Hiring the Theatre for live events & shows
The Place Bedford main space is set up to regularly accommodate live performance of drama, musicals and showcases. Since 2002 we have been a home for local audiences watching live shows produced by professional theatre/performance artists, community groups & schools/colleges.
We accommodate 125 seats on 3 sides of the auditorium, or 88 front facing. Our seating is flexible, allowing us to set up the space in a variety of different configurations. Over the years we’ve accommodated Proscenium, Traverse, Thrust and Cabaret-style events. For a gallery of previous events and layouts please see the Technical page.
We recommend getting in contact with the venue team prior to making plans for using the space. The venue was adapted from a boxing ring & youth club, and there are some unusual layout quirks that may impact your plans.
Image – Collector of Tears by Gobscure
To find out more about hiring the venue for your performance, showcase or public event please get in contact with the team by emailing: bookings[at]theplacebedford.org.uk, or reach out to us through our social media channels.
We also have rehearsal and meeting rooms available. Click here for more information about room hire.
N.B. These are living documents, and may be amended or edited occasionally. The most up-to-date versions will always be available by clicking the link above.
Alongside live performance the venue has hosted a number of different live events since it opened.
We have accommodated Charity AGMs, local Hustings events, talks, presentations, discussions, workshops and social activities within our main performance space and foyer areas.
Our tech team can support the delivery of presentations and talks, and we have delivered events including Live Streaming activity out of the building, and Live Streaming into the building.
If you, your business or charity are looking for a location to present & entertain your guests then please get in touch to discuss your plans and needs with us:
Image – Uprising Bedfordshire‘s 2017 Election Hustings event
Hiring the Theatre for recording & streaming
Being a small black box space, The Place Bedford is a great location for filming and video/audio capture. Over the years we have been used to film Music Videos, Visual Art Installations & archive capture of live shows.
During 2021 we continued our support of The New Scene‘s ‘Lockdown Live’ series of gigs by musicians throughout the COVID-19 lockdowns, as well as supporting professional theatre makers Mangled Yarn to stream & record our 2020 Xmas show, helping Spun Glass Theatre livestream their new show pitch to venues and tour bookers.
Since 2020 we have increased our capacity for both on-site recording & live streaming to audiences off site. We now have additional recording & streaming equipment available for hire. You can find out more by visitig the Technical Downloads page.
If you’d like to include these services within your hire package, please mention this within your initial email.
If you are looking for a space with LX, SFX and good acoustics to record or stream an event send us an email:
bookings[at]theplacebedford.org.uk
We're in the process of fundraising to upgrade and permanently install more equipment into our space to make Live Streaming and Archive recording a fixed part of the presentation offer here at The Place Bedford. If you, or your business, could help Bedford Players Trust invest further in technical equipment to open up these services to local creatives, then get in contact.
