The Barn Theatre, purpose built as a local community
theatre, was opened in 1924. It is largely constructed of timbers from
a local 13th Century saw-mill and still serves its original purpose
of linking the town of Oxted and the village of Limpsfield to provide
a venue for social events. It now hosts plays, musical evenings and
a variety of other entertainments by resident and non-resident local
societies.
Some international
celebrities have 'trodden the boards' at the Barn over the years. In
the early years, Dame Flora Robson,
Anna Wing, Lady
Violet Bonham-Carter, Dame Eileen
Joyce, Randolph Churchill, Christopher
Fry and Michael Tippett and more
recently, Ray Allen and Lord Charles, Roy
Castle, Ronnie Corbett, Richard
Stilgoe and Jimmy Tarbuck have
all entertained audiences.
The theatre
seats 244 and is run and maintained by a
team of volunteers, whose efforts over the years have seen many improvements
both technical and aesthetic.
The theatre
has a stage 24' x 18' which is generally
dressed with black legs and curtains or which will accommodate a complete
stage set. There are also dry ice and smoke machines and a hazer, radio
microphones, orchestra stands and lights and an electric piano. The
stage lighting consists of a 48 channel
control desk and a range of lanterns, including two follow-spots, UV,
disco and strobe lighting. The sound, which
is operated from the upper level of the auditorium, includes a mini-disc
player/recorder, two CD players, float and radio microphones, all controlled
via a 24 channel mixer. There are loudspeakers both within the auditorium
and on stage. There is also a public address system, a tannoy, a backstage
net, a hearing aid loop and provision for closed circuit television.
To the rear of the stage are four dressing rooms and a fully fitted
kitchen. There is also a bar and sweet shop in the foyer which are usually
run by the Friends of the Barn to raise money
for other works in the theatre.
Behind the
main theatre is the Little Barn which is also available for hire.
If you are
interested in finding out more about the theatre, please contact:
Bruce
Reed,
Oxted and Limpsfield Barn Theatre Ltd, 15a High Street, Westerham, Kent.
Telephone 01959 561811 or barntheatre@btinternet.com
or visit the theatre any Sunday morning