Bournemouth Little Theatre Club occupies an upstairs home on Jameson Road in Winton and is an unashamedly amateur company that has been putting on plays in the town since the 1920s. The present, specially adapted premises date from 1975, and the current name from 1992, the year the club constituted itself as a private company limited by guarantee; registered charity status followed in 1993. Volunteers do the lot, from acting and directing to building sets and running front of house.
Inside the theatre
Ninety-five people fit into the auditorium, most of them on tiered tip-up seats reclaimed from a cinema when the building was converted, plus a few bench seats at the rear. The room is small and close, which suits the company's blend of main-house and studio work, and with a Green Room Bar and an interval area serving tea and coffee, an evening here feels like a real night out at the theatre rather than a rehearsal in a village hall.
Planning a visit
The theatre has no car park of its own, so allow extra time to find a space on the surrounding streets, or take a Yellow Buses service (4, 4a, 5 or 5a) to the stops on Wimborne Road close by. A flight of stairs leads up to the first-floor auditorium and bar and there is no lift, which means wheelchair users cannot be accommodated. Tickets for both main productions and studio shows are sold online via Ticketsource, and members pay a reduced rate.
It is one of the lesser-known cultural spots a little way inland from the seafront; our guide to things to do in Bournemouth has more on the surrounding area.