If you have never experienced the theatre tour at the Georgian Theatre Royal in Richmond, I can thoroughly recommend it.
During my recent visit to Britain's oldest working theatre in its original form I got a flavour of what it’s like with tour guide Gerry Broadbent.
Gerry also happens to be the chair of the Friends of the Georgian Theatre Royal and it’s his passion for this unique cultural and historic building that makes the tour a truly memorable experience.
You can see why all the positive feedback from people on Tripadvisor resulted in the theatre being awarded a Travelers’ Choice award for 2024 – recognition of the theatre tour being among the top ten percent of attractions worldwide.
It’s the highest honour Tripadvisor can bestow and is based on reviews and ratings collected over 12 months.
What makes it special is that it’s not a dusty museum-type tour. Gerry and his follow volunteer guides take you back to what it was like when Samuel Butler built the theatre in 1788.
While the theatre is remarkably unchanged from almost 240 years ago, the theatre-going experience is – thankfully. Gerry’s enthusiasm and extensive knowledge took me back to those days when the theatre would be packed with 400 people plus (its modern-day capacity is 200), performances would last many hours and, if you were stuck at the front of the auditorium, the chances of getting out to go to the toilet were non-existent!
The touring theatre groups would live collectively and in very cramped conditions backstage during a production’s run and you can still see the fireplace which was their sole source of heat, for warmth and cooking.
The tour really brings the Georgian theatre experience to life. You may not be able to, as the saying goes, smell the greasepaint or the aroma of the pit after a five-hour show but it is as near to the lived experience as you can get.
Talking of toilets – if you excuse the subject matter – the theatre has completed some refurbishment work which includes new ones. The work was carried out to address a issue with damp – something which comes with the (costly) territory of looking after an old historic building.
During my recent visit, I also had the chance to meet Aimee Shields, the youth theatre manager. She runs a programme of classes and workshops covering acting and musical theatre for young people aged six to 18 through the week and at weekends.
The group stages regular productions in the theatre and many of its ‘graduates’ have gone to appear in professional shows, at the Georgian and elsewhere.
My visit was a salutary reminder of how we can sometimes take for granted the great things on our doorstep. Like many of you, my family and I have enjoyed our annual visits to the theatre’s award-winning panto but there is so much more to the Georgian.
The tour is definitely worth an hour of your time (tours take place every hour between March and October) and if you have a budding young thespian in your midst, the youth theatre could be a springboard to a lot of fun – and just maybe a career in theatre.
