News

Thanks to a generous £375,000 donation from the Hamish Ogston Foundation, we have been able to use the lockdown period to complete an ambitious capital works project to provide new comfortable seating and improved views of the stage.

The three-tier, courtyard-style auditorium has also been completely re-decorated, new stage and auditorium lighting has been installed, and a mural depicting a lively Georgian audience is an additional feature behind the boxes.

Further grants from the Theatres Trust, the Pilgrim Trust, the Foyle Foundation and the Normanby Trust have also meant that the Theatre has been able to replace old boilers and install a modern Building Management System. This has been done alongside the auditorium work and will greatly improve both the effectiveness and efficiency of the ventilation and heating in the Grade I Listed building.

If you would like to see for yourself what has been going on behind the scenes - and try out the new seating - then why not take one of our fascinating guided back-stage tours which are running from now until the end of October.

The Georgian Theatre Experience is one of the area’s most popular tourist attractions. The visit includes a full guided tour of the auditorium, dressing rooms and stage, as well as access to the exhibition area, which features the Woodland Scene – Britain’s oldest surviving stage scenery painted between 1818 and 1836 – as well as old playbills, pantomime props and Georgian costumes.

Tours will run on the hour from 10am until 4pm from Monday to Saturday. Visitors do not need to book for tours but groups of more than four people are asked to call ahead of their visit on 01748 825252 to make sure that numbers for each tour do not exceed the viable limit for effective social distancing.

Entrance costs are only £5 per adult and £2 for children with tickets valid for 12 months to enable repeat visits. The Georgian Theatre Experience can be accessed from the main entrance of the Theatre on Victoria Road.