Regent Roof Update

Dedicated followers of Cheltenham DP will know that I have an ongoing obsession with the refurbishment of the Regent Arcade. For those not in the loop, the arcade is the main shopping centre in Cheltenham and for the past 18 months has been undergoing cosmetic surgery, the main procedure being the replacement of the arched poly-plastic roof with a flat glass one. For months now the place has been protected from the elements by plastic sheeting, wooden boards and scaffolding. I managed to sneak this photo and saw that work isn't really progressing.

In the UK we have several home makeover TV shows, the main ones being Grand Designs and Property Ladder. The story of Regent Arcade reminds me of these. The presenters turns up in the spring, the homeowners tell them of their plans. They are asked "how long will it take?" The answer - "we'll be in by Christmas." The presenters revisit at Christmas to find half a house, no roof, rain lashing down, water pouring in and, because the homeowners have no clue what they are doing, they've plastered the walls and put down wooden floors - which are now ruined!

I'll update you next when the glass arrives. Next Christmas!

_

Theatre For Everyman

As promised yesterday, here is The Everyman Theatre in Regent Street.

The theatres architecture is the design of renowned theatre creator Matcham and was opened on October 1st 1891, as The New Theatre And Opera House, with the first production being Lady Clancarty. In the theatres early years the main performances were of classical plays and operas, although Charlie Chaplin did perform too. In 1925 the theatre changed hands and was run by a group staging ballet, plays, opera and comedy. During the Second World War the theatre saw an influx of West End stars, as London theatres were closed, these included the legendary John Gielgud and Laurence Olivier. After the war the popularity of Cinema grew and the audience numbers at the theatre fell dramatically, causing the building to be sold to the Cheltenham Corporation. They failed in rejuvenating the theatre and the building was passed on to a group of businessmen, who too failed to stop the rot and in June 1959 it was announced that The New Theatre would close.

Luckily for the theatre a small group of local people formed the Cheltenham Theatre Association (still in existence today) and, with the support of the local Council, they had the newly refurbished theatre up and running by May 1960. It was at this point the theatre was renamed The Everyman, to represent it being for one and all, and it set up its own repertory theatre company, instead of the touring venue it had been in the past. Many rising stars of the day worked at The Everyman, but by the end of the 70's audience numbers were falling again and the building was showing its age. In 1983 a £3 million refurbishment was started, with the backstage area being completely rebuilt. By 1990 repertory theatre was losing its popularity and The Everyman returned to hosting touring companies. The theatre now has a cafe bar and small additional theatre, called The Other Space, where workshops and smaller productions are staged.

I've seen numerous shows at the theatre including comedian Greg Proops, Saturday Night Fever, spiritual medium Derek Accorah and, last year, The Rocky Horror Show (which was brilliant!). The Everyman continues to be well supported and has a huge variety of productions, catering for all tastes. Lets hope it carries on for another 116 years!