The Quay Theatre has been our main base for some four decades. This characterful building on the banks of the River Stour provides us with a full theatre ‘home’ we perform and rehearse in and is a major benefit to SDS although we've recently (as of 2026) spread our wings and staged certain productions in other local venues.
Our base
We benefit from rehearsal spaces in and adjacent to the theatre including at times use of the main stage.
As you’ll see in this potted history of SDS we originally bought and converted the Quay Theatre building - a former grain store amongst other things - back in the late 1970s and remain a primary contributor to the theatre’s annual revenue. A changing relationship with the Quay management and a desire to expand our horizons and explore more diverse performing options has resulted in SDS mounting a certain proportion of our main season in other venues including Sudbury Arts Centre.
Performance facilities
Along with the Quay's intimate 126 seat auditorium, we've forged relationships with other local venues allowing us to explore other staging options such as immersive theatre and 'in the round' configurations to expand our performing horizons.
Both at the Quay and at other venues we use up to date theatre tech such as computerised lighting, full multi-channel sound equipment and modern lighting stock having invested in our own technical equipment for use in venues away from the Quay.
Rehearsal facilities
Our primary rehearsal area is known as ‘the Jetty’ - a former bowls clubhouse just over the road from the Quay itself - giving us a rehearsal space suitable for productions being performed at the Quay or elsewhere. Amongst other facitlities, the space benefits from central heating, toilets and storage for props and other items. It’s a proper ‘home from home’ where the majority of our rehearsals take place.
Production amenities
Our comprehensive stock of production materials such as set building materials, paint and props are primarily stored in a storage facility we hire close to Sudbury town centre. We usually set build during the weekend before the production opens and sometimes in advance of this when arrangements have been made to pre-build parts of a more involved set.
Box office and publicity
The Quay provide box office support for productions staged there, so each one appears on the Quay’s website with tickets bookable online and in person. The Quay helps publicise these productions as part of their main promotional and marketing activities both online and off in conjunction with SDS’s own publicity officer. For productions away from the Quay we sell tickets using online ticketing platforms such as Ticketsource, and provide facilities to take 'on the door' bookings and publicise productions both at the Quay and elsewhere via our own publicity channels including print and social media.
Our contribution to the Quay
We generate significant income for the Quay from the productions we perform there including our successful pantomime.
In recent times we’ve funded larger scale projects such as refurbishing the gents and ladies toilets in the Jetty and installing electrically operated stage curtains in the main Quay auditorium.
Take a look elsewhere on the website to see what we’re up to at the moment and see how you can get involved.
Like to know more? If so get in touch.
