Salisbury Playhouse

Has an excellent reputation for the quality, variety and innovation of its productions. Came here to see Cider with Rosie with my book club.

A couple of things to add:
— the selection of shows over the last few years has been really good. They put on their own productions and have hosted some great touring plays.
— there is a ‘Studio Theatre’ below the main one for smaller productions
— I’d very much recommend the theatre tours, if you’ve never done one before. Really interesting

From the outside, it looks rather odd. It looks like they tried to fit it into an irregular polygonal courtyard; maybe they had to?
It isn’t really fair to judge a theatre from the outside, though. I’ve seen excellent, professional productions given inside buildings not much better than a converted ex-​Army Nissen hut.
But, the Salisbury Playhouse is no Nissen hut; far from it. Once inside, it’s spacious but comfortable, There’s a bar and restaurant on the ground floor, but we didn’t eat there, just had a coffee which was, in my opinion, rather ordinary and somewhat overpriced.
The auditorium is the main thing. Comfortable seats, plenty of space and, above all, steeply tiered. I think the man in front could have worn a top hat, and I’d still have been able to see the stage. I did have a little difficulty hearing the dialogue early on. Whether that was down to acoustics, the actor’s delivery or the fact I hadn’t really tuned in, I couldn’t say. But, it seemed to sort itself out after only five minutes or so, and I was able to settle down and enjoy the performance.

The Playhouse is the destination of the yearly Panto in Salisbury and as such is popular with young and old. In the Playhouse there is a Licensed bar area and a café that provides a wonderful variety of hot and cold food and drinks.
The Playhouse always has a variety of plays on offer and also a lovely art Gallery full of work too!

Ever since the grant of £1.47 million from the National Lottery, the playhouse has gone from strength to strength. Situated perfectly in the city centre, the playhouse has a reputation for new exciting theatre to match its glossy modern refurbished shell.
The theatre itself is of no great capacity and the audience are often in close quarters to the actors. This is certainly no drawback as it adds greatly to the atmosphere of the playhouse.
Some innovative new plays have arisen out of the venue and i look forward to its continued success.