1982 : RAODS buy the Plaza Theatre

10th June 2007 marks the auspicious 25th anniversary of the day in 1982 that RAODS acquired the Plaza Theatre.

The theatre facade is characteristic of the Art Deco era and interestingly there is a sister building in Dorchester. Romsey's Plaza was built during 1931 - the structure can be dated from this time by the presence of newspaper which was used to line the shuttering when the undersides of the main staircases were formed - extracts of the March 1931 edition of 'John Bull' magazine are preserved and still legible! Prior to acquisition by RAODS, the building had lain empty for several months following use as a bingo hall. Extensive renovation and decoration work was undertaken with much effort provided by RAODS members. As-built, the Plaza was a 400 seat cinema with a balcony and stalls below - the reconstruction work lifted the stage and auditorium creating a single rake of audience seating and making available space on the ground floor for dressing rooms and the Green Room coffee lounge. The film store off the old projection room (now theatre lighting and sound control room) saw service as the emergency lighting battery room before being converted to space for information technology. During the mid-80s conversion, the stage door and scene dock were added to the rear of the building.

The following pictures are captured from sequences filmed during the initial renovation of the old cinema building as it was converted to the theatre seen today.

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Other Pages:

Forthcoming Productions

Archive Shows

History of RAODS

Plaza Theatre History

Hiring The Plaza

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