Former names Duke's Playhouse Official name Dukes Theatre | Type Theatre | |
 | ||
Location Lancaster, Lancashire, England Capacity 313 (The Rake)
240 (The Round)
112 (DT3) Opened 18 November 1971 (1971-11-18) (as a theatre) | ||
The Dukes in Lancaster, Lancashire, England, formerly known as the Duke's Playhouse, is a professional producing theatre, currently producing six theatre productions a year. It also hosts outside companies and arts festivals. It has three auditoria, the largest (named "The Rake") seating approximately 313, a studio theatre "The Round" seating approximately 240 and a youth specific space, "DT3". The largest auditorium is also used for screening films, and the theatre has a reputation for independent cinema. Since 1986 the Duke's has also produced annual open-air, walkabout theatre productions at Williamson Park in the city every summer, thought to be the largest outdoor theatre event of its kind in the UK.
The theatre is housed in a converted church (formerly St Anne's Church), opening as a theatre in 1971.