Royal & Derngate
Encyclopedia
- "Derngate" redirects here. For the district of Northampton, see Derngate (district).
The Royal & Derngate is a two-venue theatre located in Northampton
Northampton
Northampton is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. Situated about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, Northampton lies on the River Nene and is the county town of Northamptonshire. The demonym of Northampton is...
, England. Formed in 1999 by an operational merger between the Royal Theatre and the Derngate Theatre, both the venues are now run by Northampton Theatres Trust. In 2005, both venues closed for a major redevelopment costing £14.5m re-opening as Royal & Derngate in October 2006 after an 18 month closure.
Pre-merger history
Designed by theatre architect C J Phipps with muralMural
A mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface. A particularly distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.-History:Murals of...
by artist Henry Bird
Henry Bird (artist)
thumb|220px|right|[[Conversion of St Paul]], a mural by Henry Bird painted in 1973, in [[Denton, Northamptonshire|St Margaret's Church, Denton]]Henry Bird was a British artist from Northampton who painted murals and female nudes. He went to the Royal College of Art and then designed sets at the...
, the Grade II listed building Royal Theatre opened on 5 May 1884 with a production of William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
's Twelfth Night. Built for Mr John Franklin by Mr Henry Martin, it was a bold and important development in the town's theatrical history. On the theatre's opening, The Stage newspaper reported:
After the Royal Theatre suffered a fire in 1887, Phipps restored the theatre again. Two years later, its proscenium
Proscenium
A proscenium theatre is a theatre space whose primary feature is a large frame or arch , which is located at or near the front of the stage...
was widened. Despite such strife, many of those eminent in British theatrical history acted here during this theatre's first four decades. Productions included George Edwardes
George Edwardes
George Joseph Edwardes was an English theatre manager of Irish ancestry who brought a new era in musical theatre to the British stage and beyond....
' musical comedies, opera, pantomimes, burlesques, operettas, melodramas and the first provincial of Mikado. Here Irving, whose walking stick, with Garrick associations, is in the foyer. Ellen Terry, Gordon Craig, Martin Harvey, Benson, Tearle, Seymour Hicks, Wilson Barrett, Mrs Patrick Campbell, were among those who played in their great roles.
Since 1927, when the Repertory Company was established, many of the eminent in today's theatre, films, radio and television have been members of the Company. Northampton's Theatre Royal and Opera House, saturated with three-quarters of a century of great and inspiring traditions, stimulated not only those who work in front and behind its gilded high proscenium, but continued to attract an ever-increasing patronage. The theatre was restored and redecorated in 1960 by the late Osborne Robinson, who painted various murals and updated the previously plain surface which surrounded the Rococo Plasterwork in the auditorium's ceiling with stylised clouds. In 1983, shortly before the Derngate Theatre next door was built, the Royal Theatre's backstage area was given an overhaul to improve its facilities.
The Royal Theatre has been a producing house ever since the Northampton Repertory Players took up residence in 1927 and can create its own scenery and costumes in house. The 2005-2006 refurbishment restored the auditorium
Auditorium
An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances at venues such as theatres. For movie theaters, the number of auditoriums is expressed as the number of screens.- Etymology :...
closer to its original lavish Victorian
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
appearance.
Actors who made early appaeances on the stage at the Royal before they went on to achieve greater fame included Errol Flynn
Errol Flynn
Errol Leslie Flynn was an Australian-born actor. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles in Hollywood films, being a legend and his flamboyant lifestyle.-Early life:...
who in 1933 had an acting job with the Northampton repertory company at the Royal, where he worked for seven months. In January 1977, scenes for the Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
serial The Talons of Weng-Chiang
The Talons of Weng-Chiang
The Talons of Weng-Chiang is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in six weekly parts from 26 February to 2 April 1977.-Synopsis:...
were recorded inside the theatre. The serial was set in Victorian London and an authentic atmosphere was wanted for the theatre scenes. According to director David Maloney
David Maloney
David John Lee Maloney was a British television director and producer. He was born in Alvechurch, Worcestershire, was educated at King Edward VI Five Ways and served in the Royal Air Force before becoming an actor in the theatre...
on the DVD commentary, it was chosen because it had the nearest original fly gallery to London.
Derngate
Sited in the town's DerngateDerngate
Derngate is a part of Northampton, England, with a theatre complex of the same name. It refers to a gate in the old town walls, which was located there....
region, the theatre complex opened on 4 April 1983 with an 8pm performance by jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
singer Jack Jones
Jack Jones (singer)
John Allan "Jack" Jones is an American jazz and pop singer. He was one of the most popular vocalists of the 1960s.-Overview:...
.
1999-2007
In 1999 the Royal Theatre was operationally merged with Derngate Theatre and both the venues are now run by Northampton Theatres Trust. In 2005 both venues closed for a major redevelopment costing £14.5m re-opening as "Royal & Derngate" in October 2006 after an 18 month closure. Soon after, its future was threatened by annual cuts of £250,000 by Northampton Borough Council. This was an apparent attempt to claw back its own budget deficits, even though they had largely paid for the refurbishment work. It was feared that this withdrawal of funding would trigger similar withdrawals from other sponsors. A short term solution was reached with Northampton County Council funding the Borough Council's cuts for the next 2 years.Royal & Derngate is now the main venue for arts and entertainment in Northamptonshire. In its two auditoria – the Royal auditorium seats 530 and the Derngate auditorium seats 1200-1400 people - the venue offers a diverse programme of work with everything from drama to dance, stand-up comedy to classical music, children’s shows to opera on its stages. It also hosts the February degree conferment ceremonies for the University of Northampton
University of Northampton
The University of Northampton is a university in Northampton, Northamptonshire, England.-History:In 1924, Northampton Technical College was opened at St George's Avenue, site of the current Avenue Campus. A new building for the college was formally opened by the then Duke and Duchess of York in 1932...
each year. Some of the biggest names and productions on tour can be found here, alongside a programme of widely acclaimed inhouse produced work.
Over the past few years, Royal & Derngate have produced a number of critically acclaimed shows including Sondheim’s Follies, J.B. Priestley’s The Glass Cage, The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie and Roald Dahl’s James And The Giant Peach, as well as collaborating with Frantic Assembly on productions of Frankenstein and Othello.
2007-2009
During 2007/08, Royal & Derngate welcomed over 300,000 audience members through its doors to see work on both of its stages and in the Underground space. 20,000 people also took part in over 700 Creative Project sessions that give audiences the chance to get involved in performing, writing and to find out more about what goes on behind the scenes at the theatre.During 2009/10, Royal & Derngate welcomed over 300,000 audience members through its doors to see work on both of its stages and in the Underground space. 20,000 people also took part in over 700 Creative Project sessions that gave audiences the chance to get involved in performing, writing and to find out more about what goes on behind the scenes at the theatre. Over 20,000 people attended a free outdoor spectacular at Delapre Park, Crackers by The World Famous and a further 80,000 people enjoyed Royal & Derngate productions (Made in Northampton) on tour throughout the UK.
In 2009, to celebrate its 125th anniversary, the theatre’s seasons included a celebration of Britain’s most popular living playwright, Alan Ayckbourn
Alan Ayckbourn
Sir Alan Ayckbourn CBE is a prolific English playwright. He has written and produced seventy-three full-length plays in Scarborough and London and was, between 1972 and 2009, the artistic director of the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough, where all but four of his plays have received their...
, a brand new show created with the funny company Spymonkey, and a "Young America" season featuring two rarely seen plays by Eugene O’Neill and Tennessee Williams
Tennessee Williams
Thomas Lanier "Tennessee" Williams III was an American writer who worked principally as a playwright in the American theater. He also wrote short stories, novels, poetry, essays, screenplays and a volume of memoirs...
about young people in love. Royal & Derngate also toured co-productions of Kneehigh Theatre’s Brief Encounter
Brief Encounter
Brief Encounter is a 1945 British film directed by David Lean about the conventions of British suburban life, centring on a housewife for whom real love brings unexpectedly violent emotions. The film stars Celia Johnson, Trevor Howard, Stanley Holloway and Joyce Carey...
and with Fiery Angel, The BFG
The BFG
The BFG is a children's book written by Roald Dahl and illustrated by Quentin Blake, first published in 1982. The book was an expansion of a story told in Danny, the Champion of the World, an earlier Dahl book...
. In addition, Royal & Derngate played host to some of the biggest touring shows in the country, including the UK premiere of English National Ballet
English National Ballet
English National Ballet is a classical ballet company founded by Dame Alicia Markova and Sir Anton Dolin and based at Markova House in South Kensington, London, England. Along with the Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet and Scottish Ballet, it is one of the four major ballet companies in Great...
’s Angelina Ballerina’s Big Audition and Rambert Dance Company
Rambert Dance Company
Rambert Dance Company, is a leading British dance company. Formed at the start of the 20th century as a classical ballet company, it would exert a great deal of influence on the development of dance in the United Kingdom, and today, as a contemporary dance company, it continues to be one of the...
also returned since the redevelopment.
2010-2011
2010 saw transfers of the Young America season to the National Theatre in London (winner TMA Award, nominated Evening Standard Award), as well as the West End transfer of End of the Rainbow (nominated for 4 Olivier Awards), running until end of May 2011 at Trafalgar Studios.In 2010 the senior management team of Royal & Derngate developed a new charity, to provide not for profit management services for both Royal & Derngate and another new charity established to operate the new theatre at the Corby Cube, The Core.
In early 2011, Royal & Derngate was named "The Regional Theatre of the Year" in the inaugural Stage 100 awards.