An Evening of Entertainment - John Sabberton

Blackfriars Theatre are celebrating the life and passion of our friend John Sabberton who passed away in 2022.

John was a trustee here at Blackfriars for many years and was given the status of Honorary Life President of the Trust when he retired a few years ago due to ill health. John's passion was opera and Musical theatre.

John is greatly missed here at Blackfriars and this evening's event will be raising money for both Blackfriars and Diabetes UK - both charities that John supported so please give generously if you can.

We are holding a Silent Auction with items that have been donated to us for this event and all money raised will be split between the 2 charities.

Blackfriars Theatre in Boston is a jewel of a little theatre in the centre of the market town of Boston. It is a 224 seat theatre built inside the remains of the refectory of a Dominican monastery, with parts of the structure dating back to the 12th and 13th centuries. It is, of course, a listed building.
The modern history of the building began in the 1950s when the monastery was derelict and roofless. The ruins were acquired by the Boston Preservation Trust, and interested townspeople began to clear the site. A local architect drew up plans to convert it into an Arts Centre and Theatre, and work began on construction in the late 1950s. Many members of the local amateur dramatic and operatic societies rolled their sleeves up to mix concrete and lay bricks, and funds were raised, until in 1964 the theatre was completed and ready to be opened. A new charitable trust was set up, the Blackfriars Arts Centre Ltd, to run and maintain the building, and to promote the arts within Boston. The building was sold to the new charity for One Pound, certain conditions having been laid down, and Blackfriars became the focal centre of the town’s artistic activities.
Over the years its fortunes waxed and waned, but small subsidies from Boston Borough Council and now the Arts Council England along with support from the locals allows it to continue and thrive today as a Charity.