Queen's (ii)

The current post-war theatre has a contemporary, understated appearance and sits within a green parkland setting. Rather good, and well detailed for its date, it has a worthy civic presence.

The Queen’s Theatre is a distinctive and well-designed example of 1970s theatre design and remains relatively intact.

The brick fly tower, with a large ‘Q’ on front and back, dominates the building. At ground and first floor levels the theatre is a large square brick base with large glazed areas broken by external vertical timber beams. The entrance canopy extends out from the building as a rectangle which only covers the steps. The external features are clearly influenced by the work of renowned German architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.

The box office is opposite the entrance. The front of house areas are generous and lead to a fan shaped auditorium with a thrust stage in which the seating is in a continental plan of one raked tier. The technical control boxes are above and behind the final row of seats. A proscenium arch with good working space has a grid with 23 lines. There is an orchestra pit which can accommodate 20 musicians.

It is a successful example of a post-war local authority-built civic theatre.