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1 Richmond Theatre - History
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[edit] Richmond Theatre - History

First theatre on the Green was The Theatre Royal in 1765

A theatre is said to have existed in Richmond as early as 1715. Another one called the Old Theatre was built on the slope of the hill in 1719 on the site of an old stable for donkeys; its licence was forfeited in 1756, and ten years later a new theatre was opened on the Green where Garrick House now stands, the prologue for the occasion being written by David Garrick. Edmund Kean acted here in 1817 and took a great fancy to Richmond; he became the lessee of the theatre in 1831, and took up his residence in the house connected with it. He died and was buried at Richmond in 1833. This theatre was pulled down in 1886, and another one built in 1889, but it was not found to pay. A new theatre of varieties has been lately erected on the little green adjacent to the large Green.

The Theatre Royal, Richmond Green : 1765-1884The theatre stood on the south-west side of the Green, at the top of Old Palace Lane, on a site adjacent to that now occupied by Garrick Close. The first manager (also thought to have been responsible for its erection) was an actor, James Dance – known on the stage as ‘Mr. Love’. The interior design of the theatre caused widespread interest. The lobby was as spacious as in either of the theatres of Drury Lane or Covent Garden. The unconventional dark panelling of the auditorium helped to focus attention on the lighted stage when the curtain was raised. Most of the audience was accommodated in boxes. There was one gallery and a large orchestra pit. The theatre first opened on 15thJuly 1765 with the comic opera Love in a Village. A special prologue was written for this occasion by David Garrick and was delivered by the manager himself. Within a year of the theatre’s opening, the stage was enlarged and other improvements were made. George III and Queen Charlotte became patrons. On their first visit, three of the boxes were formed into one for the reception of the royal family and suite, other boxes being erected on the stage to assist in the accommodation of the audience. During the first 30 years or so of the theatre’s existence, many famous actors appeared on its stage, including Mrs. Jordan, the elder Macready, Mrs Baddeley and Charles Dibdin. In October 1807, Sarah Siddons played her celebrated role of Lady Randolph in the tragedy of Douglas. In 1831, Edmund Kean became the lessee and took up residence in the house adjoining the theatre. He had played there on a number of occasions earlier in his career, during Klanert’s management. He was now past his prime, however, and his declining health had increased his long-held desire to manage a playhouse in some salubrious rural area. Richmond seemed ideal, though, as he still felt bound to fulfil engagements elsewhere in the country and in Ireland, his health grew worse rather than better. His death at Richmond on 15thMay 1833 marked the end of a legendary era of heroic acting in the British theatre. (See Local History Notes: Edmund Kean at Richmond). lighting was installed in the first half of the 19thcentury, probably during the management of Miss Desborough who took over the theatre in 1837. Perhaps the most prosperous time for the theatre in the Victorian period was during the 12 or 13 years from 1858 onwards. There was now a new generation of local nobility to act as patrons: these included the Duke and Duchess of Teck and the Duc d’Aumale. Plays produced at this time included East Lynne and Jeanie Deans. The last proprietor was John Russell, whose first season opened in July 1880. After an initial success, attendance quickly dropped and the shortage of actors willing to play at the theatre led the unfortunate manager to engage street entertainers, which did nothing to please the diminishing audiences. In the early 1880s the old playhouse was finally closed and was demolished in 1884. Garrick House was built on the site, but was also demolished in 1961 when Garrick Close – a development of 6 houses - was erected. The New Theatre/Theatre Royal : 1890-1899In 1889, F.C. Mouflet, proprietor of the Greyhound Hotel in George Street and who also owned the Assembly Rooms of the Castle Hotel, converted the banqueting room of the Castle Hotel into the New Theatre. It opened on Easter Monday 1890 and changed its name to the Theatre Royal in 1891. By 1910, it was being advertised as the Cinematograph Palace – Richmond’s first cinema and in 1915, it was the Castle Rooms. By the 1950s the Castle Assembly Rooms had become a popular ballroom and were reopened in 1952 after extensive renovations. Another facelift followed in 1966, but by 1971 the ballroom had acquired a rather dubious reputation. Although still popular, it was closed down in 1981 after many complaints by local residents and the owners decided to operate it only as a public house. The Castle was demolished in 1984 when the whole riverside site was redeveloped to a design by architect Quinlan Terry and was opened by Queen Elizabeth in 1988. Richmond Theatre : 1899Mouflet decided that what Richmond needed was a purpose-built theatre. So he acquired a site on the Little Green next to the public library and commissioned Frank Matcham – the leading theatre architect of the day – to design it. On 18thSeptember 1899, the Richmond Theatre and Opera House opened with a performance of Shakespeare’s As you like it. theatre went through several name changes until 1924 when it reverted to the Richmond Theatre. – the name that still is used today

[edit] Blind-backs

others were built so that they looked like ordinary houses from the outside with a central porch. In fact, these were two blind-backs, each consisting of four single-room houses, probably accommodating 30 or more people.