ENTERTAINMENT venues that have closed to the public tend to be gone for good. So the plan to reopen Bournemouth’s Palace Court Theatre – also known as the Playhouse – constitutes a dramatic comeback. It is 35 years since a lack of public support seemed to have brought down the curtain on the building s days as a theatre and cinema. It became a place of worship, over the objections of Bournemouth council and many supporters. Now Arts University Bournemouth (AUB) has acquired the venue – a neighbour of Bournemouth’s Premier Inn on Hinton Road and Westover Road. It plans to restore the 1930s art deco building as a teaching space with performance venue, complete with 400-seat auditorium that will welcome the public as well as students.
A THEATRE which has been used as a place of worship for 35 years is to become an entertainment venue again after being bought by Arts University Bournemouth (AUB). The university has acquired the former Palace Court Theatre – later the Playhouse Theatre and Galaxy Cinema – on the town’s Hinton Road. Bournemouth’s last surviving 1930s art deco theatre will be restored as a teaching space with performance venue, including a 400-seat auditorium, interval bar and rehearsal space. AUB vice-chancellor Professor Paul Gough said: “AUB’s acquisition of Palace Court Theatre firmly brings to life our ambitions to invest in the local area, particularly through key assets that contribute to business creativity, arts provision and skills development.