The Old Savoy - The Old Savoy - Home of The Deco Theatre

Feb

Where better to tie the knot than at the historic Old Savoy Theatre!

Tags: Deco Theatre, Northampton, The Old Savoy, wedding receptions, weddings

Comments Off

We’ve exciting developments afoot at our theatre. The Old Savoy is at an advanced stage in the process of becoming a licensed wedding venue. By the time things are on their way back to how they were – hopefully, the not too distant future – we will be at the point of being able to offer a full wedding, or civil partnership, service.

That means:

The ceremony can take place within our theatre
The reception can take place within our theatre
And if you want to have an evening celebration, we will host that too.

Ours is a venue with a rich history dating back to 1936, and we’re proud of its awesome ambiance and architecture. And on your big day we have the facilities – in The Doré, The Glen and the fabulous and atmospheric Art Deco auditorium – to cater for the arrival of guests, the mingling, the ceremony, the reception, and the evening party.

There are also plenty of opportunities for great photos, around and about the theatre, and as a venue that hosts a wide variety of events, functions, and parties – including wedding receptions – you can rest assured that no stone will be left unturned to ensure your special day is a perfect day.

For further information, and to arrange an appointment to visit us, email ‘weddings@theoldsavoy.co.uk.

We will guide, help, and support you from start to finish: making your wedding a day to remember is as precious to us at it is for you.

Exciting times!

Nov

Cydnee-Mae’s star potential has earned her a leading role in Christmas Panto at The Deco

Tags: Christmas 2020, live theatre, Northampton, Panto, Sleeping Beauty, The Deco, The Old Savoy

Comments Off

The Deco Theatre will be unveiling another promising local stage talent during this year’s Christmas Panto, ‘Sleeping Beauty’.

Cydnee-Mae Sherman, 12, has been handed her first solo senior role in a Panto, having been a regular as one of the supporting dancers at the Northampton theatre since she was five years old.

Such is her potential she was one of two children chosen to share the role of ‘Tinkerbell’ in the Deco’s production of ‘Peter Pan’ three years ago – but now she has been given the role of ‘Fairy Nearly’ for herself, and will appear in all productions between December 11th and 24th.

“She is a natural, and we are delighted that Cydnee-Mae is going to be part of the senior cast in ‘Sleeping Beauty’,” said executive producer Kevin Roach. “We’ve monitored her progress over quite a few years now, and she is not only a very talented performer, but the stage loves her as much as she loves it.”

Cydnee-Mae lives with her family locally, and is delighted that she not only has her own role in the Panto, but she will be performing again with her older sister, Tayla-Jayde, 18, who herself has been a Deco Panto regular for the past 8 years as a member of the dancing team.

“I’m very excited to be returning to The Deco Theatre for another panto season,” said Cydnee-Mae. “It is such a privilege to be asked to play the role of ‘Fairy Nearly’ in this year’s production of ‘Sleeping Beauty’, and I can’t wait for it all to start.

“I’m so grateful, as always, to The Deco team for giving me this opportunity; and having Tayla-Jayde on stage with me as one of the dancers makes it even more special for me, her, and our family as this will be the last time we perform together before she goes off to College.

“It was Tayla-Jayde’s enthusiasm for performing that first got me started, and although my parents didn’t want me to feel as though I had to follow in her footsteps or be in her shadow I soon joined Starlight Stage School.

“The support I’ve received from Tayla-Jayde, my parents, Starlight Stage School and The Deco has been amazing, they have all been fantastic, and I can’t thank any of them enough.”

Tickets start from just £12.50. Book online: www.thedeco.co.uk/event/sleeping-beauty-christmas-2020/

Sep

‘Sleeping Beauty’ cast has a very local feel to it!

Tags: Christmas 2020, Panto, Sleeping Beauty, The Deco, The Old Savoy

Comments Off

There’s very much a local feel to ‘Sleeping Beauty’, this year’s Deco Panto, thanks to singer and dancer Fern Roach, dancing specialist Andrzej Mialkowski, BBC Northampton presenter Wayne Bavin, and comedian and entertainer Mark Jones lining up in the cast.

Fern, who was born and bred in the town, has a senior role for the third year running, having previously appeared as a member of the support cast, while Andrezj, an accomplished dancer, is well known in and around Northampton as the owner of the Henry Street based Step by Step Dance Studio.

Wayne has established himself as a popular afternoon presenter on BBC Radio Northampton since joining the statin in 2018, and though Mark now lives in London, he has a big local connection, having previously lived in Northampton, and being a regular visitor to the town to visit relatives who still live in and around the county.

“We pride ourselves on supporting and encouraging local talent, and we’re very proud of our town, and our county, so we’re delighted with so many local connections in this year’s Panto,” said House Manager Jill Roach, who is also Fern’s mum.

“Fern has been outstanding in her two Panto performances so far, and I’m very proud of her – and she has won her parts on merit, auditioning like everyone else.

“I’m delighted she’s established herself as a Deco Panto regular, along with Chris Wills and Colin Ridgewell, who are also firm favourites with our audiences, and back again this year, as is Lydia Lucy, who previously appeared in 2016, and again two years ago.

“Andrzej has a huge personality, and every time we’ve met him we’ve felt he’s a natural for Panto, so when he told us he’d love the opportunity, and then put himself up for audition, we were delighted,” said Jill. “And we’re certain we’ve discovered another great local stage talent: he’ll be brilliant.

“Wayne and Mark are two highly experienced Panto performers, and great entertainers too, and we’re delighted that they’re making their Deco debuts this year – our audiences will love them, and they’re both really looking forward to being part of our show.”

The Deco Panto runs from December 11th to 24th, and tickets are now on sale. It will last approximately 1 hour 20 minutes, with no interval: just the right length for a festive family treat, but without the traditional break in between because it would make social distance planning a little tricky.

For tickets and full details: https://www.theoldsavoy.co.uk/event/sleeping-beauty-christmas-2020/

Sep

Old Savoy offering a heritage experience with free journey down Memory Lane

Tags: cinema, Heritage Week, Northampton, Singin' in the Rain, The Deco, The Old Savoy

Comments Off

The Old Savoy theatre is celebrating Heritage Week with a difference this year.

The management team is inviting visitors to come and take a look around the iconic building – rebranded as The Old Savoy last year – enjoy a short talk on the history of the theatre, and if they wish, then enjoy a FREE screening of the classic 1952 film, ‘Singin’ in the Rain.

If visitors wish to make their visit even more memorable, they can enjoy a bite to eat while watching the film: booking a table seat in the stalls, and for £9.95, enjoy a platter of delicious food, and a pot of tea or coffee.

These seats are limited, and available by calling our Box Office on 01604 491005.

If you simply want to watch the film from the circle, without the food option you can book tickets online: www.thedeco.co.uk/events

There will be three screenings each day, between Wednesday, September 16th, and Friday the 18th: at 11.45am, 2.30pm, and 5pm.

The pre-screening talk will be delivered by popular entertainer and local legend Clive Fletcher, who will be familiar with anyone who has come to annual Christmas Panto’s at The Deco, which is housed at The Old Savoy.

“We’re really excited about this,” said house manager Jill Roach. “This is an opportunity to see, and learn about,our wonderful theatre, and watch a famous film as you would have done all those years ago when we were The Savoy.

“The only thing we can’t do is provide entertainment by an organist during the interval, more’s the pity,” she said. “But we’re just trying to do something different, and take our visitors down Memory Lane at a significant town centre venue in Northampton history.”

‘Singin’ in the Rain’ is an iconic comedy-romance, based around the transition from silent to talking movies; it’s full of great music and songs, and legendary for the classic ‘Singing in the Rain’ song and dance routine by the star of the film, Gene Kelly – who was also its co-director. Co-stars included Debbie Reynolds, Donald O’Connor and Jean Hagen.

The Old Savoy opened on May 2nd, 1936, as The Savoy. In the 1960s and 70s it was The ABC, hosting live music as well as screening films. The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and Cliff Richard are among the legendary acts who performed there.

Stage Right Productions began putting on live entertainment at The Deco Theatre in 2009, and took over the running of the whole building last year.

As usual social distancing and COVID-19 safety guidelines will be observed.

Sep

We’re hosting another weekend of great cinema, following a Bank Holiday ‘thumbs up’

Tags: Bambi, cinema, Pitch Perfect, Rocketman, Saturday Night Fever, The Old Savoy, Toy Story

Comments Off

What a great weekend we had as our theatre went back to its roots and became a cinema for the Bank Holiday. Indeed, the feedback has been terrific – so we’re doing it again later this month!

We’re putting on five iconic films over the weekend of September 26th/27th, and again, there is something for everyone:-

Toy Story
Saturday Night Fever
Bambi
Pitch Perfect
Rocketman

As with Bank Holiday weekend – and, for that matter, with every visit to our theatre – it goes without saying that your well-being will be paramount at all times; all groups coming to watch a film will be socially distanced from others.

Downstairs in the stalls there will be tables for groups of four or six, disabled seating too.
All tables will be placed in a two-metre square area.
If you chose to sit downstairs, you will be able to order a selection of food to your table, including a cheese and anti-pasta platters, or afternoon tea.
You can also order buckets of bottled beer, which can include, if you wish, wines and small bottles of spirits, along with cans of soft drinks.
If you choose to sit in the upstairs seating, there will be two seats kept free either side of your group, as will three seats in front, and three behind each individual

You can also stop by before the film at our newly opened Golden Globe café, serving hot and cold drinks, and a selection of snacks, including pizzas, hotdogs, candy floss, popcorn and more. Again, we have organised this to respect social distancing, and all orders will be taken via our table service.

We will also be selling tubs of ice cream, and calypsos, during the interval.

Schedule:

Saturday, September 26th:

1645: Toy Story

2000: Saturday Night Fever

Sunday, September 27th

1300: Bambi

1530: Pitch Perfect

1900: Rocketman

Ticket prices:

Matinee performances

Table seating

Adult £6.50

Over 60/Student £5.00

Family of 4 £5.00 each

Family of £5.00 each

Family of 6 £5.00 each

Upstairs

Adult £5.00

Over 60/Student £3.50

Family of 4 £3.50 each

Family of £3.50 each

Family of 6 £3.50 each

Evening Performance after 6pm

Table seating

Adult £8.50

Over 60/Student £7.00

Family of 4 £7.00 each

Family of £7.00 each

Family of 6 £7.00 each

Upstairs

Adult £6.50

Over 60/Student £5.00

Family of 4 £5.00 each

Family of £5.00 each

Family of 6 £5.00 each

And finally: you will be expected to wear a ‘face mask’ while inside our theatre – except when sitting at your table if you’ve booked to watch the film downstairs, and have ordered food and drink, or if you’re using the Golden Globe cafe during your visit.

Thank you, as ever, for your support!

Sep

We WILL put on our Panto this year. Oh yes we will!

Tags: Christmas 2020, family entertainment, Northampton, Panto, pantomime, Sleeping Beauty, The Deco, The Old Savoy

Comments Off

Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a good Panto, and don’t we need to spread plenty of seasonal spirit, fun, and goodwill in December. So we’re delighted to be putting on our Christmas 2020 Panto ‘Sleeping Beauty’, which will run from December 11th to 24th.

Tickets are now on sale for performances up to the 18th inclusive; bear with us for Christmas week, we’ll make an announcement soon, but ticket sales were already high for those performances and we’re still rejigging to keep in line with our social distancing and COVID-19 safety guidelines – your safety and well-being is paramount at all times!

Our will last approximately 1 hour 20 minutes, with no interval: just the right length for a festive family treat, but without the traditional break in between because it would make social distance planning a little tricky.

It’s so sad to see Pantos being cancelled at theatres around the country, and we stand side by side with all the fantastic venues nationwide; before too long we want to see the entertainment industry is thriving once again, as it was, and should be.

And as we said, you’ll all deserve some Christmas cheer, and we’re determined to help deliver it at The Old Savoy, home of The Deco Theatre, and home to top quality family Panto every year.

Again, thank you for your support and goodwill. You’ve been amazing, and we really do appreciate it. For more details about our Panto arrangements: https://www.theoldsavoy.co.uk/christmas-panto-2020-from-team-deco/

Apr

Our Open Day has been re-arranged for August

Tags: August, Open Day, The Deco, The Old Savoy

Comments Off

The on-going COVID-19 crisis means the Open Day we have planned at The Old Savoy in Northampton has now been rescheduled for Saturday, August 15th, 2pm-8pm.

The Open Day is an opportunity for anyone who’d like to be involved in working with us to come along and talk to us about the potential to become a part of our friendly, dedicated team.

We’re looking for freelance technicians, catering staff, Front of House staff, weekend staff, and volunteer stewards.

If you think this is something you’d be interested in, come along and meet the team, preferably with a CV telling us about previous experience. If you’d like to talk to us about it beforehand, email

hello@thedeco.co.uk.

Once again, many thanks for your patience and understanding.

Apr

Deposit scheme to help our customers during current crisis

Tags: Northampton, The Deco, The Old Savoy, Theatre, what's on

Comments Off

We hope you are all staying safe and well, and also remaining upbeat and positive. Hopefully it won’t be too long before we start returning to normality.

What is keeping us positive is some awesome entertainment for you to enjoy at The Old Savoy, home of The Deco Theatre later in the year. Take a look at the ‘what’s on’ section of this website – www.thedeco.co.uk/events/ – to see the variety of shows we have coming up, including those postponed and now rescheduled due to the current crisis.

We know things are a bit tight for many of us at the moment, so to help, we’re offering a deposit scheme to all shows – you pay just 25% of the fee when you book online for shows scheduled from August 1st.

The full payment will then be taken on July 1st. If you need an accessibility seat, please email admin@thedeco.co.uk with details of what show you want to book for, and telephone number and we’ll sort it.

Stay safe – and see you soon!

Mar

Statement from The Old Savoy:

Tags: COVID-19, Northampton, The Deco, The Old Savoy

Comments Off

Having listened to the Government’s update regarding the Covid-19 crisis, we take on board the advice in regards to mass gatherings, including theatres. To that extent, we at The Old Savoy, home of The Deco Theatre, are in talks with event promoters and organisers, and industry advisers, and will be in touch with all ticket holders and other customers as soon as we can regarding their events.

A sincere ‘thank you’ for your understanding and patience, and rest assured, our staff are working flat out to deal with the many enquiries during these unprecedented circumstances.

Dec

Deco Theatre VIPs Ken and Doreen cut the ribbon as The Old Savoy relaunch marks the opening night of our Christmas Panto

Tags: Northampton, relaunch, The Deco, The Old Savoy

Comments Off

One of the most iconic buildings in Northampton town centre has completed its relaunch as The Old Savoy ‘The Home of the Deco Theatre’. And the new look has been given a massive ‘thumbs up’ by local people, with hundreds of enthusiastic comments on social media.

In a grand ceremony prior to the opening night of ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ – The Deco’s Christmas Panto – pensioners Ken and Doreen Ridley cut the tape, and declared the start of an exciting new era for the popular entertainment venue. Visitors to The Deco Panto, and future productions, now enter through the front doors, and into the foyer, as they would have done in days gone by. Previously, visitors entered by the side entrance.

Ken and Doreen, from Daventry, celebrate 67 years of marriage on December 20th, and as they have done since 2009, will mark the occasion with a visit to The Deco‘s Christmas Panto. It was where they first met back in 1948, when the building was then The Savoy. It was then a cinema, and as teenagers, they were there with friends to watch a film.

“We love Panto, and we have very fond memories of The Savoy,” said Doreen, now 87. “So when they started putting on Pantos it was a perfect way to celebrate our anniversary, we’ve been coming every year, and we absolutely love it.”

They are now treated as VIPs by Deco staff, and were the obvious choice to perform the opening ceremony of ‘The Old Savoy’ according to house manager Jill Roach. “We absolutely love Mr and Mrs Ridley, and they were the obvious and perfect choice to do the honour for us,” said Mrs Roach.

“They didn’t stop for the opening night – they want to enjoy our Panto as they now traditionally do on their anniversary, and it is our pleasure to host them each year.”

The Old Savoy originally opened its doors as The Savoy on May 2nd, 1936. It became The ABC in the 1960s, hosting concerts by The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, among other iconic bands of that era. More recently it has been The Jesus Centre, with The Deco operating within it as an independent, family run theatre.

Now Stage Right Productions, who manage The Deco, are looking after the whole building, running it as an entertainment venue, a community hub for the town, and making it available for hire for privately run conferences, events, business meetings, parties, and more.

“The response since the news about the relaunch was announced earlier in the year has been immense,” said Jill Roach. “But over the weekend, since we threw those doors open for the first time and rebranded the outside of the building, the response we’ve had on our various social media platforms as been truly wonderful and extremely positive.

“This is clearly regarded as a popular development for Northampton Town Centre, and we are thrilled to be giving this building back to the people of Northampton.”

All posts tagged The Old Savoy