| The Lamb Theatre | |
|---|---|
The Lamb Theatre |
|
| Address | 36 High Street |
| City | Eastbourne |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Designation | Grade II Listed |
| Capacity | 80 |
| Type | fringe theatre |
| Opened | 2009 |
| www.thelambtheatre.co.uk | |
The Lamb Theatre is a fringe theatre, situated above The Lamb Inn in Old Town, Eastbourne. The first pub theatre in Eastbourne, it hosts a range of performance events at Eastbourne's oldest pub.[1] The theatre was founded in August 2009,[2] though The Lamb's roots as a performance space go much deeper; in the 19th Century it was used by Augustus Egg and Charles Dickens to host their own theatrical events.[3]
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The modern revival of theatrical productions at the Lamb in Eastbourne's original High Street revives a historic tradition at what was once the centre of the village's cultural and social life.
The eighteenth century extension of the original hostelry whose cellars date back to the twelfth century was used as the Assembly Rooms of the village and theatrical productions were among the social activities which took place there. Notable amongst these were amateur dramatic productions in some of which Dickens participated.
The Blue Plaque on the Pilgrims[4] opposite - which is Eastbourne's oldest house and pre-dates the Lamb - records the fact that for several summers in the 1830s and 1840s the house was rented by Augustus Egg, R.A., a notable Victorian painter, was an escape from the smoke of London where he lived in Bayswater. Two of his close friends were Holman Hunt the artist and Dickens who would join Egg at his summer retreat, Hunt coming over from his home in Fairlight and Dickens down from London.
Their common interest was amateur dramatics and they would rehearse their parts across the road at Pilgrims and then put on the plays either at the now disappeared theatre in South Street (taking their refreshment at the still existing Dickens Tea Rooms in South Street) or in the Assembly Rooms at the Lamb.
To mark the link between Dickens and the Lamb, actor Colin Baker read two of the author's best known stories, The Signal-Man and A Christmas Carol in December 2009.[5]
The theatre was revived in 2009, and has a regular programme of theatre events, usually on Sunday afternoons. Hosting professional touring fringe productions, the theatre is a popular venue for one-man shows. Readings from authors such as Dickens, Jane Austen, Oscar Wilde and William Shakespeare are also performed. Since November 2010, the theatre also hosts a regular comedy night, That Comedy Thing, which is organised and compered by Joanna Neary.