Shakespeare House
Since 1964 Shakespeare House at 93 Kedleston Road, Derby has been our home. By the sixties, this former schoolhouse had ceased to host boarders and was occupied by Claude Gibson, who had been a master at Derby School. Upon his death, his widow offered it for sale to Derby Shakespeare Society. It is now the headquarters of Derby Shakespeare Theatre Company and provides rehearsal and performance space, storage for costumes and props, a workshop for set construction and our meeting room, named in honour of Alan Bates, our most famous former member.
Inside Shakespeare House
In the rehearsal room
Our rehearsal space was refitted in 2009 and features full lighting and sound capabilities. When we are in rehearsal for a forthcoming show you will find the cast here 3 or 4 times a week. Rehearsals are scheduled for evenings and weekends and are sometimes followed by socialising and often a trip to the pub!
In performance
Increasingly, we have been hosting more performances for the general public at Shakespeare House. The rehearsal space is transformed with rich set design and lighting. We can accomodate audiences of around 70 per performance on our tiered seating. We offer a full theatre experience with an interval and drinks.
Costume & props
On the first floor of Shakespeare House we have entire rooms dedicated to costumes and props. We are very lucky to have such extensive resources at our disposal. The collections have been accumulated over many years and we hire them out to other companies on request.
The Alan Bates BAR
The Alan Bates bar is named after our most famous member. It was originally used as a meeting space, changing room, green room and foyer, but during the pandemic it was transformed into a bar - an extremely popular change! Here you can grab a drink before, during and after our shows, and chat with fellow audience members and actors.
In 2008, to commemorate our centenary, we fitted a specially commissioned stained glass window in the Alan Bates bar. It features an image of William Shakespeare along with our motto: "The play's the thing".
HIRING OUR SPACES
Our in-house studio theatre (seating approx 60 pax) and our meeting rooms and bar at Shakespeare House are all available for hire. This may be for rehearsals, performances, examinations, regular workshops and many other uses. If you'd like to enquire about renting Shakespeare House, or any of our costumes or props, please contact us - we'd love to hear from you!
The uppermost floors of the building have been converted into flats which we let out to private tenants via an agency.