Bob and I were back at the Theatre Royal today for a 90 minute tour of the facility. The theater was originally built in 1819 by the architect William Wilkins as the New Theatre and was structured on the design of an amphitheater he had seen at Taormina in Sicily. A new theater was needed to expand the capacity for theatergoers in Bury St Edmunds, and increased such capacity from 350 to 780. (Ironically today, with the addition of more modern seating in accordance with safety requirements, the capacity is back down to about 350 again.). The first play staged in the theater was the British comedy ‘John Bull.’
The theater’s claim to fame is being the last remaining Regency playhouse in the country, although as our guide noted, the Regency period lasted for a relatively short amount of time, about 9 or 10 years, in between the reigns of George III and George IV.
The building and the land it is on is owned by the Greene King Brewery, however, the brewery sublets the management of the theater to the National Trust, which in turn sublets it to a local management team and board.
which is in the 25 year old addition to the original structure
The seat in the middle is initially folded back and down
to allow patrons to enter
before unfolding the top and bottom sections separately
to create the seat.
to relax when not on stage
onto and off of the stage
Peckish Travels 