Dolman Theatre facts for kids
The Dolman Theatre is a cool place in Newport, a city in Wales, United Kingdom. It's a theatre where people perform plays and shows! It used to be connected to the Kingsway Shopping Centre, but after some big changes in 2005, its main entrance moved to Emlyn Square Road. The theatre got a fresh new look with a modern glass front and a redesigned ticket office and lobby.
The theatre is owned by a group called the Newport Playgoers Society. They are one of the best amateur theatre groups in Wales and have been around since 1924! The Dolman Theatre was specially built for them in 1967. It has a big main stage that can hold 400 people, plus three large rooms for practice and a smaller studio space for 60 people. It replaced an older theatre. The theatre was named "The Dolman Theatre" to honor Arthur Dolman, a very important member of the Newport Playgoers, who helped a lot to make the new theatre happen.
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What's Inside the Dolman Theatre?
The main stage is a special kind called a proscenium stage. This means the audience looks at the stage through a big arch, like looking at a picture frame. There's also an orchestra pit in front of the stage, which is where musicians can play. This pit can even be raised up to change the stage into a thrust stage. A thrust stage sticks out into the audience, so people can sit on three sides of it!
The smaller 60-seat studio is super flexible. It can be set up in many different ways for plays and performances. It's also often used as a practice room.
Who Performs Here?
The Dolman Theatre is used by many different groups. The main groups that perform on the big stage are the Newport Playgoers Society and a younger group called Playgoers New Generation (PNG). PNG used to be called Dolman Theatre Works and is for young people aged 11 to 18. Other amateur theatre groups can also rent the theatre to put on their own shows.
The theatre's lobby has a beautiful painting called a mural. It was designed and painted by a German artist named Hans Feibusch. The Dolman Theatre is run by volunteers and is a charity, meaning it helps the community of Newport.
The Amazing Mural
The mural inside the theatre was painted by a German artist named Hans Feibusch in 1967. It shows an old-fashioned traveling theatre, which is a fun nod to the history of plays and performances. Hans Feibusch also painted many other murals in the Newport Civic Centre.
Groups Linked to the Dolman Theatre
The Dolman Theatre works with many different performing arts groups. Here are some of them:
- Newport Playgoers Society
- Sharon Higgins School of Dance
- GLD Dancing School
- Gwent School of Dancing
- Gwent Young Farmers Club
- Kaleidoscope
- Le Clare School of Dance
- Newport Operatic Society
- Newport Pantomime Society
- Playgoers New Generation
- Newport Scout and Guide Gangshow
- Beechwood Dancers
- Centrestage Cymru
- The MAD Theatre Company
