| Civic Theatre | |
|---|---|
| Address | Horne Lane Bedford, Bedfordshire |
| Country | England |
| Designation | Listed Building Grade II |
| Architect | James Horsford |
| Owned by | Bedford Borough Council |
| Operated by | Corn Exchange, Bedford |
| Capacity | 270 |
| Type | Local authority |
| Opened | 1952 |
The Bedford Civic Theatre is a theatre located on Horne Lane in the town centre of Bedford, Bedfordshire, England.
The theatre is operated by the Corn Exchange, Bedford and hosts a variety of events, exhibitions and performances. Groups such as the Bedford Marianettes regularly produce plays and musicals in the venue. The Bedford Pantomime Company started off producing a traditional pantomime at the theatre each Christmas before moving to the Corn Exchange.
The building itself is a Grade II Listed Building. It was built in 1859-1860 as the assembly hall of Bedford Grammar School. The architect was James Horsford, who also designed the former St Luke’s Church in St Peter’s Street. When the School relocated to its current site in 1892 the building was sold to Bedford Council and became part of the Town Hall, and was used as a council chamber and meeting room. The stage and proscenium arch were installed in about 1900. The name Civic Theatre was given to it by the late Weyman Mackay, a leading light in am-dram circles after Second World War, about the time that it was refurbished as a theatre around 1948-52. There used to be a plaque in the entrance foyer, but this was thrown away during the last redecoration in about 1995.
The Theatre is documented on The Theatres Trust website and is listed by the Trust in the 2010 Directory of Theatre Buildings At Risk.
The Bedfringe festival, a pre-Edinburgh Fringe festival opened in 2007 and used the Civic Theatre as its main venue.
In April 2010, Bedford Borough Council announced its intention to close the Civic Theatre, converting the space into a 'one-stop-shop' for council services. The plans form part of the proposed redevelopment of the area, which will include the demolition of Bedford Town Hall.[1]
A local campaign to Save Our Civic made up from members of the Amateur Dramatic Societies in Bedford and the surrounding area and other users of the Civic Theatre is opposing the closure and conversion of the Theatre. They are supported by Patrick Hall, the town's former Member of Parliament, and Richard Fuller the current MP.