On Friday 14th June, Dr John Harcup, the President of the Malvern Civic Society unveiled the civic award plaque at the Rogers Theatre at Malvern College in the presence of the Headmaster, Keith Metcalfe, the Head of Drama, Mr Packham, the chairman of the Civic Society Award Committee, John Dixon, and members of the school and the Civic Society.
Before the unveiling of the plaque, members of the Civic Society had the opportunity to be given a tour of the building. It was built in the early 1900s and had been used as a gymnasium. During the Second World War it was one of the buildings that had been used by TRE. Parents of current pupils recall its use for boxing. While much of the external and construction features have been retained and uncovered (such as the stained class windows), the inside is now a state of the art theatre which is a model for other schools.
The seating is flexible and can be pushed back to provide more of a theatre in the round and the staging is equally flexible allowing varied heights and formations.
A few of us more intrepid Civic Society members were able to climb up to the lighting gallery and on to the tension grid which is a grid of wires at the level of the lights and which allows access to the lighting without the need for ladders or scaffolding or bringing the entire lighting gantry to the floor.
The Rogers Theatre Auditorium - View from the Balcony.
For more information on the Civic Awards and other nominations for 2019 see here.