Theatre Royal, Lincoln
Encyclopedia
The Theatre Royal is a theatre in Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England.
The present theatre, initially called the New Theatre Royal, was built in 1893 to the designs of Bertie Crewe
and W.G.R. Sprague. An explosion and fire in 1892 had destroyed the previous theatre on the site, built in 1806. The 1806 theatre was itself a rebuild of an earlier theatre of 1764 on Butchery Street, now called Clasketgate. The structure of the building remained the same until 1907, when the present frontage, foyer, and lounge were added, spinning the orientation of the entrance to face Clasketgate. A 2010 refurbishment of public non-auditorium space restructured and modernised the foyer and bar areas. The building is Grade II listed.
From 1893 to 1954 the theatre was run by a succession of leaseholders and managers presenting popular plays, musicals, music hall
stars and film. In 1954 it became a weekly repertory theatre under the Lincoln Theatre Association until bankruptcy in 1976, after which it was taken-over by Paul Elliot Entertainments in association with Chris Moreno. Under Elliot it became a producing house
for its own shows, and a design and production facility for various UK theatre pantomimes, national tours and cruise-ship shows, and a continuing venue for amateur dramatic companies. Chris Moreno became sole manager and lessee in 1993.
In 2009 the local authority, Lincoln City Council, withdrew its ongoing subsidy which led to a threat of closure, and to scrutiny of how council funding had been used. Bids from amateur dramatic, church and community groups, and local entertainment businesses to take-over the theatre's lease were unsuccessful. The theatre survived and was taken over by ID Productions, using it as a base for its touring shows. Theatre Royal's professional theatre offer is now largely as a receiving house
for UK theatre tours and musical acts.
During WWII, The Theatre Royal was popular with RAF personnel within the county, particularly Guy Gibson
.
Sir Patrick Stewart
’s debut as a professional actor, as Morgan in Treasure Island, was at the Theatre Royal.
During September 2002, author and former politician Jeffrey Archer, while serving part of his gaol sentence at North Sea Camp
prison, worked backstage at the theatre.
In November and December 2003, Theatre of Dreams, a series of four fly-on-the-wall documentaries built around profiles of four employees at the Theatre Royal, was aired on BBC2.
In 2009, reality TV personality Jade Goody
played the 'Wicked Witch' in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, but had to pull-out through illness.
On 18 March 2011, Lord Chancellor
Kenneth Clarke
visited the theatre as part of the campaign in the May 2011 referendum on the Alternative Vote (AV) system in UK parliamentary elections.
The present theatre, initially called the New Theatre Royal, was built in 1893 to the designs of 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...
and W.G.R. Sprague. An explosion and fire in 1892 had destroyed the previous theatre on the site, built in 1806. The 1806 theatre was itself a rebuild of an earlier theatre of 1764 on Butchery Street, now called Clasketgate. The structure of the building remained the same until 1907, when the present frontage, foyer, and lounge were added, spinning the orientation of the entrance to face Clasketgate. A 2010 refurbishment of public non-auditorium space restructured and modernised the foyer and bar areas. The building is Grade II listed.
From 1893 to 1954 the theatre was run by a succession of leaseholders and managers presenting popular plays, musicals, music hall
Music hall
Music Hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment which was popular between 1850 and 1960. The term can refer to:# A particular form of variety entertainment involving a mixture of popular song, comedy and speciality acts...
stars and film. In 1954 it became a weekly repertory theatre under the Lincoln Theatre Association until bankruptcy in 1976, after which it was taken-over by Paul Elliot Entertainments in association with Chris Moreno. Under Elliot it became a producing house
Producing house
A producing house is a theatre which produces its own shows in-house. Theaters which do not produce their own material are known as receiving houses....
for its own shows, and a design and production facility for various UK theatre pantomimes, national tours and cruise-ship shows, and a continuing venue for amateur dramatic companies. Chris Moreno became sole manager and lessee in 1993.
In 2009 the local authority, Lincoln City Council, withdrew its ongoing subsidy which led to a threat of closure, and to scrutiny of how council funding had been used. Bids from amateur dramatic, church and community groups, and local entertainment businesses to take-over the theatre's lease were unsuccessful. The theatre survived and was taken over by ID Productions, using it as a base for its touring shows. Theatre Royal's professional theatre offer is now largely as a receiving house
Receiving house
A receiving house is a theatre which does not produce its own repertoire but instead receives touring theatre companies, usually for a brief period such as three nights or a full week...
for UK theatre tours and musical acts.
During WWII, The Theatre Royal was popular with RAF personnel within the county, particularly Guy Gibson
Guy Gibson
Wing Commander Guy Penrose Gibson VC, DSO & Bar, DFC & Bar, RAF , was the first CO of the Royal Air Force's 617 Squadron, which he led in the "Dam Busters" raid in 1943, resulting in the destruction of two large dams in the Ruhr area...
.
Sir Patrick Stewart
Patrick Stewart
Sir Patrick Hewes Stewart, OBE is an English film, television and stage actor, who has had a distinguished career in theatre and television for around half a century...
’s debut as a professional actor, as Morgan in Treasure Island, was at the Theatre Royal.
During September 2002, author and former politician Jeffrey Archer, while serving part of his gaol sentence at North Sea Camp
North Sea Camp (HM Prison)
HM Prison North Sea Camp is a Category D men's prison, located on the edge of the parish of Freiston in Lincolnshire, England. North Sea Camp is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service.-History:...
prison, worked backstage at the theatre.
In November and December 2003, Theatre of Dreams, a series of four fly-on-the-wall documentaries built around profiles of four employees at the Theatre Royal, was aired on BBC2.
In 2009, reality TV personality Jade Goody
Jade Goody
Jade Cerisa Lorraine Goody was an English celebrity. She came into the public spotlight while appearing on the third series of the Channel 4 reality TV programme Big Brother in 2002, an appearance which led to her own television programmes and the launch of her own products after her eviction from...
played the 'Wicked Witch' in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, but had to pull-out through illness.
On 18 March 2011, Lord Chancellor
Lord Chancellor
The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Chancellor, is a senior and important functionary in the government of the United Kingdom. He is the second highest ranking of the Great Officers of State, ranking only after the Lord High Steward. The Lord Chancellor is appointed by the Sovereign...
Kenneth Clarke
Kenneth Clarke
Kenneth Harry "Ken" Clarke, QC, MP is a British Conservative politician, currently Member of Parliament for Rushcliffe, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice. He was first elected to Parliament in 1970; and appointed a minister in Edward Heath's government, in 1972, and is one of...
visited the theatre as part of the campaign in the May 2011 referendum on the Alternative Vote (AV) system in UK parliamentary elections.
External links
- Theatres Database The Theatres Trust: Theatre Royal (Lincoln); retrieved 5 April 2011
- "Theatre Royal closure threat" BBC video 2 Oct. 2008, (requires Adobe Flash Player 10.2.153.1 or later); retrieved 5 April 2011