The Drill Hall
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| The Drill Hall | |
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| Address |
Chenies Street
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| City | |
| Architect | Samuel Knight |
| Owned by | Central London Arts |
| Capacity | 200 seats |
| Type | Studio theatre |
| Opened | 1984 |
| Previous names | 1882 Bloomsbury Rifles |
| www.drillhall.co.uk | |
| Coordinates: | |
The Drill Hall is a theatrical venue in Bloomsbury in the London Borough of Camden, just to the east of Tottenham Court Road. It contains rehearsal rooms and meeting rooms, and two small theatres - the 200-seat Drill Hall 1 and a 50-seat studio space, known as Drill Hall 2. Its name derives from its original use, as a drill hall for the Bloomsbury Rifles. It became a theatre in the 1980s after many years of being used as a rehearsal hall and, in the 1960s, as an art gallery for the Tate Gallery’s exhibition of the McAlpine Collection. It has a notable artistic history, in the 1900s, Diaghilev and the Ballet Russes rehearsed here. During World War II it was used for Ralph Reader's Gang Shows.
Since 1984, the Drill Hall has particularly supported production of theatrical works with gay and lesbian themes. It has also been one of several venues used by the BBC as a studio for radio shows which are recorded in front of a live studio audience.
The Drill Hall has an annual turnover of £1.25 million, previously this has been supported with £250,000 of Arts Council funding. In 2008, the Council announced it was withdrawing this funding to concentrate its theatre funding on other ventures. Similar fates have befallen 194 other arts organisations.[1]
[edit] References
- ^ The Drill Hall's future in doubt Rupert Smith, 7 January 2008 Time Out accessed 15 Jan 2008
[edit] External links
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