The 85 year old building with its beautiful listed façade and which has had so many uses over its life, was in danger of falling into disrepair due to the cost of maintaining the property and was therefore put on the market back in August 2007 with expert property consultants Bruton Knowles, by the owners Gloucestershire Operatic and Dramatic Society (GODS).

With national marketing and exposure which even included an appearance in The Stage magazine, Bruton Knowles attracted a wide range of interested parties, ranging from a regional cinema operator to theatre restoration organisations to traditional commercial developers, with many travelling from far and wide to visit the site. 

However it was a duo of two local businessmen Mr Ash Chavda and Mr O’Dedra who successfully secured The New Olympus Theatre, with a commitment to retain the existing building and to ensure that it remains a community facility.  This has brought great news for Gloucester Operatic and Dramatic Society (GODS) who will be able to continue to perform in the theatre, which has been their home for several decades.

Sarah Payne from GODS comments, “The New Olympus Theatre has been our home for 21 years. As one of the city’s leading theatre venues we have put on over 130 shows here and have been lucky enough to have seen a number of famous faces grace our stage including comedian Jasper Carrot and jazz musician Acker Bilk. Although the theatre sale represents the end of an era, GODS are delighted that we will be able to continue entertaining the people of Gloucestershire from this amazing venue.”

The theatre comprises of a main auditorium which is highly decorative and includes many ornate mouldings and wall lights, with raked audience seating, including a balcony area for almost 400 people. The 11,800 sq ft building also benefits from two ticket offices, lighting and sound system control rooms, a bar, dressing rooms and a studio also with raked seating. As such it has made a tremendous venue for GODS, who are one of the largest theatre companies in the region, and have put on performances at the theatre since they purchased it in 1984.

Julian Capewell, agent and commercial expert at Bruton Knowles in Gloucester explains more about the process of finding a new owner for the theatre: “The New Olympus Theatre is well known in Gloucester and has attracted many famous performers and large audiences over the years. As such an unusual site we were keen to ensure that we exposed the property to as wider an audience as possible, as its potential was very diverse.  On that basis we embarked on a national marketing programme at the end of last year which spanned many different media and sectors nationwide. 

We were delighted that this yielded such a strong level of national interest but even more delighted that we have been able to secure such a successful sale.  Not only does it provide the purchasers with a tremendous potential asset, but it also offers the community the chance to retain a landmark building and very important facility.  Having attended a music concert at the venue over 20 years ago now, it was wonderful to be back in the theatre again, and to be able to play a small part in helping safeguard the building’s future.”

The building, which is a landmark not only in the up and coming area of Barton Street but also across Gloucester, with many brown tourist signs dotted around the city pointing you in its direction, has had a diverse history.  It started life in 1923 as a cinema and was then converted into a theatre in the 1980’s. Early the next decade, it played host to celebrity helicopter passenger Anneka Rice, as she landed to give the theatre a welcome makeover.  And it has hosted many other celebrity faces ranging from Ken Dodd to The Baron Knights and The Beverley Sisters.

The new owners Mr Chavda and Mr O’Dedra took ownership of the building on Friday (18th April) shortly after the GODS held a small celebration the day before to mark over two decades of performances and to look forward to a future that enables them to still perform in this amazing old building, a real piece of Gloucester’s history which has been saved by two local entrepreneurs.