Leatherhead Theatre

The Leatherhead Theatre stands in the Surrey town of Leatherhead, a converted 1930s cinema in Church Street. Its modernist exterior hides an interior rebuilt in 1969 for Hazel Vincent Wallace’s theatre group. The building was named after Dame Sybil Thorndike, who agreed to lend her name to the project. Princess Margaret opened the theatre on 17 September 1969. Inside, the main auditorium once seated 526 people before later reductions. The theatre’s history includes a £350,000 appeal backed by Alan Ayckbourn, Prunella Scales and Timothy West. It closed in 1997 with debts of almost £1.2 million, then reopened in 2001 under new management. A Grade II listing followed in 1999, recognising its architectural importance. The smaller Casson Room still hosts youth productions and studio performances. Visitors find a flexible space used for plays, films and community events. The annual Leatherhead Drama Festival ran there for 16 years. Wheelchair places are provided alongside 495 seats in the main auditorium. The building remains a focus for local theatre and cinema in Mole Valley.