Kettering Savoy

The Kettering Savoy was a theatre and cinema in Russell Street, Kettering, Northamptonshire. It opened in 1910 as the Coliseum Theatre in a building that had stood for seven years. A fire destroyed much of it in 1937, but it was rebuilt and reopened on 21 May 1938 with the film Big City and a variety show. The stage measured 43 by 23 feet with a height of 60 feet. Grecian murals decorated the interior, and concealed lighting and ventilation grills added to its design. The theatre hosted many stage productions and welcomed actors early in their careers. In 1951, Jim Dale made his stage debut there and was discovered by Carroll Levis. The Northampton Repertory Company used the building between 1949 and 1951. By 1953, summer stage shows ended and it operated more as a cinema. In 1968, the building was split into a small cinema and a bingo hall. The Kettering Savoy closed in 1986 and later became the Ohio Theatre before closing again in 1997. It fell into disrepair and suffered an arson attack in 2011. The building was demolished in June 2014, and a block of 23 one-room flats now stands on the site.