![]() ![]() This began with the excavation of an enormous cellar, bigger in area than the actual stage and some five metres deep. In response, the city came along with an interest free loan that allowed us to build a modest but very necessary foyer, as well as the main stage house itself. ![]() The problems faced were immense, but even the most seemingly insurmountable challenges were met with a sense of youthful idealism and a lot of Heath Robinson inventiveness! Twelve months and one week later, Hall Green Little Theatre presented its very first play on a temporary stage to an invited audience of somewhat incredulous civic dignitaries. In order to raise money to begin the project, advance audience subscriptions were sold and with a grand total of £400, on All Fools Day, April 1st 1950 the first sod was turned and so began the building of the 200 seat theatre. This did not however deter the group and with their building licence proudly in hand they embarked on the mammoth task, but with one snag… due to the post-war house building at the time, they were prohibited from the use of any paid labour during the theatre's construction. The land housed a disused war-time static water tank, built with solid concrete foundations which had since its decommissioning become a refuse tip. Plans were submitted with a sense of trepidation to the city planning department who, to their eternal credit, issued us with a building licence together with the opportunity to rent a plot of ground. With almost non-existent building materials the dream of having our own theatre really did seem like just that - a dream! But, despite the numerous challenges and obstacles in their way the enthusiastic group of young thespians took the task head on and work began. ![]() In the beginning When the project began back in 1950 we faced enormous challenges, not least of all from the stringent building restrictions at the time which made obtaining building permits difficult to say the least. ![]()
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