About Us
History
The West Cliff Theatre’s origins can be traced back to 1894 when the 21 year old Bert Graham arrived in Clacton with his London Concert Company consisting of himself, his sister Lilian, Bernard Russell, Ted Honeyman and pianist Jack Devo. Their first performances were given on a patch of open ground in Agate Road.
In 1899, after several changes of location, the London Concert Company of Bert Graham, Bernard Russell and Will Bentley moved to yet another new site, a recreation ground off Tower Road known as the West Cliff Gardens.
To begin with their shows were still given in the open air. However they soon enclosed the ground with a wooden fence and built a timber and canvas covering.
Then on the 25th May 1928 a new purpose built venue opened, called the West Cliff Gardens Theatre. The same building that stands today as The West Cliff Theatre.
The Trust
The West Cliff Theatre is run by a charitable Trust (No 1001022) with members drawn from the local community who have a passion for theatre.
In 1984 the Tendring Theatre Association (TTA) was formed to safeguard the future of the venue and then in 1995, the council owned building was handed over to the newley formed West Cliff (Tendring) Trust who have run the building ever since.
