While we are a mobile casino company operating nationally, Red Casino Events ultimately carries out much of our work in our home city of Peterborough, Cambridgeshire. Because of that, we wanted to shine a spotlight on some of the great venues in and around our base – and where better to start than the place where it all started for us, the New Theatre in the heart of the city centre.
The New Theatre holds a special place for us, as it is the venue where we held our first fun casino party back in 2018.
Most people in the city know it as a 1000+ seat entertainment venue hosting live touring West End productions, tribute concerts and live comedy acts. Few people know it also has a fantastic events space called the Boizot Lounge, which we think is one of the most underrated venues in the city.
It’s named the Boizot Lounge in honour of the late Peter Boizot, a philanthropic Peterborough legend who has done so much for the city and, without whom, the theatre would likely not exist.
For the New Theatre has had an often tumultuous existence. The building at 46 Broadway was opened in 1937 as the 1752 seat Odeon Cinema. It operated as an Odean until 1991, after which it was closed and fell into a state of disrepair.
Mr Boizot, who was educated at the nearby King’s School and who made his fortune as the founder of Pizza Express, bought the building in the mid-1990s and set about regenerating it – just as he had done with another Peterborough landmark, the Great Northern Hotel (a year later he would also buy the ailing Peterborough United Football Club). He reportedly invested £9m in the theatre, which also boasted an art gallery and conference facilities.
Architect Tim Foster was commissioned to redevelop the building, which was then known as the Broadway, in 2001, creating the façade we know today with its distinctive modern glass front and white mosaic exterior. The interior was also refurbished, but this represented the beginning if a difficult period for the venue. It changed hands in 2004 but was closed for two years following a fire in 2009. The 2011 reopening was short lived and marked a controversial ‘on-off’ period of uncertainty, until new owners took over in late 2017.
It was around this period we started working at the venue, still known as the Broadway Theatre, taking our very first casino booking there in 2018. It was clear there were still some issues, and in late 2019 the venue relaunched as the New Theatre under the new management of Selladoor Venues.
After riding out the Covid years, the venue has gone from strength-to-strength under Selladoor, attracting top entertainment to the city, although the Boizot Lounge remains one of the city’s hidden secrets. The suite caters for events of up to 200 people, making it great for works parties, Christmas events, charity nights, school proms, graduations and New Years’ Eve celebrations. The U-shaped layout makes it brilliant for casino entertainment, as it allows for a dedicated area which can be themed accordingly and, all-in-all, it’s a lovely room which retains just enough of that original 1930s Art Deco style, while remaining modern and self-contained from the main theatre – meaning that your event can go ahead without any interruption even when there’s a big show taking place in the auditorium.
While the suite itself is on the first floor, the large lift and easy loading facilities ensure there are no difficulties installing and removing the casino equipment, even bulky equipment like the roulette wheels and blackjack tables, and as a result we do not impose any surcharges when working at the New Theatre.
Great room with a central location… should be on the shortlist for any
organiser hosting a special event in Peterborough
With a great room, central location, reasonable hire fees and probably the most helpful and accommodating staff of any Peterborough venue we know, the New Theatre should be on shortlist for any event organiser looking to host a special occasion in the city. It remains a very special venue for us, and hopefully one which will continue to remain in rude health years to come.
To find out how we can help you create the perfect casino themed party at the New Theatre (or any other venue) give us a call on 01733 474166, or drop us a line using the contact form below.
To find out more about the New Theatre Peterborough’s Boizot Lounge, visit their website here.
