Newcastle Theatre Royal is the leading theatre in the North East. Every year we present over 400 performances to over 300,000 people, and host the region's favourite pantomime. HISTORY OF THE THEATRE ROYAL
Granted its Royal licence by King George III, the Theatre Royal Newcastle opened on Drury Lane off Mosley Street in 1788 and soon established itself as one of England’s leading theatres. Three
months before Queen Victoria ascended the throne, in February 1837, the Theatre moved to Grey Street, a flagship building in Grainger and Dobson’s famous city plan. It features what is generally regarded as the finest Theatre façade in the UK, later combined with a fine 1901 auditorium by one of the great Theatre architects, Frank Matcham after the original interior had been destroyed by fire in 1899. Over the centuries, many of the great names of the English stage have played at the Royal, from Keane to Irving, Olivier to Dench and the Hollywood greats Orson Welles, Charlton Heston and Jack Lemmon have also trodden the famous boards. In 2009 the modern great Sir Ian McKellen described the Theatre Royal Newcastle as his favourite theatre. The Grade I Listed Theatre today is both neo-classical monument and cultural engine, with an annual audience of 337,000 and over 400 performances each year. The third home of the Royal Shakespeare Company, alongside Stratford-upon-Avon and London, its programme is rich and varied featuring world-class drama, including National Theatre productions, an Opera North Season, and a rich array of contemporary dance, musicals and comedy. www.theatreroyal.co.uk 0191 232 7010
