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The Playhouse, Weston-super-Mare

Buildings and structures in Weston-super-MareTheatres in Somerset
The Playhouse (geograph 2893526)
The Playhouse (geograph 2893526)

The Playhouse is a 664-seat theatre in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, South West England that hosts shows all year round including opera, ballet, comedy, music and pantomime performances. In 1946 an old market building, designed by Hans Price, a local architect, was converted into a 500-seat theatre. For the next 18 years this theatre, The Playhouse, provided the town with a great variety of entertainment. Stars included Frankie Howerd, Bob Monkhouse and Ken Dodd. On 21 August 1964 a fire destroyed most of the theatre and the unsafe structure had to be demolished. In 1969 at a cost of £230,000 a new theatre opened and has been in continuous use ever since. The stage measures 59 feet (18 m) by 28 feet (9 m) and can be extended by covering the orchestra pit. On 6 June 2007 the theatre staged the world première of Houdini—The Musical, which is based on the life of the escapologist Harry Houdini. The musical includes Houdini's famous trick the Chinese Water Torture Cell. The theatre suffered a major flooding incident on the evening of 27 April 2017 whilst hosting the North Somerset Schools Dance Festival. A rising water main burst on one of the upper floors leading to the evacuation of over 200 children and over 600 members of the audience. The fire brigade were called with 6 tenders attending to pump out the basement level which was completely flooded.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article The Playhouse, Weston-super-Mare (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

The Playhouse, Weston-super-Mare
High Street,

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Latitude Longitude
N 51.350722 ° E -2.978936 °
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The Playhouse

High Street
BS23 1HN
England, United Kingdom
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The Playhouse (geograph 2893526)
The Playhouse (geograph 2893526)
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Weston-super-Mare

Weston-super-Mare ( ... MAIR), also known simply as Weston, is a seaside town in the North Somerset unitary area in the county of Somerset, England. It lies by the Bristol Channel 20 miles (32 km) south-west of Bristol between Worlebury Hill and Bleadon Hill. Its population at the 2021 census was 82,418.The area around the town has been occupied since the Iron Age. It was still a small village until the 19th century when it developed as a seaside resort. A railway station and two piers were built. In the second half of the 20th century it was connected to the M5 motorway but the number of people holidaying in the town declined and some local industries closed, although the number of day visitors has risen. Attractions include the Grand Pier, Weston Museum and The Helicopter Museum. Cultural venues include The Playhouse, the Winter Gardens and the Blakehay Theatre. The Bristol Channel has a large tidal range; the low tide mark in Weston Bay is about 1 mile (1.6 km) from the seafront. The beach is sandy but low tide reveals areas of thick mud which are dangerous to walk on. The mouth of the River Axe is at the south end of the beach. To the north of the town is Sand Point which marks the upper limit of the Bristol Channel and the lower limit of the Severn Estuary. In the centre of the town is Ellenborough Park, which is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) due to the range of plant species found there.