The Scala is an old and gloomy theatre, with its red-painted walls still illuminated (in 1928) by gas lamps. The Scala frequently hosts amateur productions and earlier in 1928 was the venue for the first national drama festival of the Women's Institute.

It was at the Scala that the party witnessed the first, and only, performance of Carcosa, or The Queen and the Stranger, as written by Talbot Estus and performed by “The Group” (an enthusiastic collective of amateur performers). On that night - the 17th of October 1928 - only the first few rows are filled and the lights in the dress-circle are unlit, creating a cavernous void above the patrons.

The Scala's management refused to continue to host performances of the play after the first performance ends in a near riot.