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The Great Britain Guide

Theatres · West Midlands

Criterion Theatre

Modern♿ Wheelchair accessible

Criterion Theatre is a theatre in the United Kingdom.

Criterion Theatre, theatres in West Midlands

Wikimedia Commons contributors — see linked file page for photographer and licence licence

Plan your visit

Typical visit
2 h–3 h
Nearest railway station
Coventry · 1.1 km
  • Wheelchair accessible

About

Criterion Theatre is a working theatre in the United Kingdom, listed in OpenStreetMap as a public performance venue. Records date its origin to 1961. Address: Berkeley Road South, Coventry, CV5 6EF. Coordinates: 52.3981°, -1.5299°.

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From the Wikipedia article

The Criterion Theatre is situated in Earlsdon, Coventry, England. It puts on about seven shows a year. The company has won the Godiva Award for best theatre in the region several times. The current patrons are Pete Waterman, music producer and railway preservationist, born in Coventry and Ron Cook, stage and screen actor of Thunderbirds and Doctor Who fame, who first acted as an amateur at the Criterion. The Coventry born actor, Sir Nigel Hawthorne (1929–2001), was a former patron.

Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.

Background

Description

The building was constructed in the 1880s and originally served as the Earlsdon Methodist Church. It remained in use as the main church until 1923, when a new Methodist church was opened on the corner of Albany Road and Earlsdon Avenue South. After this, the original building became a Sunday school and a venue for a wide range of community activities. In 1960, the Methodist Church sold the property to the Criterion Players, a local amateur dramatic society founded in 1955. The group converted the building into a theatre with a single stage, and the Criterion Theatre officially opened in 1961 by Mr S. H. Newshome, a patron of the society and the managing director of the since‑demolished…

Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Coordinates
52.3981, -1.5299
District
Coventry
Parish
Coventry, unparished area
Postcode
CV5 6EF
Parliamentary constituency
Coventry South
Established
1961
Nearest railway station
Coventry1.1 km

Sources

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Nearby

Other theatres from this era

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Frequently asked questions

Where is Criterion Theatre?
Criterion Theatre is in the West Midlands, United Kingdom (postcode CV5 6EF), in the parish of Coventry, unparished area.
When was Criterion Theatre built?
Built or established in 1961.
Who owns Criterion Theatre?
Criterion Theatre is owned by Criterion Players.
How do I get to Criterion Theatre?
The nearest railway station is Coventry, about 1.1 km away. Drivers can navigate to postcode CV5 6EF.