Theatre Royal, Bath

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The Theatre Royal in Bath is over 200 years old. It is one of the more important theatres in the UK outside London, with capacity for an audience of around 900.

Alongside the weekly touring productions which make up the majority of the Theatre Royal's programme, the Theatre Royal is host to several festivals each year, including the Bath Shakespeare Festival, the Bath International Puppet Festival and the Peter Hall Company Season. Many plays start at the Theatre Royal before their official opening in London.

The present main entrance to the Theatre Royal, in Saw Close, was built in 1720 by Thomas Greenway, and was Beau Nash's first house: Pevsner criticizes the mouldings of window-frames and of frieze and the volutes of the brackets of the door-hood as "characteristically overdone", and mentions Wood remarking on its "profuse ornament" and on how it was typical of a mason rather than an architect. The exterior of the building, with arches, pilasters, garlands and ornaments, is visible from Beauford Square, designed by George Dance the Younger and erected by John Palmer. The theatre itself was erected in 1805, replacing a former theatre of the same name, which is now a Freemason's Hall. After a fire in 1863 the interior was redone by C J Phipps.

The theatre is a Grade II listed building and is considered a prime example of Georgian architecture. The auditorium has tiers of ornate plasterwork, with sumptuous red and gilt decoration, and a majestic trompe l'oeil ceiling and glittering chandelier. It was extensively renovated in 1982, and refurbished in 1999.

In 1997 a studio theatre was built at the rear of the building on Monmouth Street, called The Ustinov Studio, named after the actor Peter Ustinov. It is the home of Britain's largest annual international festival of adult puppetry, and a venue for an eclectic range of drama, dance and classical music. The Ustinov Studio is currently closed for refurbishment, and will re-open in Autumn 2007.

In 2005 another new theatre was opened behind the Theatre Royal, the egg, which is a children's theatre, providing professional theatre productions for children and their families, alongside workshops and youth theatre productions. It also has the egg Cafe, a family friendly cafe, run by Chandos Deli.

The Theatre's Vaults Restaurant provides pre-show dinners and matinee lunches, and a suite of rooms (The 1805 Rooms) are available for functions.