In 2002 it entered the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's smallest commercial theatre, seating up to 12 people.[1] It is less than half the size of the previous record holder, the Piccolo Theatre in Hamburg, Germany.[2][3] The theatre looked like it might close on 25 February 2017 when Dennis Neale retired. Warwickshire College Group took over the lease in (April 2018) for a brief period. After a fire caused by a dehumidifier it was closed, after the pandemic Malvern Hills District Council (the owners of the building) took back possession.
A new group The Theatre of Small Convenience CIC have now been identified as the new custodians of the building. They are embarking on a fundraising campaign to restore the interior and complete other structural work needed to enable the theatre to open again to the public for performances.
The theatre is featured in a recent publication entitled Twenty Theatres You Should See Before You Die by Amber Massie-Blomfield.[4]
The stage during a puppet show
The theatre is located in Edith Walk, Great Malvern. Local puppeteer Dennis Neale started work on the theatre in 1997,[2] opening for the first show in November 1999.[5] The theatre's name comes from the building's original purpose – it was converted from a derelict Victorian gentlemen's public convenience. It is trapezoidal in shape, 16 feet (4.9 m) long and from 6 feet (1.8 m) to 10 feet (3.0 m) wide.[2]
The theatre regularly hosted puppetry, often created by Dennis himself, along with offerings by professional and amateur actors, drama, poetry, storytelling and opera, and became a regular venue of the Malvern Fringe Festival. In 2005 the theatre was chosen as one of the venues for an international puppetry festival.[6]
