36:
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The two venues coexisted until 1935; in that year the
Worthing Repertory Company, which had been outgrowing the Connaught Buildings, moved next door to the Picturedrome, renamed the building the Connaught Theatre and commissioned an architect to extend the façade of the building in an Art Deco style.
401:
seen in
Worthing for 136 years— and the capacity was increased to its present 512 seats when the auditorium was revamped in 1972. The council agreed to provide more funding for the theatre after it was forced to close temporarily on two more occasions in the 1970s. The remodelling in 1972 introduced
217:
and children's productions. Since 1987, it has been a dual use cinema/theatre with two screens, and has a seating capacity of 512. When it opened, it was a rare example of a conversion from a cinema to a theatre: the reverse was much more common in 1930s
Britain, when many theatres became cinemas.
242:
In 1916, Connaught
Buildings were built next to the cinema, and an entrance passageway was built from the street to the Picturedrome through the new building. The Connaught Buildings (and later Connaught Hall and Theatre) seem to have taken its name from
390:
for £35,000 (£1,515,000 as of 2024). The theatre began to struggle, and closed in 1966, but campaigners successfully petitioned
Worthing Borough Council to buy and run it instead. Productions began again in 1967— one of the first performances was
230:
The
Connaught Theatre occupies the former Picturedrome cinema, which was built in 1914 on the site of Stanmore Lodge and opened in July of that year. Its seating capacity was 850 in a single tier, with four boxes at the rear, and the
293:
The establishment of the
Connaught in former cinema premises represented an unusual reversal of the contemporary tendency for theatres to be converted into cinemas—a trend seen throughout Britain in the 1930s.
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201:, England. Built as the Picturedrome cinema in 1914, the venue was extended in 1935 and became the new home of the Connaught Theatre (established nearby in 1931). The theatre houses touring
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Originally designed by
Eastbourne architect Peter Dulvey Stonham, the building was refurbished in 1933 to the plans of A.T. Goldsmith. His design added a new first-floor
345:
acted at the
Connaught under the stage name David Baron, moving to a house just a few yards from the theatre in Ambrose Place in the 1960s. Pinter's first wife, actress
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bar and lounge area to the original
Picturedrome auditorium. Two years later, the entrance foyer on Union Place was rebuilt in Moderne style, with two
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entertainment. It was licensed as a theatre in April 1931 by Walter Lindsay, formerly a theatre director in London; the first full season of
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In 2014, Connaught theatre celebrated its centenary of service. Several well-known actors had their start in this theatre like;
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574:"A History of the County of Sussex: Volume 6 Part 1: Bramber Rape (Southern Part). Worthing: Social and Cultural Activities"
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Carl Seebold contributed £60,000 (£5,261,000 as of 2024) towards the cost of the work. The first production, a play called
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239:, who owned other cinemas in Worthing and who had been the Picturedrome's musical director since it opened, bought it.
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was followed by a period in which the theatre was managed on Seebold's behalf by a group associated with the
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The Connaught Studio (previously known as The Ritz cinema), next door, was the venue for the short-lived
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Ownership passed from Seebold to other commercial interests in April 1950, when he sold the
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The theatre has a licensed bar, cloakroom facilities, disabled facilities and parking.
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wrote several plays which he directed and premiered at the Connaught, including
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720:"The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)"
247:. The new premises housed the Connaught Hall, which in 1917 became a venue for
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and several others appeared at the theatre during this period. In the 1950s,
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917:. Worthing Society Publications – No. 2. Worthing: The Worthing Society.
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film projection facilities, which have been used regularly since 1987.
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Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathern and Earl of Sussex
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686:"Connaught Theatre in Worthing celebrates 100 years of service"
958:
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Streamline Moderne architecture in the United Kingdom
462:. Worthing Borough Council. 2003–2008. Archived from
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appeared in several plays at the Connaught. In 1956,
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220:The End of the Pier International Film Festival
924:A Millennium Encyclopaedia of Worthing History
858:
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870:. Ross Melnick and Patrick Crowley. 2000–2009
8:
21:
349:acted at the Connaught during this period.
193:-style theatre and cinema in the centre of
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583:. British History Online. pp. 105–108
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34:
20:
16:Theatre and cinema in West Sussex, England
716:inflation figures are based on data from
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235:was octagonal. In 1926, Swiss impresario
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768:. Simon Murgatroyd. 2009. Archived from
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329:visited the theatre to see his daughter
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456:"Worthing Theatres – Connaught Theatre"
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369:, perhaps best known for her role on
353:worked with Pinter at the Connaught.
7:
1636:Buildings and structures in Worthing
543:"Connaught Theatre | Theatres Trust"
898:. Chichester: Phillimore & Co.
418:storeys, parapeted, in three bays.
28:Picturedrome, New Connaught Theatre
14:
954:Theatres Trust: Connaught Theatre
791:Holden, Paul (19 February 2003).
665:Johnston Press Digital Publishing
259:became director of Connaught and
1651:Art Deco architecture in England
827:Doollee.com playwrights database
263:became involved in the theatre.
1205:St Oscar Romero Catholic School
762:"Alan Ayckbourn: Acting Career"
372:Star Trek: The Next Generation
153:1935 (built in 1914 as cinema)
40:The theatre from the northwest
1:
1473:End of the Pier Film Festival
547:database.theatrestrust.org.uk
255:began in the autumn of 1932.
913:Elleray, D. Robert (1985b).
894:Elleray, D. Robert (1985a).
572:Salzman, L. F., ed. (1980).
1483:Worthing Symphony Orchestra
926:. Worthing: Optimus Books.
922:Elleray, D. Robert (1998).
915:Worthing Theatres 1780–1984
896:Worthing: Aspects of Change
303:J. Arthur Rank Organisation
297:A temporary closure during
1672:
1656:Theatres completed in 1935
1460:Splashpoint Leisure Centre
1279:St Paul's Church, Worthing
1063:East Worthing and Shoreham
799:. Brighton. Archived from
1326:St Andrew's, West Tarring
949:Worthing Theatres website
460:Worthing Theatres website
178:
45:
33:
26:
1527:Worthing Downland Estate
1351:St Mary's, Goring-by-Sea
1259:High Salvington Windmill
868:Cinema Treasures website
114:Worthing Borough Council
1641:Theatres in West Sussex
1200:St Andrew's High School
718:Clark, Gregory (2017).
655:Feast, Freddie (2009).
579:Victoria County History
161:1935–1966; 1967–present
1478:Museum and Art Gallery
1215:Bohunt School Worthing
1195:Durrington High School
1029:Battle of South Street
179:worthingtheatres.co.uk
1537:High Street, Worthing
1436:International Birdman
1356:St Mary of the Angels
1346:St Mary's, Broadwater
1331:St Andrew's, Worthing
1097:Transport in Worthing
1408:Worthing United F.C.
1312:Operational churches
1210:Worthing High School
793:"Signs of our Times"
339:Variation on a Theme
1455:Manor Sports Ground
1403:Worthing F.C. Women
1366:Worthing Tabernacle
1190:Davison High School
1172:Schools in Worthing
864:"Connaught Theatre"
829:. Julian Oddy. 2005
657:"Theatre of dreams"
379:has also worked in
83: /
23:
1428:Worthing Golf Club
1185:Northbrook College
1156:Worthing Tramocars
714:Retail Price Index
394:The Beggar's Opera
383:at the Connaught.
237:Carl Adolf Seebold
191:Streamline Moderne
87:50.8136°N 0.3704°W
1618:
1617:
1468:Connaught Theatre
1388:Sport and leisure
1308:Places of worship
1292:Worthing Hospital
1287:Bayside, Worthing
1223:St Ronan's School
1120:Durrington-on-Sea
803:on 13 August 2007
766:AlanAyckbourn.net
381:repertory theatre
327:Winston Churchill
268:Elizabeth Spriggs
257:Terence De Marney
253:repertory theatre
187:Connaught Theatre
183:
182:
22:Connaught Theatre
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1512:Highdown Gardens
1498:Nature locations
1445:Beach House Park
1423:Worthing Thunder
1239:Listed buildings
1180:Worthing College
1148:Stagecoach South
1101:Railway stations
1009:Maritime history
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466:on 21 April 2009
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365:(1964). Actress
363:Winter in Ischia
335:Terence Rattigan
203:West End theatre
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92:50.8136; -0.3704
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1383:
1361:St Symphorian's
1321:English Martyrs
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823:"Robin Maugham"
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772:on 23 July 2011
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1125:Goring-by-Sea
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1115:West Worthing
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1068:Worthing West
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849:
848:Elleray 1985b
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750:
749:Elleray 1985b
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619:Elleray 1985b
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530:Elleray 1985a
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1336:St Botolph's
1076:Tim Loughton
1019:Royal visits
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887:Bibliography
872:. Retrieved
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158:Years active
145:Construction
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1341:St George's
1254:Dome Cinema
1244:Beach House
1152:Compass Bus
807:17 December
690:Sussex Life
361:(1962) and
333:perform in
261:Bill Fraser
199:West Sussex
137:Current use
90: /
65:Coordinates
53:Union Place
1625:Categories
1595:Salvington
1570:Durrington
1555:Broadwater
874:8 December
833:8 December
776:8 December
670:8 December
587:7 December
470:8 December
430:References
422:Facilities
249:vaudeville
233:auditorium
122:Provincial
75:50°48′49″N
1590:Offington
1492:Geography
1438:(Defunct)
1374:St Paul's
1232:Buildings
1165:Education
1090:Transport
797:The Argus
581:of Sussex
211:thrillers
166:Architect
78:0°22′13″W
1631:Worthing
1610:Worthing
1301:Religion
1110:Worthing
1043:Politics
990:Worthing
416:rendered
412:cocktail
337:'s play
280:Ian Holm
207:musicals
195:Worthing
128:Capacity
56:Worthing
1531:Streets
1464:Culture
1176:Current
1050:Council
1004:History
226:History
174:Website
103:Parking
59:England
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1219:Former
997:Topics
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552:7 June
532:, §78.
215:dramas
150:Opened
1370:Other
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1129:Roads
1024:Sport
731:7 May
435:Notes
399:opera
388:lease
331:Sarah
197:, in
189:is a
111:Owner
1560:Cote
1143:A259
928:ISBN
900:ISBN
876:2009
835:2009
809:2009
778:2009
733:2024
697:2017
672:2009
589:2009
554:2017
472:2009
278:and
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119:Type
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1133:A24
1072:MPs
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