BLT
This vibrant 113-seat theatre was established in
1938 on its present site which was converted from an old Victorian
bakery.
The theatre is run as a membership club and
limited company, managed by a Board of Directors. The Board is
responsible for the general running of the theatre and for the artistic
standards.
ln addition to the Board, there is a
Playgoers’ Committee, representing and elected by the members.
This committee is responsible for the running of the bar, coffee bar
and front-of-house aspects in general.
BLT receives no external financial support and
derives its income solely from membership fees and profits from
productions. It is, therefore, vital that our membership continues to
grow and our productions achieve maximum audience levels in order to
sustain our existence.
PRODUCTIONS
BLT presents eleven full-length plays a year; one
a month, with the exception of August, when essential works and
maintenance of the theatre is undergone. Each production begins at
7.45pm and covers an extensive eight-night run, commencing always on a
Friday (with no performance on Sunday).
Our purpose is to present the best of
contemporary dramas, comedies, thrillers, farces, musical productions
as well as the classics. We also aim to present occasional new plays
which our members may not normally have the opportunity to see. ln
recent years, BLT has given a number of plays their premiere production
in the UK.
We are always keen to attract new people to take
part in our productions and BLT offers a wide-range of opportunities
for acting, costume, lighting & sound design / operation as well as
set design and construction. With eleven productions a year, there is
plenty of scope for involvement in all aspects of theatre production
and management.
VENUE
Bromley Little Theatre has undergone many
improvements over the past decade in order to create a more comfortable
and enjoyable venue for our patrons. Our latest improvements have been
the installation of a lift for those who find the stairs difficult to
manage, improved heating and air conditioning in the auditorium, which
makes our Summer productions more comfortable. In time, we hope to
offer facilities to accommodate wheelchairs and we are currently
raising funds to convert and improve our toilet facilities (some of
which was completed last August).
In 2004 the BLT 401 Club Prize Draw was launched and in its first year of operation
had successfully raised almost £2,000 which was put towards the
cost of installing the lift. In the course of that year, nearly
£2,000 was also given away in prize money to 401 Club members!
TECHNICAL
BLT is in a fairly unique position within the
UK's amateur theatre world, in respect that it has its own
fully-equipped theatre complete with sound & lighting systems. Add
to this the versatile staging area, a 113-seat / 12-row auditorium
(with flip-up West End-style seating), and you will find yourself left
with an extremely wide scope for performing a variety of events and
productions.
The lighting system consists of 8 dimmer units
each with 6/12 outlets. These connect to a patch board containing 84
circuits which supply the lighting points on lighting bars in front and
above the stage. Control for these is from computer lighting desks.
Music and sound effects are controlled from the
sound box, which contains mixers, CD & Mini-Disc players. From
here, sounds & effects can be played to various parts of the stage,
auditorium as well as the rest of the theatre. The sound box also
controls the Audio-Loop for people using hearing aids.
