Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds
Encyclopedia
The Theatre Royal is a restored Regency
theatre
in Bury St. Edmunds
, Suffolk
, England
. One of eight grade 1 listed theatres in the UK, it is the only working theatre on the National Trust
's portfolio of properties.
In addition to putting on contemporary live entertainment, the Theatre’s company is currently running a project to restore the largely forgotten canon of Georgian
plays, with the intention of putting on recreation Georgian productions in the restored Theatre.
on the 11 October 1819, and was one of the most elegant, sophisticated and up-to-date playhouses of its age. The fact that it has survived, without significant alteration, into our time is a miracle and it is now one of only three buildings to give the experience of theatre-going in pre-Victorian Britain.
Wilkins was an architect of national repute, responsible for, amongst other buildings, the National Gallery in London
and Downing College, Cambridge
. As the proprietor of the Norwich
circuit, he employed a small company of players to undertake an annual tour of six theatres, Yarmouth
, Ipswich
, Cambridge
, Bury St Edmunds, Colchester
and King's Lynn
. Each was open for just one or two short seasons during the year. The Bury theatre opened for the Great Fair in early October to mid-November and was only available for special events at other times of the year. At that time, it would certainly have enjoyed large audiences particularly as the local community would not have been able to travel far for entertainment, until the arrival of the railway in the 1840s.
The Norwich comedians were disbanded in 1843 and at Bury there followed more than half a century of economic difficulty and theatrical gloom. This was alleviated briefly in 1892 when the world premiere of Charley's Aunt
was staged at the Theatre. The Theatre closed in 1903 but it reopened in 1906 when alterations to the building were made by the architect Bertie Crewe
.
Greene King, the local brewery
, purchased the freehold, which it still owns, in 1920. However, in 1925, in the face of overwhelming competition from two new cinema
s, the Theatre closed once more. Greene King had struggled to keep the Theatre in operation but was now content to use the building as a barrel store. So it remained until the 1960s when a group of local people led by Air Vice Marshal Stanley Vincent
raised over £
37,000 to restore and re-open the Theatre Royal in 1965. The building was vested in the National Trust
in 1975 on a 999-year lease.
The Theatre Royal is now managed as an independent working theatre by the Bury St Edmunds Theatre Management Limited.
Previous restorations to the building had removed the original Georgian entrances to the pit as well as its distinctive Georgian forestage. The boxes had also been removed from the dress circle and the seating layout changed throughout the building.
The project restored these aspects to recreate a theatre which could provide further insight into the architecture, stage techniques and repertoire of the 18th and 19th centuries, of which little is known in comparison to theatre of other epochs. In addition to the restoration of the building the Theatre’s artistic team researched and re-discovered many of the lost texts, of the Georgian repertoire.
Under the banner of Restoring the Repertoire© the Theatre Royal aims to produce some of plays of the Georgian period in the restored Theatre.
On 11 September 2007 the Theatre re-opened with a production of the 1829 nautical melodrama, Black Eyed Susan, written by Douglas Jerrold.
In addition to the restoration of the main building a new modern foyer was constructed to the side of the Theatre to provide a restaurant, additional bar and more toilets for the building.
Regency architecture
The Regency style of architecture refers primarily to buildings built in Britain during the period in the early 19th century when George IV was Prince Regent, and also to later buildings following the same style...
theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
in Bury St. Edmunds
Bury St. Edmunds
Bury St Edmunds is a market town in the county of Suffolk, England, and formerly the county town of West Suffolk. It is the main town in the borough of St Edmundsbury and known for the ruined abbey near the town centre...
, Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. One of eight grade 1 listed theatres in the UK, it is the only working theatre on the National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
's portfolio of properties.
In addition to putting on contemporary live entertainment, the Theatre’s company is currently running a project to restore the largely forgotten canon of Georgian
Georgian era
The Georgian era is a period of British history which takes its name from, and is normally defined as spanning the reigns of, the first four Hanoverian kings of Great Britain : George I, George II, George III and George IV...
plays, with the intention of putting on recreation Georgian productions in the restored Theatre.
History
The Theatre Royal was opened by its proprietor and architect William WilkinsWilliam Wilkins (architect)
William Wilkins RA was an English architect, classical scholar and archaeologist. He designed the National Gallery and University College in London, and buildings for several Cambridge colleges.-Life:...
on the 11 October 1819, and was one of the most elegant, sophisticated and up-to-date playhouses of its age. The fact that it has survived, without significant alteration, into our time is a miracle and it is now one of only three buildings to give the experience of theatre-going in pre-Victorian Britain.
Wilkins was an architect of national repute, responsible for, amongst other buildings, the National Gallery in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Downing College, Cambridge
Downing College, Cambridge
Downing College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1800 and currently has around 650 students.- History :...
. As the proprietor of the Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
circuit, he employed a small company of players to undertake an annual tour of six theatres, Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth, often known to locals as Yarmouth, is a coastal town in Norfolk, England. It is at the mouth of the River Yare, east of Norwich.It has been a seaside resort since 1760, and is the gateway from the Norfolk Broads to the sea...
, Ipswich
Ipswich
Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...
, Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, Bury St Edmunds, Colchester
Colchester
Colchester is an historic town and the largest settlement within the borough of Colchester in Essex, England.At the time of the census in 2001, it had a population of 104,390. However, the population is rapidly increasing, and has been named as one of Britain's fastest growing towns. As the...
and King's Lynn
King's Lynn
King's Lynn is a sea port and market town in the ceremonial county of Norfolk in the East of England. It is situated north of London and west of Norwich. The population of the town is 42,800....
. Each was open for just one or two short seasons during the year. The Bury theatre opened for the Great Fair in early October to mid-November and was only available for special events at other times of the year. At that time, it would certainly have enjoyed large audiences particularly as the local community would not have been able to travel far for entertainment, until the arrival of the railway in the 1840s.
Charley's Aunt
Charley's Aunt is a farce in three acts written by Brandon Thomas. It broke all historic records for plays of any kind, with an original London run of 1,466 performances....
was staged at the Theatre. The Theatre closed in 1903 but it reopened in 1906 when alterations to the building were made by the architect Bertie Crewe
Bertie Crewe
Bertie Crewe was one of the leading English theatre architects in the boom of 1885 to 1915-Biography:Born in Essex and partly trained by Frank Matcham, Crewe and his contemporaries W.G.R...
.
Greene King, the local brewery
Brewery
A brewery is a dedicated building for the making of beer, though beer can be made at home, and has been for much of beer's history. A company which makes beer is called either a brewery or a brewing company....
, purchased the freehold, which it still owns, in 1920. However, in 1925, in the face of overwhelming competition from two new cinema
Movie theater
A movie theater, cinema, movie house, picture theater, film theater is a venue, usually a building, for viewing motion pictures ....
s, the Theatre closed once more. Greene King had struggled to keep the Theatre in operation but was now content to use the building as a barrel store. So it remained until the 1960s when a group of local people led by Air Vice Marshal Stanley Vincent
Stanley Vincent
Air Vice Marshal Sir Stanley Flamank Vincent CB, DFC, AFC, DL, RAF was a pilot in the Royal Flying Corps and later a senior commander in the Royal Air Force...
raised over £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
37,000 to restore and re-open the Theatre Royal in 1965. The building was vested in the National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
in 1975 on a 999-year lease.
The Theatre Royal is now managed as an independent working theatre by the Bury St Edmunds Theatre Management Limited.
Modern Restoration
In September 2005 the Theatre was closed to begin a £5.3million restoration project to restore the building to its original 1819 configuration and decorative scheme. Following an extensive research period, architects Levitt Bernstein, in collaboration with Theatre staff and the National Trust, drew up plans to restore the historic building to as close to its original design as possible.Previous restorations to the building had removed the original Georgian entrances to the pit as well as its distinctive Georgian forestage. The boxes had also been removed from the dress circle and the seating layout changed throughout the building.
The project restored these aspects to recreate a theatre which could provide further insight into the architecture, stage techniques and repertoire of the 18th and 19th centuries, of which little is known in comparison to theatre of other epochs. In addition to the restoration of the building the Theatre’s artistic team researched and re-discovered many of the lost texts, of the Georgian repertoire.
Under the banner of Restoring the Repertoire© the Theatre Royal aims to produce some of plays of the Georgian period in the restored Theatre.
On 11 September 2007 the Theatre re-opened with a production of the 1829 nautical melodrama, Black Eyed Susan, written by Douglas Jerrold.
In addition to the restoration of the main building a new modern foyer was constructed to the side of the Theatre to provide a restaurant, additional bar and more toilets for the building.