Swan Theatre

Swan Theatre

and a history of the Swan Theatre Company

 

 

introduction

 

The Swan Inn in Park Street began life as a beerhouse in the wake of the Beerhouse Act 1830. Indeed, the first mention of the Swan Inn I could find was in the 15 March 1830 edition of the Western Flying Post. In the early twentieth century the Swan was owned by Brutton's Brewery, later Brutton, Mitchell Toms Ltd. who were taken over by Charrington & Co Ltd, London, in 1960. It was around this time that the Swan ceased trading.

In 1967, Charrington sold the Swan Inn, by this time derelict, to the Yeovil Dramatic Society. For seven years members worked to transform the pub into their headquarters with facilities for rehearsals and set construction, although performances still had to take place in hired halls. The society then decided to build its own theatre, the Swan Theatre, on the land behind the building. Its first production there was in 1976.

I am most grateful to Adrian Harding for most of the following. 

 

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the swan inn

 

Photographed in 1960 by Charrington & Co Ltd's surveyors as part of a 'stocktaking' exercise of photographing Brutton's pubs prior to the brewery takeover.

 


Courtesy of the Swan Theatre Company

A detail of the former Swan Inn's portico in the Doric style.

 

For full information on the Swan Inn - click here.

 

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History of the Swan Theatre Company

 

1932 Rose & George Atkinson, and Helen Palmer & friends form the Literary & Dramatic Society

1934-39   Plays & other activities performed - now 80 members strong including a young Rita Barrett
1939-45   War Years - the Society met on Saturday afternoons at the Cadena Café to perform mainly for charity
1945-53   Society reactivates - one play a year at the Assembly Rooms
1953   Key influencer, Rose Atkinson died & the Society dissolved. The gold-initialed curtains ‘RA’ (now framed in the bar) became The Swan curtains

1956   Society revived to become Yeovil Dramatic Society by Nigel Palmer (son of Helen), Bill & Eve Snell, Maurice Bramwell, Peter Chapman & Bill Marsden. Meetings were held in a loft above stables in Bill’s garden. A young John Curry joined.
1955-66   Two plays were performed a year in the Assembly Rooms and Summerleaze Park
1966   YDS quit the loft due to new ownership. An agreement was reached with Bass Charrington to use a derelict pub, the Swan Inn, in Park Street for its base in return for care taking.

1967   The Swan Inn was purchased from Bass Charrington for £2,250 (around £52,000 at today's value)
1967-74

Plays still being performed elsewhere but fund raising begins in earnest by a dedicated group of hard working members to purchase and renovate the building including events such as:

-   Sponsored ‘spaghetti eat’ - a Guinness Book of Records entry!
-   Walk to Marston Magna where the Red Lion pub provided hospitality
    including bowls of cold water to ease tired feet!

-     A ‘drop in’ non-stop day of Shakespeare reading

-     Continuous 3 hour country dancing on St John’s churchyard joined by
    members of the public

-    “Buy a brick” £1 donations, or “name a brick” for £5

-     Various social events at The Swan including ‘all night cafés’!
1974
   We had a base but we wanted a theatre. Sid Gorringe was a driving force behind that. The yard & buildings to the rear of the pub were demolished and rebuilt to become the auditorium. Members carried out much building work but a contractor undertook the main structure.
Seats came from the old Central Cinema and the wooden parquet flooring from the old Yeovil General Hospital - all had to be collected.

 
1976  

Change of name to the Swan Theatre Company reflecting the ‘integrated model’ of producing shows in the company’s own theatre and doing everything from selling tickets and ice creams to running the bar.


1976   In June, the Swan Theatre Company performed Sound of Murder in its own theatre as its first production.
1994   100th production - Florence Nightingale directed by Diane Law
2000 Improvements continued with an extension to the rear of the stage - this is part workshop & part acting space
2001   Auditorium refurbished - new comfortable seats installed funded by £100 donations from people

2006 50 years celebrated

2007   More improvements - significant Foyer refurbishment
2013 200th production - Heroes directed by Beryl Snadden
2013   Introduction of the Swan Youth Theatre - now fully integrated into the Swan Theatre Company
2015   Upgrade of lighting support structure, refurbished ‘flies’ and fully digitalised lighting
2016   60 years celebrated

   

Over 200 plays performed of all types and styles and well on our way to our 300th.

  

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Conversion of the swan inn to the YDS 'HQ' and club

 


Courtesy of the Swan Theatre Company

Members of the company seen working during the conversion in 1969.

 


Courtesy of the Swan Theatre Company

More members of the company seen working during the conversion in 1969. At the centre is Sid Gorringe, the mastermind and driving force behind the project.

 


Courtesy of the Swan Theatre Company

A huge amount of work was undertaken on the inside of the building. (Didn't the Swan Inn have picturesque wallpaper?).

 


Courtesy of the Swan Theatre Company

... and the work wasn't just on the fabric of the building. 

 


Courtesy of the Swan Theatre Company

Dating to 24 January 1969, this photo shows window shutters being fixed to the first floor windows (sorry abut the poor quality but this photo is 'borrowed' from a newspaper).

 

 


Courtesy of the Swan Theatre Company

 Again, photographed in 1969, the window shutters are in place and the old portico has been removed in readiness for the construction of the new entrance.

 


Courtesy of the Swan Theatre Company

 ... and with the new entrance in place in 1970.

 

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Converting the Club into a Theatre

 


Courtesy of the Swan Theatre Company

 A photograph of 1974 showing the Swan Theatre Club (formerly the Swan Inn and now the Swan Theatre) as seen before construction began to create the theatre behind the existing building. Note too the Penn Steps alongside running up to Penn Hill.

 


Courtesy of the Swan Theatre Company

 Another photograph of 1974 showing the rear of the premises with the steeply rising levels that was admirably suited to creating raked seating in the new theatre extension.

 


Courtesy of the Swan Theatre Company

 During the summer of 1975 work carried on apace with the construction of the new theatre space behind the original buildings.

 


Courtesy of the Swan Theatre Company

Again, seen during the summer of 1975, work continues with the new extension.

 


Courtesy of the Swan Theatre Company

Fixing the roof in the halcyon days of pre-Health & Safety 1975.

 


Courtesy of the Swan Theatre Company

The completed foyer, photographed in 1976.

 


Courtesy of the Swan Theatre Company

The auditorium photographed in 1976. Do you remember the seats from the old Central Cinema?

 


Courtesy of the Swan Theatre Company

The auditorium today.

 

The former Swan Inn, now the Swan Theatre, photographed in 2012.

 

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gallery

 


Courtesy of the Swan Theatre Company

Early programmes of performances by the Yeovil Dramatic Society. At left from a 1958 performance at the Assembly Rooms in Princes Street and at right from a 1960 performance at the Princes Theatre (the re-named Assembly Rooms).

 


Courtesy of the Swan Theatre Company

More early programmes, from 1963 and 1965 productions at the Princes Theatre.

 


Courtesy of the Swan Theatre Company

... and a couple of posters for more recent productions - at left the company's 200th production 'Heroes' of 2013 and at the right the 250th production 'Macbeth' of 2021.