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THE KENTON THEATRE BICENTENARY |
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Introduction to the Celebrations
A word about The Kenton and its
history |
| The Kenton Theatre (then called the New Theatre) opened its
doors at 5.30pm on Thursday 7 November 1805 and the curtain (if
there was one) rose at 6.30pm. Few would even have imagined that,
two hundred years later, the citizens of Henley would still be
visiting the same building and enjoying live
entertainment. |
| Very few theatres which were built in Georgian times have
survived to the present day. Fire accounted for many after the
invention of lime lighting; some were pulled down to be replaced
with better and more practical buildings; a number were closed
because they did not conform to more modern building regulations or
because they simply did not make a profit, and some suffered a
change of use and became warehouses, workshops or church halls. The
Kenton survived a series of misfortunes, alterations, changes of
use, periods of non-profitability and closures, and now stands as
the fourth oldest working theatre in England. |
| As theatres go, the Kenton is small, having a seating
capacity of less than 240, but this is probably just the right size
for Henley. Most of the productions are mounted by local amateur
societies, interspersed with some professional companies, and, of
course, with films. The staff are all volunteers and their sole
motive is to keep The Kenton open as a community theatre, to provide
entertainment for those who live in Henley and the surrounding
areas, and to give local budding actors and actresses the
opportunity to develop their skills. |
| A full
programme of celebration is planned. In addition to the activities
taking place in the theatre, there will be an exhibition of the
history of the theatre at the River & Rowing Museum and a
bicentenary dinner on the eve of the 200th anniversary. On the same
morning there will be a special service at St Mary's Church to
celebrate more than 50 years during which the theatre served as a
church hall. The Henley Standard is sponsoring a one-act
play-writing competition to be judged by Simon Williams. Full
details of these and other supporting events are included in this
programme to help you enjoy the celebrations.
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| Click here to read more from Bill about
The Kenton Theatre's history. |
Bill Port
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