It’s an exciting new chapter for the arts venue on Rother Street, formerly known as The Play House, as the search for a new operator gets underway.
The building, owned by Stratford Town Trust, has a rich history as a home for community arts. Former operators, The Play House Ltd, gave notice to end their contract at the end last year.
Sara Aspley, Chief Executive at Stratford Town Trust said: ‘We’re excited that the tender process has started, and we’re looking forward to seeing how any potential new operator will ensure that the community is at the heart of their artistic vision for this much-loved venue.
‘The arts are thriving in Stratford, and this is a fantastic opportunity. We’d encourage any groups, organisations or individuals who are interested, to submit an Expression of Interest to Stratford Town Trust by 23 March.’
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About the arts venue
The building started life in 1830 as two fine plaster stuccoed villa-type houses. Later, for a short while the buildings were a school then, in 1876 they opened as Stratford-upon-Avon Convalescence Home and remained that way until 1940 when they became a maternity hospital. With the advent of the NHS in 1948 the building was sold to Stratford Corporation for office space. In 1985 the auditorium at the rear was added and the building became a community venue known as the Civic Hall. It was run for the last six years by Stratford Play House Ltd.