Drama & Performance Venue Hire Near Exeter

Most village halls have a stage; very few have a genuinely theatrical one. Longdown Village Hall does — a 6.4 × 4.7 metre wooden stage with wings, a 20 sqm backstage green-room with two dedicated dressing-room toilets, DMX-controlled stage and front-of-house lighting, and a full radio-mic sound system. The main hall seats up to 100 in theatre-style configuration, with the licensed bar open for interval drinks.

We’ve proudly hosted Exeter Drama Company since 2022, starting with their production of Arnold Ridley’s The Ghost Train. They’ve been a regular fixture on the stage ever since, with two or three productions a year.

Whether you’re a drama society, youth theatre group or choir looking for a weekly rehearsal venue (and a stage to perform on without packing into a van), or a touring company looking for a one-off performance space near Exeter, the kit is already here. Cast, crew, and audience all park free on-site.

What you get

• Stage — 6.4 × 4.7 m wooden stage, expandable forward by 1.2 m. Wings either side. Sprung wooden floor across the main hall for any movement work.
• Backstage — 20 sqm green room off the stage with two dedicated dressing-room toilets (separate from the public restrooms).
• Lighting — 4 stage spots and 4 front-of-house spots, all DMX-controlled. The DMX desk and audio mixer sit at the rear of the main hall. Spots can be re-focused for your production.
• Sound — 5 radio microphones, 2 shotgun microphones, amplifier, mixer, and house speakers. (No piano on site — bring your own keyboard if needed.)
• Audience — Main hall seats up to 100 theatre-style. Licensed bar open for intervals.
• Box office — Hall ticket office can be opened for door sales; on-site Wi-Fi supports Square, SumUp, and similar card readers.

For drama groups & regular rehearsals

For amateur dramatics societies, youth theatre groups, drama schools, improv troupes, and choirs, the hall is set up to be your home base from first read-through to closing night:

• Rehearse and perform in the same space. No relocating for production week — your rehearsal room is the performance room.
• Predictable weekly slots. Regular weekly bookings get a consistent place in the diary.
• Set & prop storage during the run. Some backstage storage is available across your production run. Groups fully strike after closing night so the space is ready for the next hirer.
• Free training for your operators. We’ll train a couple of your team on the DMX lighting desk and the audio mixer, so you don’t need to hire in a paid technician.
• Free listing on our Activities page. Regular groups get a profile at /village-life/activities/ so prospective members find you when they search local classes.
• Help with show promotion. When show week approaches, we can post about your production on the hall’s news feed and pass it through the local community groups we already connect with — wider reach than your own channels alone.
• Direct line to the committee. Load-in dates, technical visits, and production-week logistics agreed directly with the management committee — no booking-portal middleman.

For one-off productions & touring companies

For touring companies, recital organisers, school productions, dance shows, and one-night performance bookings, the kit comes with the room:

• Full theatrical rig included in the hire — DMX lighting, radio-mic sound, mixing desk all live with the venue. No PA or lighting hire to arrange.
• Card sales at the door. Plug a Square or SumUp reader into the hall Wi-Fi and you’re trading from the ticket office.
• Licensed bar at the interval — included; no separate licence to arrange.
• Free on-site parking for 40+ cars — cast, crew, audience. A big saver versus central Exeter where audience parking is £5–6 per car.
• 100-seat capacity in theatre-style.

Pricing

FAQs

Can we leave set, props, or staging between rehearsals? Some storage is available in the backstage area during your production run. Groups fully strike after closing night so the space is clear for the next hirer.

Is the lighting rig fixed, or can we re-rig and re-focus? The four stage spots and four FOH spots can be re-focused for your show. The DMX control desk lives at the rear of the main hall.

Is a technician included with the hire? No — but free training is available for a couple of your operators on the lighting desk and audio mixer, so you don’t need a paid technician.

Can we sell tickets at the door, and take card payments? Yes. The hall ticket office can be opened for door sales, and on-site Wi-Fi supports Square, SumUp, and similar card readers.

What’s the audience capacity in theatre-style seating? Up to 100 in chairs-in-rows configuration in front of the stage.

Is there a piano on site? No piano. The hall is sound-system based — bring your own keyboard if your production needs one.

Are haze or smoke effects allowed? Unfortunately not — the fire detection system isn’t tolerant of them.