Rondo Theatre
.jpg) The Rondo Theatre | |
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| Address | St Saviours Road, Larkhall Bath England |
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| Coordinates | 51°23′48″N 2°20′43″W / 51.3968°N 2.3454°W |
| Capacity | 105 |
| Opened | 1989 |
| Website | |
| https://www.rondotheatre.co.uk | |
The Rondo Theatre is a performing arts theatre in Bath, England that was established in 1989.[1] The theatre is located in the former church hall of St Saviour's Church, Larkhall. The building was purchased in 1976 by Doreen and Wilf Williams, who subsequently founded The Rondo Trust for the Performing Arts[2] and converted the building into a 105-seat theatre.[3] The facility received extensive renovations and upgrades after the receipt of lottery grants in 1996 and 2003. The theatre also maintains an active programme of outreach activities, including a youth theatre, a scriptwriters group, theatre workshops, and afternoon tea concerts.
History
[edit]The Gothic-revival church hall dating from the early 1830s was repurposed when the Rondo Trust acquired it in 1976; following refurbishment work that added the bar and seating, the venue opened as the Rondo Theatre in 1989.[4] National Lottery capital funding in 1996 created purpose-built dressing rooms, a foyer and office space, and a second grant in 2003 enabled a full technical refit.[1]
During its shutdown in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the venue received £50,000 from the UK Government's Culture Recovery Fund, allowing it to reopen the following year with social-distanced performances.[5] In 2023 the Rondo was one of many organisations affected when Bath & North East Somerset Council ended its discretionary arts grants programme.[6]
Programme and reception
[edit]The theatre presents around 120 professional and community performances each year, spanning new writing, touring fringe work, stand-up comedy, music and small-scale opera.[3] Resident community groups include the Rondo Theatre Company and a long-running youth theatre scheme that operates the Rondo Drama Club and Rondo Summer School.[7] The B&NES Destination Management Plan identifies the theatre as an important part of Bath's cultural infrastructure.[8]
Reviewers from the Bath and Bristol area regularly write about performances at the venue. For example, Bristol24/7 praised Dumb Blonde Theatre's production of Hell (July 2022), written by Emily Malloy, for supporting new writing.[9] The Bath Echo also described Greedy Pig Theatre Company's performance of Spoil Me (July 2023) as "complex" and "riotous".[10]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Event archive: The Rondo Theatre". Gordon Giltrap official site. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
- ^ "The Rondo Trust for the Performing Arts". Charity Commission for England and Wales. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
- ^ a b "About the Rondo". Rondo Theatre. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
- ^ "Bath THE RONDO". StageTalk Magazine. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
- ^ "Arts and cultural organisations across the West Country get a Government lifeline". ITV News West Country. 12 October 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
- ^ Hemley, Matthew (3 February 2017). "Bath abolishes arts grants as Bristol mulls £380k culture cut". The Stage. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
- ^ "Education". Rondo Theatre. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
- ^ Bath & North East Somerset Destination Management Plan (PDF) (Report). Bath & North East Somerset Council. October 2007. p. 26. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
- ^ Bennett, Jill (21 July 2022). "Review: Hell, Rondo Theatre – 'A work in progress from Emily Malloy'". Bristol24/7. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
- ^ Wood, John Christopher (20 July 2023). "Spoil Me – The Rondo Theatre". Bath Echo. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
