The Playhouse is a Wetherspoon's pub in Colchester, Essex, the building of which was previously The Playhouse Theatre. Originally opened in 1929, the theatre became the A.B.C. in the 1960s, and it was redeveloped into a pub in 1994.
The Playhouse Theatre was built in 1929 by John Fairweather; and the first production in 1929 was the Winter Garden Theatre's So This Is Love.[1] In 1930, The Playhouse became a cinema, the interior was redesigned in 1931, and in 1932, the cinema was taken over by Associated British Cinemas.[1] [2] The building was redeveloped in 1962, and renamed the A.B.C. In 1981, the building was taken over by EMI, who used it as a bingo hall.[2] After renovation, the building reopened as a Wetherspoon's pub in 1994.[3] [4]