Byre Theatre
The back of the Byre Theatre
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| Address | Abbey Street St Andrews, Fife Scotland |
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| Owner | Fife Council |
| Capacity | Main auditorium 220 Lawrence Levy 40-80 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1933 |
| Rebuilt | 2001, Nicoll Russell Studios |
| Website | |
| www.byretheatre.com | |
The Byre Theatre is a theatre in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland. It was founded in 1933 by Charles Marford, an actor (found in the Who's Who of 1921) and Alexander B. Paterson, a local journalist and playwright, with help from a theatre group made up from members of Hope Park Church, St Andrews.
Today's Byre Theatre was built by award-winning architects Nicoll Russell Studios of Broughty Ferry, Dundee. The theatre grew from Charles Marford and A.B. Paterson's aspirations for a truly modern theatre addressing the needs of the entire community. The current building was opened in 2001 by Sir Sean Connery. Its main auditorium is named after A.B. Paterson. There is also a second 80-seat performance space named after the late golf photographer, Lawrence Levy. The theatre is said to be haunted by the benevolent ghost of Charles Marford, one of its founders.
The Byre Theatre's first home was a disused cow byre which the group cleaned out and ran as the St. Andrews Play Club, giving performances to audiences who sat on cushions on the floor. The first performance was Murder Trial by Sydney Box in 1935. Within a couple of years, the Byre Theatre had established a considerable reputation running a programme of performances which attracted audiences the theatre was barely able to hold.
In 1969, the original building was demolished to make way for a new housing development, and in 1970 the second building was opened. At a cost of £40,000, funded by a public appeal and the local authority, it was modeled on the Mermaid Theatre in London. The facilities were modest, for both public and staff, but it was thought to be rather grand compared to its predecessor. In 1994, Ken Alexander became Artistic Director.
A.B. Paterson's last ambition was yet again to modernise and refurbish the Byre Theatre to meet current expectations and requirements, in particular to address the inadequate facilities for those with special access needs, including visual or audio impairment. At the time of his death in 1989, a proposal for expansion of the theatre's facilities had been initiated. The £5.5m expansion was completed in 2001, and the theatre opened with a production of Into The Woods by Stephen Sondheim.
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