Paignton Pantomime Productions

Navigation

ť	Previous

Palace Theatre News - Now Open - Report by Marian Smith

Torbay & SW of England Festival

The Torbay & South West of England Festival were delighted to be the first presentation on the stage of the newly refurbished theatre. Having vacated their home of 66 years in 2006 to decamp to the Brixham Theatre they were anxious to return to the Palace, although it must be said that they had been made very welcomed at the Brixham Theatre and they had very much appreciated the help and enthusiasm of the Brixham Theatre staff. The 2006 festival had been a very happy experience, and some of the lessons that had been learned from the change of venue have this year been applied at the Palace with much success. However the Palace holds a special place in the hearts of those involved in the Torbay Festival. The festival began life
in 1941 at the then Palace Avenue Theatre. The festival has an interesting history and has been an integral part of Paignton life for 67 years. Many many children have performed for the first time on the Palace stage as a part of the Torbay Festival, some have gone on to do great things in the world of entertainment, but all of them have enjoyed and benefited from their experiences. There are many children taking part this year whose parents and/or grandparents performed at the then Paignton Festival. The town and the theatre owe much to the dedication and hard work of those involved.

The dance section took place in April and was a great success. The improvements to the theatre were greeted with delight by audience and participants and the dance week was a very happy event.

The Speech and Drama section opens on the 4th May and runs until the 6 th, with the Music Section following on from 7 th to 13 th May. It really is worth a visit to go and hear some of the area’s young talent; with a mixture of instrumental and vocal from all age groups it is very good entertainment and the encouragement and experience that the performers get from presenting to a live audience is immeasurable.

GALA EVENING

Sunday 29 th April saw the official opening of the newly refurbished theatre. It certainly was a gala night. Hosted by Alan Davies, theatre manager, and our own chairman Richard Bearne the theatre opened its doors to celebrate the completion of the refurbishment project. On stage were “The Westenders” . a talented group of singers and musicians; everyone enjoyed an evening of entertainment with songs from the West End and Broadway shows. Playing to an almost full house the

atmosphere was one of celebration. Alan opened the proceeding by thanking everyone who had been involved in the project, the councillors who had been the working party overseeing the project, the theatre staff who were a great team and had put the theatre back together again, and of course the Friends for the contribution they have made. Mayor Nick Bye spoke of the affection in which the theatre is held by Paigntonians, and Richard concluded the speeches by saying how proud the Friends are of the new theatre, and how they intend to continue the good work that they have started by supporting and promoting the theatre in the future.

The new Palace Theatre is now well and truly launched!

BIT ON THE SIDE

The Bit on the Side open on Thursday 27 th May with an evening of poetry reading and music. The transformation of the old Badminton Hall is amazing. The space has been completely redesigned, decorated in keeping with the main theatre. Blackout curtains give the area an intimate atmosphere and act as a sound proofing to prevent any noise from carrying into the main auditorium. A bar has been built and tables and chairs installed to create a “club” feeling. The Opening Evening was well attended and the performances well received. Doing the honours with first on stage was One Night Stanza – a group of talented performers from around the bay with a mix of poetry, storytelling and music. From, heartfelt cathartic poems to strange abstract use of words, Stanza amused, confused and moved their audience. The evening ended with the ethereal voice of Faith, who put poetry on top of music to end a feast of mind blowing entertainment.

Mark Wilkins who has been responsible for the project said he was delighted with the first night. It had been hard work to achieve the makeover in the time scale. He was extremely grateful to the theatre staff “We could not have done without the guys from the Theatre, and the volunteers who have put so much effort into this project and got us open on time.”

Coming soon to the BIT ON THE SIDE

Mondays – 11 til 1pm – Mums and tots book group

6-8pm Community Book Group

Tuesdays – 6-8pm New Writing Group community and young people

Wednesdays – open Mic mixup – Poetry, music, comedy, drama

Thursdays – Comedy, Poetry, Storytelling, scratch nights 8pm

Fridays –Tea at the Palace for Over 55’s 2-5pm Gig night – The best bands from the Bay, playing original material 9pm

Mon, Wed, Fri Rock school after school 4-6pm

Wed, Thurs, Fri, Sandwich sessions 12-3pm snack on some light entertainment

Saturdays U18 rock nights – 7pm start.

Last Updated 12/06/07