Situated in the grounds of Dean Close School, Bacon Theatre is one of Gloucestershire’s hidden gems. A jam-packed programme of fantastic theatrical shows, box office smash hit films and a must-visit Open-Air Theatre Festival every year, make this entertainment venue so much more than your average school auditorium.
Curating the programme and leading the team, theatre manager Debbie Godber tells SoGlos why Bacon Theatre is worth a visit and how the theatre has got something for just about every taste.
For more information, visit bacontheatre.co.uk directly.
Bacon Theatre doesn’t just show school productions, tell us some of the biggest shows you’ve had
This year we’ve had Horrible Histories and in previous years we’ve had Jimmy Tarbuck who’s also returning this year. We’ve had Steve Parish who’s also coming back this year.
We’ve had some big blues acts here too including Ruby Turner and Albert Lee.
Although we are part of Dean Close School, we do show such a variety of things throughout the year which are suitable for everyone and have some great names.
We try to be as great value as we can, we’re a local theatre that everyone is welcome to.
What goes on behind the scenes to commission a theatre show?
Horrible Histories is a company I have worked with before. Having previous contacts is really helpful. We also look around to see what is about within Gloucestershire to see if it’s on trend and what might be popular.
We usually plan our programme a year in advance. At the moment we’re working on our Autumn 2019 season.
What’s in the pipeline for Bacon Theatre?
Every year we have our Open-Air Theatre Festival. This year it runs from the 16 July to 1 August 2019. Over the summer we’ve got Beat the Odds coming, which features a Coronation Street star. We’ve also got Sibling Distillery coming to do a gin tasting evening and also comedian Jethro is coming back too.
What can visitors expect from the open-air theatre festival?
It’s quite an experience. When you arrive, you can buy a wood-fired pizza or you can bring a picnic. It’s a lovely setting in the Tuckwell Amphitheatre, with lots of pretty trees and a stream behind it.
When it’s a summery day and the sun goes down, there’s lots of fairy lights in the trees and makes for a gorgeous atmosphere.
What kind of films does your cinema screen?
We don’t show film screenings throughout the entire year. We have a film season which runs from April through to July and it’s films we think will be really popular or have already won awards.
Our Cinema Under the Stars events are all outside and it is a really lovely.
For more information, visit bacontheatre.co.uk directly.
