Welcome to the Ifield Barn Theatre

The theatre is situated on the outskirts of Crawley and unspoilt fields. It lies immediately, to the north of the XIIIth century Church of St Margaret’s, in the manor of Ifield which was originally recorded in the Domesday Book. The Barn Theatre together with the Church, a village pub and some picturesque cottages now lie within an officially designated conservation area. The theatre was created from a group of agricultural buildings and consist of a 700 year old tithe barn which now forms the auditorium and dressing rooms, a former Granary which serves as a kitchen and stables which have been converted to an exhibition room and workshops.

All three buildings have been linked by a modern addition tastefully integrated to form the foyer and theatre bar. Due to some inspired fund-raising by members many improvements have been made to the theatre. The Ifield Barn Theatre Society was founded in 1968. Throughout its life, it has been maintained by voluntary donations and is managed entirely by the unpaid efforts of its members. The programme presented by the Society consists mainly of plays directed and performed by members, with occasional professional drama and music recitals, both amateur and professional. The Society aims to produce a programme to suit all tastes. The Theatre Society stages five productions each year and constantly requires members to act, direct and to assist in the many backstage and front of house roles that go to make a successful stage production.

The social side is in the capable hands of the Green Room Club, set up to support the Theatre Society. It provides recreation and refreshment for members and their friends. Operating the club bar and the theatre bar, under their respective licences, it organises regular and various social events during the year, making an invaluable contribution to the running of the theatre. The club bar is open every Friday evening from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.  and every Sunday lunchtime from 12.30 p.m. to 3 p.m. – so if you are interested in joining us, come along, you will be made most welcome.

Next Show

A Tomb with a View

By Norman Robbins
Directed by Alison Shapley

A Tomb With A View is set in as sinister an old library as one is likely to come across presided over by a portrait of a grim faced, mad eyed old man. There, a dusty, lawyer reads a will (involving some millions of pounds) to an equally sinister family. One member of which has werewolf tendencies, another wanders around in a toga of Julius Caesar and a third member is a gentle old lady who plants more than seeds in her flower beds. By the third act, there are more corpses than live members left in the cast and what about the sympathetic nurse and the author of romantic novels are they all, or more than, they seem to be? All is revealed as the plot twists and turns to its surprising conclusion.

This amateur production of “A Tomb with a View” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals Ltd. on behalf of Samuel French Ltd www.concordtheatricals.co.uk