This article was originally written by Ed Chatterton for SWNS — the U.K.’s largest independent news agency, providing globally relevant original, verified, and engaging content to the world’s leading media outlets.
There’s nothing like seeing the bright lights of Broadway — and there’s also nothing like watching a play in the world’s smallest theater. That’s how one group of volunteers felt anyway, and it’s why they banded together to give a second act to Earth’s tiniest venue for catching a show.
Located in Worcestershire, England, the Theatre of Small Convenience was once a Victorian toilet and is just big enough to seat 12 people in front of its stage, which measures 17 feet long by about 9 feet wide. It first opened in 1997 and was officially named the world’s smallest commercial theater by the Guinness Book of World Records in 2002. Unfortunately, the itty-bitty playhouse was forced to close in 2018 following a fire, and the building soon fell into disrepair.
But thanks to the efforts of some drama-loving friends and the surrounding community, the unique theater is being returned to its former glory.
Loz Samuels, Dibah Farooqui, and Jan Birtle took ownership of the venue this year and have embarked on an ongoing restoration project, made possible by a fundraising campaign that raked in over $33,000. So far, the building has received a new roof, damp-proofing, and new drainage in addition to being repainted, cleaned, and having its original chairs restored and reupholstered. “We’ve managed to keep all the original woodwork and restored that and painted murals around the space too,” Samuels, the theater’s new creative director, told SWNS.
And on Oct. 24, the little theater enjoyed a big reopening with a music and comedy performance for a sold-out crowd — of a dozen people.
“We were determined to give this world record-breaking theater the encore it deserved,” said Samuels. “I can’t quite believe we’ve got to the point of opening, it has been both terrifying and exciting in equal measure. It is just such a unique and intimate space, there’s not really anything else like it.”
She continued: “The place has a special vibe and is an inviting space in which to interact. It’s not like these big corporate flashy and shiny places which we have so many of everywhere, and that’s what appealed to us.”
And it’s apparently appealing to a lot of other people, too. The theater already has a packed lineup of productions — from children’s storytellers to an Edinburgh Fringe Festival show titled Sceptre.
“All our shows are sold out but people might say that’s easy with 12 seats, but it really has been a labor of love,” said Samuels, who noted that there’s also a wedding booked for December. “We’ve had to get creative to find what works in this sort of space. But you don’t even need to see a show, it’s just an amazing space to be in.”
Part of what makes it amazing is its quirky interior: The theater’s stage comprises old furniture, old table legs, and parts of a violin, and was first built based entirely on recycled materials.
Original owner Dennis Neale had showcased comedy productions and performed his own puppet shows in the theater for two decades. After he retired in 2017, it passed into the hands of a college drama department, but a fire started by a faulty dehumidifier caused extensive smoke damage.
Now, with new life breathed into it, the theater is not just a place to partake in the performing arts but also a symbol of what can happen when people come together as a community. Above the tiny stage are the Latin words “Multum in parvo,” meaning “much in little.”
“That’s become somewhat of our motto and we’re proud of what we have achieved here,” Samuels shared. “We hope our audiences enjoy it.”
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