The Theatre of Small Convenience

About

The Theatre of Small Convenience is a theatre on Edith Walk in Great Malvern, Worcestershire, England, founded by local performer and puppeteer Dennis Neale in 1997, opening for the first show in November 1999. In 2002 it entered the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's smallest commercial theatre, seating up to 12 people. It is less than half the size of the previous record holder, the Piccolo Theatre in Hamburg, Germany.

The theatre's name comes from the building's original purpose – it was converted from a derelict Victorian gentlemen's public convenience. It is trapezoidal in shape, 16 feet (4.9 m) long and from 6 feet (1.8 m) to 10 feet (3.0 m) wide. The theatre regularly hosted puppetry shows, often created by Neale himself, along with offerings by professional and amateur actors, drama, poetry, storytelling and opera, and became a regular venue of the Malvern Fringe Festival.

In 2005 the theatre was chosen as one of the venues for an international puppetry festival. In 2017, the theatre faced closure following Neale's retirement, with the building falling into disrepair, compounded by a dehumidifier fire damaging the walls and destroying the roof. A group of local volunteers...