| Amharclann Ríoga Phort Láirge | |
| Waterford Theatre | |
 | |
  Theatre Royal WaterfordLocation within Ireland | |
| Address | The Mall Waterford Republic of Ireland |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 52°15′35″N 7°06′25″W / 52.2597°N 7.10696°W / 52.2597; -7.10696 |
| Public transit | Lombard Street bus stop (bus routes 607, 617, 627) Parnell Street bus stops Waterford Plunkett railway station (walk 1.5 km / 1 mile) |
| Type | theatre |
| Capacity | 430 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1785 |
| Renovated | 1876 |
| Architect | John Roberts |
| Website | |
| theatreroyal | |
The Theatre Royal Waterford is a theatre located in Waterford, Ireland.
History
The Theatre Royal was founded as a patent theatre in 1785, with playhouse and Assembly Rooms designed by local architect John Roberts; As You Like It was the first production. The Ball Room (Large Room) opened in 1788. James Sheridan Knowles's first work, Leo; or, The Gipsy, premiered at Waterford in 1810. The actress Maria Ann Campion was also associated with the theatre.
The theatre suffered a fire on 5 April 1837.
In November 1846, during the early part of the Great Famine, the theatre was "compelled to close its doors prematurely." At the time, a Mr Watkins Burroughs was manager.
The building was upgraded to its current form in 1876, under John Royston, who showed comedies and opera buffa. Oscar Wilde lectured at the Theatre Royal after his famous 1882 tour of the U.S. In January 1882 there was a small fire during a performance of H. M. S. Pinafore, but the manager calmed the audience and the fire was extinguished without loss of life.
Smoking was forbidden in 1882, as a fire control measure, rather than as a public health issue. Fred Jarman's Sarah was shown in 1892.
In the 1900s it showed musical theatre and silent movies, with guests including King Edward VII. In 1929 it showed the city's first talkie, The Singing Fool.
In the 1950s it was suggested that the performance area be closed and the theatre be converted into council offices, but instead it reopened in 1958, and a festival of light opera was founded. Jim Nolan founded Red Kettle Theatre Company in 1985 and staged his experimental play, The Gods Are Angry, Miss Kerr. Recently the theatre has been renovated again.
In 2016 the Theatre Royal was the victim of a bomb hoax, along with other buildings in the city.
The theatre closed during the COVID-19 pandemic; it reopened in August 2020 with a capacity of 100 people due to social distancing requirements.
Description
The theatre sits 430 people; the stage is under a proscenium arch 13.5 metres (44 ft) and measures 6.2 metres (20 ft) wide. Its depth is variable: 5.5 m (18 ft) at stage right and 7.5 m (25 ft) at stage left.
References
- "Arts Council annual report, 2016" (PDF).
- "Theatre Royal, Waterford, Waterford events". Entertainment.ie.
- Graham, Richard (3 April 1980). Cuisine for Cats. Jay Landesman. ISBN 9780905150185 – via Google Books.
- "Penny Cyclopaedia of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge: Supplement". C. Knight. 3 April 1851 – via Google Books.
- Blackburne, E. Owens (3 April 1877). "Illustrious Irishwomen: Being Memoirs of Some of the Most Noted Irishwomen from the Earliest Ages to the Present Century". Tinsley Bros. – via Google Books.
- "The Era Almanack, Dramatic & Musical". 3 April 1883 – via Google Books.
- "The Theatrical times". 3 April 1847 – via Google Books.
- "View source for Theatre Royal Waterford" – via Misplaced Pages.
- Bowring, sir John (3 April 1882). "The Westminster review [afterw.] The London and Westminster review [afterw.] The Westminster review [afterw.] The Westminster and foreign quarterly review [afterw.] The Westminster review [ed. by sir J. Bowring and other]" – via Google Books.
- ^ Manning, Cian (31 October 2019). Waterford City: A History. History Press. ISBN 9780750992978 – via Google Books.
- Ledger, Edward (3 April 1892). "The Era Almanack, Dramatic & Musical". Era – via Google Books.
- Jordan, Eamonn; Weitz, Eric (18 September 2018). The Palgrave Handbook of Contemporary Irish Theatre and Performance. Springer. ISBN 9781137585882 – via Google Books.
- "The Gods are Angry, Miss Kerr - PlayographyIreland".
- "History - Theatre Royal Waterford". www.theatreroyal.ie.
- Kane, Conor. "Waterford city buildings evacuated amid hoax bomb alert". The Irish Times.
- Falvey, Deirdre. "Virtual culture to enjoy in the week ahead". The Irish Times.
- Kane, Conor (17 September 2020). "Waterford's Theatre Royal increases seating to 100" – via www.rte.ie.
- "Theatre Royal - Venues - Irish Theatre". www.irishtheatre.ie.
External links
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