Summary
Cambridge Arts Theatre is a 666 seat theatre on Peas Hill in central Cambridge, presenting a varied mix of drama, dance, opera and pantomime. It attracts some of the highest quality touring productions in the country, as well as many shows direct from and prior to seasons in the West End. Its annual Christmas pantomime is an established tradition in the city.
Full Description
The Theatre opened in early 1936 under the control of a Trust 'which is fully representative of the Town and the University' and of the Trust's board of trustees (the first of which included the Provost of King's College, its English and Music professors, the mayor and the deputy mayor). Its initial construction was paid for by renowned economist John Maynard Keynes, a fellow of King's College (his wife Lydia Lopokova also supported the Theatre's foundation), and another fellow of King's — George Rylands — was also a Trustee. Rylands went on to be the Theatre's chairman from 1946 to 1982. The Theatre hosted the world première of Harold Pinter's The Birthday Party in 1958 (other premières include Secrets Every Smart Traveler Should Know and Someone Like You), and in September 2008 it will host the world premiere of a new stage adaptation of Tracey Chevalier's Girl with a Pearl Earring prior to a transfer to the West End. Artists to have appeared here include Sir Ian McKellen (in a Marlowe Society production of Cymbeline), Sir Derek Jacobi and more recently, Susan Hampshire, Nigel Havers, Simon Callow and Warren Mitchell.
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