Lace Market Theatre

The Lace Market Theatre is a small, independent amateur theatre in Nottingham’s Lace Market area. The building began as a chapel in 1761 and later became a school attended by William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army. It stands in Halifax Place, a street close to the city centre. The theatre has a 118-seat auditorium and an upstairs bar used for smaller studio performances. Members renovated the old paint store themselves in 1972, turning it into a working theatre. The building is Grade II-listed and retains its historic character. The theatre is worth the journey because it stages challenging plays that local audiences would otherwise have to travel to London to see. It has been supported by notable patrons including Prunella Scales, Timothy West, Matthew Macfadyen and Keeley Hawes. Since 1982 it has been twinned with theatres in Germany, fostering cultural exchange. The theatre also runs a youth theatre that develops new talent and has recently produced Youth versions of Macbeth and The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui. Its ethos of ‘training by doing’ gives first-time directors a chance to direct small-scale shows known as ‘Fents’. A visitor finds a 118-seat auditorium with modern technical equipment and an upstairs bar used for studio performances. The bar area hosts regular ‘Fents’ productions, giving new directors experience. The theatre’s wardrobe was once housed nearby and the building remains closely linked to Nottingham’s textile history. The Lace Market area itself is a historic quarter with cobbled streets and old industrial buildings. The theatre continues to stage ambitious plays while supporting local performers and students.