The Stahl Theatre
Director: Alastair Boag
Stahl Performance Booking Form January to June 2009
The Stahl Theatre was opened in 1980. The Stahl Theatre is owned and managed by Oundle School, run by the Drama Department staff, many of who have a professional theatre background. It houses both the School productions and visiting professional theatre companies. It acts as the local community theatre used by the local junior and middle schools for their annual productions, by the Oundle Literature and Organ Festivals and by groups such as the Gilbert and Sullivan Society.
The consultant’s brief when converting the Congregational Church was to design a theatre of professional standard that could be effectively run by pupils. Over the interim twenty-five years the standard of the equipment has been constantly updated to keep up with changes in theatrical production. Thus now the sound equipment is of a very high standard, the lighting is fully computerised and we have recently added our first moving light to the vast stock of lighting equipment.
After a fire in 1997, the backstage areas of the Theatre were completely redesigned allowing for a great improvement in these facilities, such that there are now three well-appointed dressing rooms, a large rehearsal space, a Green Room and several offices.
Pupils are involved in all forms of theatre work: constructing and painting sets and properties, stage management, costumes, lighting and sound design as well as acting and directing. Regular sessions are run each week in each area and pupils then sign up for particular roles in a production.