Our school facilities are frequently made available to the public as part of our outreach to the community, but the Quarry Theatre at St Luke’s takes this one step further and is now widely regarded as the town’s premier theatre venue with a host of national touring shows complementing the calendar of regular internal productions.
The stunning theatre occupies a former Moravian grade 2 listed church on St Peter’s Street. A donation by the Quarry family, some additional fundraising and a legacy from the late Brian Saville OB, ensured that the renovations were able to go ahead, transforming the building into a truly versatile and beautiful space.
The theatre has also become home to Bedfringe, the brainchild of the Director of the theatre, James Pharaoh who has made it his mission to bring fringe productions to the town. This year Bedfringe hosted an incredible 50 performances over a 5 day period, which included Lost Voice Guy, winner of this year’s Britain’s Got Talent.
The theatre itself seats 282 people, a 50 seat studio theatre, a spacious bar opening out onto the original church garden (used as an outdoor stage during the summer), and a foyer that displays pupils’ art as well as art produced by members of the local community.
James, who has worked for Bedford School since 2002, said “The theatre provided a major upgrade for our pupils, but it has been incredible to see how much it has grown in popularity locally and we get incredible feedback from people who come along to the theatre. I’m particularly excited by the upcoming programme for the next few months with shows such as John Vernon Lord’s classic The Giant Jam Sandwich, World Champion Beat Boxer Shlomo and the Prep School’s production of Oliver Twist!”.
To see a full line up and to book your tickets, please visit www.quarrytheatre.org.uk Ticket prices start at £5.00