Theatre Royal, Newcastle

Theatre Royal, Newcastle

The Theatre Royal is a Grade I listed building situated on Grey Street in Newcastle upon Tyne. It was designed by local architects John and Benjamin Green as part of Richard Grainger's grand design for the centre of Newcastle, and was opened on 20 February 1837 with a performance of The Merchant of Venice.

Following a performance of William Shakespeare's play Macbeth, a huge fire destroyed the interior of the building in 1899. It had its interior redesigned by Frank Matcham and reopened on 31 December 1901. The theatre's restaurant is named after Matcham. Externally, the building is exactly as it was when it was first built.

It underwent a major refurbishment and restoration in the latter part of the 1980s, reopening on 11 January 1988 with a performance of A Man For All Seasons starring Charlton Heston.

The Theatre Royal went dark on 14th March 2011 due to a major restoration of the auditorium, box office, bars and restaurant. The restoration will restore the theatre to the original 1901 Frank Matcham Edwardian interior. The whole interior was stripped apart from the original plaster work which was carefully preserved but all the seats, carpets and technical equipment was removed. The 70’s foyer doors and kiosk was removed. The proscenium arch, tiers and boxes have all been gold leafed and the plaster work restored. On all levels the seats have been replaced with Edwardian style theatre seats in keeping with the restoration. The amphitheatre which was removed during previous renovations has been restored and offers more leg room and better views than the gallery. This takes the theatre to five distinct seating areas, the stalls, grand circle, upper circle, amphitheatre and gallery. Wheelchair spaces have been installed on levels which had previously been inaccessible. As well as the boxes near the stage, boxes at the rear of the grand and upper circles have also been restored taking the total number of boxes up to ten. The stage lift and orchestra pit have been replaced to offer better facilities for opera and musicals. A new ventilation system has been put in place to improve comfort levels in the theatre. New frescos for the lobby and upper circle were commissioned and put in place. This £4.75m project is also introducing the highest modern standards of comfort and improving energy and carbon efficiency. The Theatre Royal reopens on 12 September 2011 with the Alan Bennett’s epic period drama The Madness of George III. George III was in fact the monarch who gave the Theatre Royal its charter.

The theatre hosts a variety of shows, including ballet, contemporary dance, drama, musicals and opera. The Royal Shakespeare Company visits annually, and considers the Theatre Royal its northern base. The Christmas pantomime is also very popular.

Almost all of the shows that come to the Theatre Royal are part of a national British tour, and in a typical year the theatre will have 30 to 35 visiting shows. For the annual pantomime, and any visiting musicals and opera performances, there is a sizeable orchestral pit available. This can seat 60 musicians if necessary. The stage itself is also of substantial size, and can house 50 singers, dancers, actors and musicians.

Over 100 people work at theatre, which is reputedly haunted by ghost a female from the 19th century nicknamed 'The Grey Lady'. According to legend she fell from the upper circle while reaching out to an actor she was in love with, who was rehearsing on the stage.