The Theatre of Small Convenience is a theatre on Edith Walk in Great Malvern, Worcestershire, England. In 2002 it entered the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's smallest commercial theatre, seating up to 12 people. It is less than half the size of the previous record holder, the Piccolo Theatre in Hamburg, Germany. The theatre looked like it might close on 25 February 2017 when Dennis Neale retired. Warwickshire College Group took over the lease in (April 2018) for a brief period. After a fire caused by a dehumidifier it was closed, after the pandemic Malvern Hills District Council (the owners of the building) took back possession. A new group The Theatre of Small Convenience CIC have now been identified as the new custodians of the building. They are embarking on a fundraising campaign to restore the interior and complete other structural work needed to enable the theatre to open again to the public for performances. The theatre is featured in a recent publication entitled Twenty Theatres You Should See Before You Die by Amber Massie-Blomfield. The theatre is located in Edith Walk, Great Malvern. Local puppeteer Dennis Neale started work on the theatre in 1997, opening for the first show in November 1999. The theatre's name comes from the building's original purpose – it was converted from a derelict Victorian gentlemen's public convenience. It is trapezoidal in shape, 16 ft long and from 6 ft to 10 ft wide. The theatre regularly hosted puppetry, often created by Dennis himself, along with offerings by professional and amateur actors, drama, poetry, storytelling and opera, and became a regular venue of the Malvern Fringe Festival. In 2005 the theatre was chosen as one of the venues for an international puppetry festival.

Productions