Kenilworth Priory Theatre Ghost Hunts

The Priory Theatre Company gave its first performance, as the Kenilworth Players, on 13th January 1932 on a portable stage in the old Abbey Hotel Ballroom. After six productions, the Players disbanded in 1939, leaving their location and equipment in a timber yard near the centre of Coventry, where miraculously, most of it survived the war!

Late in 1945, work began converting a disused Chapel (built in 1816) into a Theatre as a permanent home for the newly reformed Players. A stage and raked auditorium were made using the original stage equipment and timber from the cases that housed aircraft convoyed across the Atlantic during the war. The Priory Theatre opened on 8th April 1946.

Work continued to improve the Theatre. In 1947, the rear of the stage was extended. In 1951 the Dress Circle was built, upholstered seating was installed throughout, and by the summer of 1952, there was a kitchen and two first-floor Dressing Rooms.

By 1965 the stage had been extended to more than double its original depth, and a new foyer was built at the front of the building.

A 'Graduate Section' existed in the early 1950s. Still, it was not until 1967 that the 'Young Stagers' was formed to encompass the talents and enthusiasm of the young people who had appeared in primary production that year. Now called the Priory Youth Theatre, they are a flourishing part of the Theatre, contributing to Main Theatre productions and staging significant productions.

In 1968, the Kenilworth Players became the Priory Theatre Company and, in 1972, gained admission to the Little Theatre Guild of Great Britain. By 1974 a Lounge Bar had replaced the Dressing Room of the Circle Foyer.

But on 4th September 1976 came the destruction of thirty years of work when fire gutted the Theatre. Undaunted, the members set about rebuilding, significantly improving all areas, especially the backstage facilities. Four full-scale productions were staged at local Amateur and Professional Theatres while rebuilding continued, and the Gala Re-opening took place on 28th September 1978.

One year later, the Company was hosting its first Little Theatre Guild of Great Britain National Conference and welcoming delegates from all over the country to a packed weekend of activity.

Early in 1979, the Company purchased the old National School (built in 1832 and Kenilworth Library) just one hundred yards from the Theatre. This now provides the Rehearsal Room and Wardrobe Department.

In 1982, the Golden Jubilee was celebrated with a bumper season of twelve plays, including Alan Ayckbourn's The Norman Conquests Trilogy, in the repertoire for a month.

Disaster struck again in the summer of 1984 when the Theatre was closed to build foundations under a small section at the side of the building. Re-opened in March 1985, the Theatre has gone from strength to strength. In 1989, Dave Willetts, our Patron who appeared in two productions at the Priory before turning professional, held a Gala Evening at Warwick Arts Centre to benefit the Theatre. The proceeds of this evening significantly contributed to a new Foyer and Bar.