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Theatre in Eastern England: CambridgeshireAs you would expect, there is a considerable amount of theatre activity in Cambridge itself. As a one of the major university towns in the world, not just Britain, it is bound to have a strong theatrical tradition. And so it proves. The ADC (the Amateur Drama Club of the university) Theatre is the oldest university playhouse in the UK, having been built in 1855. In fact, this makes it one of the oldest theatres in the country. It is used entirely for student work in term time but may be hired at other times. Cambridge University does not offer a Drama course, so the ADC is truly amateur, in that all the students who take part in its productions are studying other subjects. In spite of this, it has produced some of our leading actors and actresses over the years. The Arts Theatre, hidden away down a passageway just off King's Parade and next to Great St Mary's Church, is a national touring house and so has a varied programme. It seats 671. Just a few yards away is the Corn Exchange, a large 1462-seater venue, which also presents a very mixed programme. The Cambridge Drama Centre has a studio venue, seating 115, and it is known for its adventurous programming and regular Saturday children's theatre. It is a fairly recent development, as is The Junction (built in 1990), a multi-purpose venue with a very wide range of shows (300 seats). Finally there is another university in Cambridge, the Anglia Polytechnic University, which has its own venue, the Mumford Theatre, which has a capacity of 250. Ely has its Maltings Public Hall (260 seats) which features theatre in its varied programme, and St Ives has the St Ivo Recreation Centre (Burgess Hall 600, Drama Theatre 250), which is mainly available for hire. St Neots' Priory Centre is a community venue and it concentrates on community events. Wisbech possesses two theatrical venues, the Angles Theatre and Arts Centre - the building in which it is housed dates from 1792 - which presents small-scale touring companies and in-house and local productions. It has two auditoria, the 112-seater main house and the Peter Norman Studio (80). And then there is the 722-seater Empire Theatre, which presents children's plays at Christmas and Easter and is also available for hire. The unitary authority of Peterborough is actually in Cambridgeshire and so is considered here. It has two theatrical venues: the Cressett, a leisure centre with a very mixed programme in two auditoria, the Sovereign Hall (876) and the Knight's Hall (200), and the Peterborough Arts Centre, a studio theatre with 120 seats.
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