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____________________________________________________________________________________________ Theatre Royal, Newcastle
Above - The Theate Royal, Newcastle in 2002.
Above - The Theatre Royal, Newcastle - From a Postcard. For a few years from 1735, the Edinburgh 'Company performed in a booth in the Castle Yard, and in 1747 the Turk's Head Long Room in the Bigg Market was used as a theatre by a Y o r k Company of players under one Baker, and was known as t h e Theatre in the Bigg Market. This was used for forty years.
Right - The Theatre Royal, Newcastle in 2002 - Courtesy Gareth Price. The first managers were Austin and Whitlock, who had previously been managers of the Turk's Head Theatre. After a year Austin retired and Whitlock took in as a partner Munden, the comedian who was immortalised by Charles Lamb. In 1792, the Theatre Royal was taken over over by Stephen Kemble, of whom it is related that he became so stout that he could play Falstaff without padding. Kemble retired in 1805 and the theatre passed to William Macready. The present Theatre Royal in Grey Street was built in 1837, and the old Theatre Royal in Mosley Street was pulled down. The new Theatre Royal was seriously damaged by fire in November, 1899, and the interior was reconstructed on modern lines. Above text from a Magazine Programme for the Tivoli Cinema, Strand London Also see: Newcastle Theatre - A personal reminiscence by Donald Auty. Pantomimes in Newcastle 50 Years Ago by Donald Auty. Moss Empires' Theatres in the Fifties by Donald Auty. Horatio Lloyd performed at the Theatre Royal Newcastle in 1848, the following extract is from his autobiography, "Life of an actor." ...I have to say that I never was in the Newcastle Theatre in my life until the month of May, 1848, when the late Mr Edmund Glover and myself rented it for four weeks from Mr Davies, sen., for the sum of £100. We took with us the whole of the Edinburgh company and orchestra, among the former being the celebrated Mr Mackay, to whom we paid £50 for a week's performance of his famous part of Bailie Nicol Jarvie.
Above - Site of the original Theatre
Royal in 2003, incorporating the original The Theatre Royal is still a working theatre - See the theatre's own website here...
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In
the early days in Newcastle, the performing of stage plays was a matter
of some difficulty, and in order to escape the jurisdiction of the Magistrates,
for a long time plays were acted at the Moothall, which, -though within
Newcastle, is outside the liberties of the town. In the Weekly Flying
post of January 10th, 1656, we read "On the 28th December, a cluster
of lewd fellows advertising to act a comedy within the precincts and
bounds of this town, daring, as it were, authority and outfacing justice;
our vigilant magistrates, hearing of it, resolved to set a boundary
to their sinful courses and clip the harvest of their hopes; concluding
such enormities the proper nurseries of impiety and therefore they repaired
to the place-, where having begun, Alderman Robert Johnson, Mr. Sheriff,
and divers godly men step in to see their sport. But -their sudden approach
changed the scene both of their play and countenances, so that the interlude,
proving ominous, boded no less than a tragedy to the actors, turning
the play into a tragi-comedy. After they had done they were apprehended
and examined before the Mayor and other justices of the Peace, and found
guilty of being common players of interludes, according to the statute
made in the Reign of Queen Elizabeth, and according to law adjudged
to be whipped which accordingly was performed in the public market place"
The
subject of the erection of a new theatre was brought before a public
meetting in December, 1784, and it was decided to build a new theatre
at an estimated cost of £2,000. At a meeting in July following,
the site and plans were determined on and it was decided to take steps
to obtain a Royal Patent. letters Patent were granted in 1787 which
enabled the promoters to call the theatre the Theatre Royal. The new
theatre was opened in January, 1788, having cost about £6,000
instead of £2,000 as first estimated.
