Little Germany Theatre

• 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, and a new theatre was built on the same site. Named after J B Priestley who had donated royalties, the Priestley Theatre was opened in 1937 by Barry Jackson. From the beginning, it was 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 building is on the side of a steep hill approached by six deep steps from a narrow pavement. The façe is very simple, a little reminiscent of the London Whitehall but with applied metal ornament. There is a small foyer, and spacious bar in the basement. The auditorium is plain, with a balcony of eight rows under barrel vault ceiling. The balcony front is flat with horizontal ribbed ornament, and end projections. The ceiling slopes down over the stalls towards a rectangular proscenium, flanked by fluted quarter columns without caps or bases. The Studio theatre is a wedge-shaped space with a capacity of seventy. Bradford Playhouse relaunched in 2009, as a community-focussed multi-disciplinary arts centre. The company went into liquidation in 2011, and one of the creditors purchased the theatre, re-branding it as the Little Germany Theatre (and Isherwood Studio) in December 2011. The new owner now needs to raise £400,000 for works to the theatre.

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• Other names
  Priestley, Civic, Playhouse and Film Theatre, Priestley Centre for the Arts, Bradford Playhouse
• Events
  • 1937 Use: continuing
  • 1937 Design/Construction:
    • Eric Morley - Architect
  • 1997 Alteration: stage rebuilt; auditorium reinstated after fire
    • David Quick of VJQ Ltd - Architect
  • 2011 Owner/Management: purchased by Rob Walters/Be Wonderful Ltd.
• 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