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Stroud's love of performing arts dates back as early as 1794 when plays were performed at the New Theatre in the High Street. Later in the 19th Century, touring companies visited the Sub rooms and the old Temperance hall which is now called the SPACE. In 1957, the Cotswold Playhouse became the home of the Cotswold Players.
The Electric Photoplay House in Lansdown, was Stroud's first cinema in 1910. It was followed by the Stroud Picture House in King St Parade (1917), which later became the Ritz Cinema.
The Empire Theatre (1913) gradually responded to its audience and by 1927, was being used as a cinema, called The Classic. By 1971, it was Stroud's only surviving cinema.
Today, a new cinema complex is being built on the site of the old bus station at Merrywalks.
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