  • Current: 1994: 550; Studio 90
• Listings
  • Grade Not listed
• Stage type
  • Pros flat & thrust
• Dimensions
  • Stage dimensions: Depth: 9.14m at centre stage Width: 14.64m
  • Proscenium width: 9.75m (27ft)
  • Height to grid: 10.67m (23ft)