Dress Circle (Theatre Shop)

Dress Circle (Theatre Shop) The Dress Circle is a British specialist store located near Covent Garden, London.

History

The store gets its name from a theatre's dress circle. The shop was founded in 1978 with the intention of providing an unrivalled selection of musical theatre and cabaret related merchandise. It claims to be the longest running show business and musical theatre shop in the world^[1] and celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2008^[2]. In 2011, Dress Circle announced financial problems with the business and that closure would be imminent. London's Stage newspaper reported the story on the front page of its^{[citation needed]} issue. Shortly after this announcement Dress Circle reported an 'immeasurable amount of support' from the performance community. Actor/producers Stuart Matthew Price and James Yeoburn were quick to arrange a series of in-store events and fund-raising galas under the name Dress Circle Benefit. Theatre performers, composers and celebrities from across the world came together in support of their mission and Dress Circle's small Covent Garden shop played host to the likes of: Barry Manilow, Ramin Karimloo, Alex Gaumond, Laurence Mark Whythe, Matt Rawle, John Owen Jones, Scott Alan, Oliver Tompsett, Lance Horne and Lucy May Barker in a month of weekend productions.

Merchandise

The Dress Circle sells the following merchandise:

• A selection of official merchandise from West End and Broadway shows.
• Musical theatre cast and soundtrack cd and dvds.
• Libretti printed music and Books.
• Backing tracks
• Theatrical posters

Theatre Evenings

The Dress Circle frequently organise Theatre Evenings ^[3] which typically includes:

• A top price seat at a specified West End Show or Cabaret Performance. (Generally with a discount to the face value of the ticket.)
• A private pre-show drinks party held in the basement of the shop.
• A discount voucher for any items bought at the shop prior to the performance.

Depending on the actual show the theatre evening may also include:

• A voucher for a free interval drink at the evenings performance.
• A free souvenir programme or brochure of the selected performance.
• An opportunity at the end of the performance to meet the cast.

Previous theatre evenings have included performances of Oliver!, Love Never Dies, The Drowsy Chaperone, and Avenue Q. Upcoming events include Flashdance The Musical, Priscilla Queen of the Desert and Shrek the Musical

Celebrity Signings

Many stars of the West End stage use the Dress Circle as a vehicle to promote their latest CD, DVD or autobiography by attending specially organised signings.

Elaine Paige^[4], John Barrowman^[5], Kerry Ellis, Jodie Prenger^[6], Julie Andrews and Idina Menzel have all promoted their work in this way.

Original Cast Albums are frequently promoted in this way also; recent examples being The Sound of Music, The Lord of the Rings, Sister Act^[7], Les Misérables (musical), Legally Blond and Avenue Q. Future signings include principal cast members of the new live cast recording of the Les Misérables 25th Anniversary.

References

1. ^ dresscircle.co.uk
2. ^ wickedthemusical.co.uk
3. ^ dress circle theatre evenings
4. ^ Elaine Paige dress circle signing
5. ^ John Barrowman dress circle signing
6. ^ Jodie Prenger dress circle signing
7. ^ Sister Act Cast Album Signing

External links

• [1] Dress Circle website

Coordinates: 51°30′50″N 0°07′37″W / 51.51395°N 0.12694°W / 51.51395; -0.12694