About Theatr Colwyn

Theatr Colwyn in Colwyn Bay, owned and operated by Conwy County Borough Council, has been awarded £500,000 under the North Wales Strategic Regeneration Area Programme.
Conwy County Borough Council has also agreed funding of £238,000, which means the project to completely redevelop the front of house area will start shortly.  The project is part of the Bay Life+ Programme.
The venue, which is 125 years old, the oldest cinema in the UK still operating and the oldest theatre in Wales still operating, will be closed until spring next year.
The front of house redevelopment will see the upstairs bar relocated to the foyer, the creation of new box office, office space, a community room and disabled access to all floors.
Phil Batty, manager of Theatr Colwyn, said: “This is a very exciting time and we are very much looking forward to seeing these enhanced facilities benefiting our patrons and the wider community as a whole.
“Theatr Colwyn has been at the heart of Colwyn Bay since it first opened and our long-term aim is continue redevelopment work until we are at the stage when we can accommodate larger productions and offer more to our loyal audience.
“A very big thank you to everyone who has helped us to get here.”
Sarah Ecob, general manager, said: “We are delighted with this absolutely wonderful news. The redevelopment of Theatr Colwyn has been planned for many years and it is terrific that we have finally reached the stage where we can set a date for the project to begin.
“As custodians of this charming and much-loved Victorian venue we are very much looking forward to giving the building the care and attention it needs and to bringing the Front of House facilities up-to-date to meet the needs of our customers.
“We are very grateful to the Welsh Government for giving us this opportunity through SRA funding for Colwyn Bay and also to our colleagues in Conwy County Borough Council which is joint-funding this project.
“Fundraising continues to allow us to achieve the full scope of the project that will, eventually, include the rear of house facilities. We would like to thank everyone who has donated so generously to date.”
Terry Jones, former Monty Python and patron of Theatr Colwyn, said he was ‘so happy’ to hear of the funding award.
He visited the venue in April to launch a fundraising appeal on behalf of The Friends of Theatr Colwyn.
Terry, who was born in Colwyn Bay, said: “Thank you to the Welsh Assembly Government for recognising the importance to my home town of Theatr Colwyn.
“This is a great step forward for the community. I hope the restored theatre will be bringing excitement and fun to the town for years to come.”
NOTES:
Bay Life+ Programme : Bay Life+ Programme is more than just physical regeneration.  It aims to improve and bring together all the things that make up a community. There are six key themes to be addressed - Environment and Transport, Sustainable Economy, Space for Living, Health and Wellbeing, Education and Skills and Community Cohesion.
The Bay Life+ Programme covers the same geographical area as the Assembly’s Strategic Regeneration Area; it includes the Colwyn Bay focused work of Bay Life AND the work taking place in Conwy East.
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‘Theatr Colwyn – the UK’s oldest operating cinema’

It was more than 120 years ago that the venue now known as Theatr Colwyn first opened its doors to the public.

Back in the 1880s, it was then called a Public Hall – as the stone plaque at the top of the building still testifies – but it’s uses were many, just as they are today – a place of entertainment, for discussions, dances and fundraising events.

We are pleased to announce that recent investigations in public archives revealed the venue is now the UK’s oldest operating cinema.

The first screenings took place in January, 1909, when the building was run by the entrepreneur Harry Reynolds.

Time, taste and technology have all taken giant leaps since then, but the venue and its small group of staff, volunteers and supporters, led by manager Phil Batty, still operate at the very heart of the community, as those in charge of the venue did all those years ago.

Theatr Colwyn is a receiving theatre, seating 379 people (including wheelchair spaces) and hosts a wide variety of performances ranging from dance and drama to rock music concerts, Welsh language shows and a very popular Christmas pantomime.

It has a thriving cinema audience who enjoy not only the latest blockbuster releases on the big screen, but also independent, classic and foreign language films, courtesy of the Rialto Film Night.

The venue is available to hire (please contact Phil Batty for rates), as is the newly installed recording studio and rehearsal room. A bar selling alcohol and soft beverages is available before and during the interval at most live performances.

We are privileged to have Terry Jones as our patron, the Colwyn Bay-born Monty Python, actor, writer and director.

Seating Plan