Priestley

• Theatre ID
  2253
• Built / Converted
  1937
• Dates of use
  • 1937: continuing
• Current state
  Extant
• Current use
  Theatre
• Address
  4 Chapel Street, Little Germany, Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD1 5DL, England

Details

Bradford Playhouse Company was established in 1929, playing in the Jowett Hall. This was a Temperance Hall of 1837, converted to a cinema in 1910. It burned down in 1935. A new theatre on the same site, named for J B Priestley who had donated royalties, was opened in 1937 by Barry Jackson. It was, from the beginning, a dual-purpose theatre and cinema. A fire in 1996 destroyed the stage and damaged the auditorium and foyers. The theatre reopened after restoration with a rebuilt stage in 1997. The façe in Chapel Street is very simple, a little reminiscent of the London Whitehall but with applied metal ornament. Small foyer, spacious bar in the basement. Plain auditorium. Balcony of eight rows under barrel vault ceiling. Balcony front, flat with horizontal ribbed ornament, projects at ends. Ceiling over stalls slopes down toward proscenium, which is rectangular, flanked by fluted quarter columns without caps or bases. The Studio theatre is a wedge-shaped space with a capacity of seventy. The building is on the side of a steep hill approached by six deep steps from a narrow pavement. Wheelchair access is likely to be extremely difficult. The theatre has been dark since c.2003 and exists solely on hire fees and income from a remarkably extensive wardrobe.

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• Other names
  Civic, Playhouse and Film Theatre, Priestley Centre for the Arts
• Events
  • 1937 Use: continuing
  • 1937 Design/Construction:
    • Eric Morley - Architect
  • 1997 Alteration: stage rebuilt; auditorium reinstated after fire
    • David Quick of VJQ Ltd - Architect
• Capacities
  • Original: 299
  • Current: 291
• Listings
  • Grade Not listed
• Stage type
  • Proscenium flat
• Dimensions
  • Stage dimensions: Depth: 4.27m Width SL: 5.95m SR: 5.95m
  • Proscenium width: 7.01m
  • Height to grid: 7.31m
  • Orchestra pit: None
• Unreliable anecdotes
  Bradford Playhouse Company was established 1929, performing in Jowett Hall. Date of present building frequently stated to be 1929 but not true