Secombe Theatre
The Secombe Theatre (originally the Secombe Centre) was a theatre in Cheam Road, Sutton, Greater London. The theatre was opened in 1983 by the Welsh comedian Sir Harry Secombe, who lived in Sutton for over 30 years, and was named after him. The theatre went into administration and closed in August 2016. A petition to save Sutton's theatres was run in late 2016, gaining 1,350 signatures. Theatre building The theatre was created in 1983 out of a red-brick former Christian Science church on a large plot on Cheam Road at its junction with Gibson Road. The plot once formed part of an estate, and the original church building dates from 1937. The Theatre Trust describes the current building as commanding "a presence in the landscape". The auditorium can accommodate 396 patrons, or 343 when the orchestra pit is being used, and it is tiered facing the end-on stage. The stage is a flat floor proscenium arch, and there is adequate wing space. Backstage there are four dressing rooms (with capacities ranging from ten to twenty cast members each). Under the previous managements, there was a multi-purpose room at the back of the theatre. Since taking over the theatres in June