Viva Brighton Issue #46 December 2016

MY SPACE
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Photos by Lizzie Lower
Brighton Little Theatre
‘Space is tight’
How big is Brighton Little Theatre Company?
We’ve just over 200 people in the company, and
most of us multitask. We’ve got a youth section too.
Can all of you get in the theatre at the same
time? Oh gosh, no! The theatre seats 75. We perform
down here in the bar too. Very intimate shows
that seat 30 people.
How long have you been here? The building
dates back quite a long way. It’s been a church,
a school and an artist’s studio, but our founder
members set up here in 1940. Candida was our first
production. We recently received a box from our
last founding member, Cicely Spence, who died this
year. It contained, amongst other things, the minutes
from the beginning, with all the attendances
recorded. It’s such an interesting record.
How many shows do you perform? We do
between ten and twelve shows a year, back to back.
So on a Sunday after one show comes down, the
crew and the cast will be clearing the old set and
building the next. Space is tight, so everything has
to be thought about carefully and everybody has to
be on the ball.
What challenges do those size restrictions
present? The directors are members, so they know
the theatre. There are height constraints, and the
stage isn’t raised, but it’s amazing what can be done.
We’ve recently put on One Man Two Guvnors with
two huge trucks moving about the stage. All spaces
have to be used to their maximum. Our costume
store is also the men’s dressing room, our bar area is
the box office and a rehearsal area, and the kitchen
doubles up as the ladies’ dressing room.
I didn’t know you were here… We meet people
all the time who’ve lived in Brighton for years but
who didn’t know we were here. We always say we’re
Brighton’s best kept secret.
Lizzie Lower interviewed Patti Griffiths, Margaret
Skeet, and Felicity Clements
9 Clarence Square
The Wizard of Oz runs from 9th - 17th.
brightonlittletheatre.com
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