Theatre built for factory workers marks 90th year

The Joseph Rowntree Theatre in York is still going strong after 90 years

A theatre established to entertain factory workers is marking its 90th anniversary.

The Joseph Rowntree Theatre in York was built by Seebohm Rowntree in 1935 to offer workers at his family's chocolate factory "entertainment and education".

Of the many institutions established in York by the Rowntree family, the theatre is one of the few still being used for its original purpose, though now run by volunteers.

A special fundraising concert for the venue will be held in July telling the 90-year history of the theatre.

Seebohm Rowntree was one of the sons of Joseph Rowntree who had established the firm as one of the country's largest confectioners and was also a well-known philanthropist.

Inspired by his father and the work of Charles Booth in London, Seebohm wrote three studies on poverty in York.

It was under his chairmanship of the family firm the theatre was constructed by the Rowntree Village Trust.

The theatre was originally linked to the factory's dining room

Alex Schofield, who is directing the celebration concert, said the decision was partly inspired by technological advances which gave workers more free time.

"Through his [Seebohm Rowntree] social research he'd already noted the impact of mechanisation on the workforce and the reduction of working hours which was taking place and he predicted further falls.

"He wanted to build a place for employees of the factory, their families and also the wider community to be able to enjoy cultural activities in their increasing spare time."

The art deco theatre was regarded as being at the forefront of theatre design when it was built

"Originally the dining block was connected to the theatre and workers would go in and watch films in chunks during their breaks.

"Events were staged there, fundraising events for charities, different teams in the factory were able to hold their own events.

"It was really part of that community."

Rowntree's had moved to the Haxby Road site in 1890 and employed thousands of people in the city.

A Quaker family, Rowntree's offered a number of benefits for their employees and had created several charitable trusts.

"It was the first one built by a Quaker family, as a purpose-built and standalone theatre, and it's still used for its original purpose," Mr Schofield said.

The theatre can seat 365 people and continues to welcome audiences

He described the building as a "real gem" and although it had been modernised over the years it remained true to its art deco origins.

"It was built with a lot of modern technology," he said.

"It was reported that the automatic lighting systems they used at the time were the first in any theatre in the world at that point.

"After it opened there was widespread national media coverage talking about it as a 'luxury theatre'."

Rowntree's continued in business until it was taken over by Nestle in 1988, and the firm ceased operational management of the theatre in 2001.

Today it is run by a board of trustees and almost 200 volunteers.

"It's entirely volunteer-run, it wouldn't be there if it wasn't," Mr Schofield said.

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