The Venture Theatre is owned and run by Ashby Dramatic Society (ADS). Both the theatre and the Society are self-funding and receive no grants or subsidies although a capital grant from the National Lottery in 1995 helped to refurbish the building.

All of the people you see on stage and backstage during an Ashby Dramatic Society production, and all of the people who run the venue for all performances - management, front of house, bar staff, publicity, are all volunteers. No one receives a wage. For a small venue, volunteers are essential. If we had the expense of staff wages, a small theatre like ours would not exist.

Auditorium Layout

The auditorium is flexible, with differing layouts to suit the style of performance. We can seat 110 people in our traditional auditorium layout, which is raked. Rows B - E have one step down, row A has two steps down, rows H - L have one step up, row M has 2 steps up, and row N has 3 steps up. We have the capacity to accomodate a wheelchair (must be pre-booked).

Alternatively, we can seat approximately 90 people in our cabaret layout, with the flat floor section containing blocks of 6 seats surrounding a table. There are an additional 3 raised rows at the back.

We can also arrange our auditorium in a thrust stage layout, with the performances taking place on the flat floor and the audience sitting on three sides. The front row is on floor level, the rows further back are raised. This layout seats approximately 98 people.

The bar offers a substantial range of drinks including wines, spirits, soft drinks, beers, lagers and cask-conditioned beers and lagers.