About Stantonbury Theatre

Welcome to Stantonbury Theatre, Milton Keynes' first purpose-built theatre and a cornerstone of the local performing arts scene for over 50 years. We are a vibrant, intimate venue dedicated to championing both professional touring productions and the incredible talent within our own community.

Our History

Opening in 1974, the theatre has a rich legacy of innovation and community engagement. Led by visionaries like Roy Nevitt, Director of Drama at the time of opening, the theatre helped produce original works based on local stories to help the nascent city of Milton Keynes develop a sense of self.
Today, we are proud to continue the legacy, providing a "cracking little venue with a big heart".

What We Do

We offer a varied program designed to entertain, inspire, and engage all generations:
Professional Productions: Enjoy a wide range of professional drama, music, dance, and comedy, as well as pre-recorded screenings from the National Theatre.
Community Focus: We serve as a vital platform for local amateur theatre groups, dance schools, and youth organisations, providing a professional environment for them to showcase their work.
Venue Hire & Business Use: The theatre and its rehearsal spaces are available for private hire. We offer a unique, fully-equipped setting ideal for business conferences, training days, presentations, and large-scale meetings, complete with a licensed bar and on-site parking.
Accessible Arts: In collaboration with the Black Sheep Collective, we run a thriving youth theatre and adult acting classes, committed to reducing barriers to accessing the arts.

Your Visit

The theatre provides an intimate experience with fixed raked seating for 200 and additional capacity in the Orchestra Pit, with a total of 4 designated spaces for wheelchairs. Before the show and during the interval, you can relax in our Long Lounge Gallery Bar, which also showcases work by local artists.
We pride ourselves on providing a welcoming and positive experience for everyone, regardless of age.
Discover What’s On or learn more about Hiring Our Venue for your own event at Stantonbury Theatre.

Did You Know?

Milton Keynes' First Purpose-Built Theatre: Stantonbury Theatre, opened in 1974, was the first purpose-built theatre in Milton Keynes and a core part of the original vision for the new city's cultural life.

Roy Nevitt's Vision: The theatre's first Director of Drama, Roy Nevitt, championed the philosophy of "dig where you stand", which involved creating original documentary musical dramas based on the real-life stories and oral histories of local residents. Roy continued to be integral to Milton Keynes' cultural history, setting up the Milton Keynes Development Company,  which led to the construction of Milton Keynes Theatre and Gallery.

The Living Archive Project: Nevitt and his colleague Roger Kitchen co-founded The Living Archive Project at Stantonbury in 1984 to collect and preserve the social history and reminiscences of Milton Keynes' residents. This archive provided the source material for many original plays. The Living Archive celebrated it's 40th Anniversary with a concert at Stantonbury Theatre in 2024.

Original Productions: The first major original production was All Change in 1976, a musical documentary about the impact of the railway on life in Victorian Wolverton. Other community-focused productions included Days of Pride, Sheltered Lives, Nellie, Your Loving Brother Albert, and The Jovial Priest, many of which were revived multiple times due to their popularity.

High-Profile Guests: Over the years, the theatre has welcomed a diverse array of leading names to its stage, including jazz greats Dame Cleo Laine and Sir John Dankworth (who performed at the opening concert), Jake Thackery, Stephane Grappelli, Timothy West & Prunella Scales, astronomer Sir Patrick Moore, Dom Joly, Henry Blofeld, John Challis, Germaine Greer, John Oliver, Alan Johnson, Paul Sinha 'The Sinnerman' and Larry Adler. The theatre has also been a venue for the recording of the BBC's Question Time.

Mirroring the Past: For the Theatre's 50th Anniversary, Jacqui Dankworth headlined a concert on Friday 6th December 2024 - exactly 50 years after her parents opened Stantonbury Theatre with a celebrity concert on Friday 6th December 1974.

Connection to Milton Keynes Theatre: All Change had the honour of being the very first drama to be staged in the new, city-centre venue, Milton Keynes Theatre, when it opened in 1999 - bringing the local community story to the city's main stage. MK Theatre's opening concerts were planned out of the Stantonbury Theatre offices.

“Stantonbury Theatre exists for us and belongs to us. We are the ‘Community’ in the phrase ‘Community Theatre’. The community is all of us, men, women and children. Anyone who lives near enough to the theatre to call it their own, whether born here or just moved in, can count on it. Our theatre is built. It’s in our midst.”
Roy Nevitt, School and Community use of Stantonbury Theatre, 1974.