A bust of the composer and musician William Vincent Wallace (1812–1865) stands outside the Theatre Royal.
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.[4] The actress Maria Ann Campion was also associated with the theatre.[5]
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.[7]
The building was upgraded to its current form in 1876, under John Royston, who showed comedies and opera buffa.[8]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.[9]
Smoking was forbidden in 1882, as a fire control measure, rather than as a public health issue.[10] Fred Jarman's Sarah was shown in 1892.[11]
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.[12][13] Recently[when?] the theatre has been renovated again.[14]
In 2016 the Theatre Royal was the victim of a bomb hoax, along with other buildings in the city.[15]
The theatre closed during the COVID-19 pandemic; it reopened in August 2020 with a capacity of 100 people due to social distancing requirements.[16][17]
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.[18]
