Cheltenham Playhouse

History

The Cheltenham Play House started life as the Montpelliar Baths and was built in 1806 by Henry Thompson. The theatre then became a swimming pool in 1898 and later in 1945 was converted into the theatre we have today.

In 1945 Cheltenham Borough Council relised that the town was lacking in theatres and with Sandford Park Lido well on its way as the main swimming pool they converted the building in to the theatre. Unfortunatly in 1950 a fire destroyed the majority of the auditorium; the council quickly attended to the restoration and the theatre was only closed for a short 5 months.

The theatre balconies were also destroyed in the fire however were only restored in 2007. The Play House is a community theatre and was a registered charity since 2001; it has been run by volunteers since 1957.

The first play was performed in April 1945; the play was called Arms and the Man by George Bernard Shaw. The venue now also hosts other community groups including dance classes and mother and toddler meetings.