Parc and Dare Hall

The Parc and Dare Hall, now known as the Park and Dare Theatre (), is a former Miners' institute but now serves as a large entertainment venue in the village of Treorchy, in the Rhondda Valley of Wales. Since the demolition of the Abercynon Workingmen's Hall, the Parc and Dare Workingmen's Hall is the largest in the South Wales Coalfield. It is a Grade II* listed building. History The Parc and Dare Hall was built in 1892, and began its life as a working men's library and institute. The workers of the Park and the Dare Collieries funded the building by a donating a penny from each pound of their wages. It was a place where the miners could meet and socialise and featured a bar and a library. In the early twentieth century work began on the Parc and Dare Hall, adding a large theatre, initially to be used as a variety show venue. In 1913 the theatre was completed, the external style of the building being influenced by the contemporary architecture of Welsh Nonconformist chapels. Due to the declining popularity of theatre and the emergence of cinema, by 1920 a cinema screen was installed. In 1930, the first 'talkie' picture to be screened was The Broadway Melody, and people flocked from miles around to hear this innovation.