Theatre Royal, Windsor

The Theatre Royal, Windsor is located in the town of Windsor, Berkshire, England, directly across the road from Windsor Castle.

The present building was opened on 17 December 1910 after the previous theatre had burned down on 18 February 1908, under the ownership of Sir William Shipley.

With the coming of talking pictures, the theatre was turned into a cinema in 1929. Beginning in 1931 John Counsell (1905-1987) made several attempts to return the theatre to its roots, and by 1938 managed to form what became arguably England's best known repertory theatre with a standing company of actors, becoming a great success when members of the nearby Royal Family, when in residence at Windsor Castle, decided to attend. He and his actress wife Mary Kerridge worked ceaselessly for this theatre, which remained unsubsidized, until his retirement in 1986, the year before his death. The theatre became known as a tryout date for productions heading for the West End, and also started many a future star's career.

Sir Peter Hall staged his first professional play at the theatre in 1953, the same year that he graduated from Cambridge University.

In 1997, the West End impressario Bill Kenwright took over the management of the theatre.

George III

It was in 1793 that the theatre was built in the High Street. The opening play was inevitably a farce called Everyone Has His Faults. It was this theatre which George III invariably attended when in residence at the castle. One side of the lower tier of boxes was reserved for him and his entourage. The King and Queen were provided with capacious armchairs and presented with playbills printed on silk. At the conclusion of the performance, when the King had left the auditorium, there was a wild rush to see if any of these had been left behind as they were highly prized as souvenirs.During this time, the Windsor theatre was not open all the year round but only for the six weeks in the summer when Eton College was closed for holidays. It was obviously felt that a theatre constantly open would threaten the school work of those hardworking scions of the aristocracy who might never have won the Battle of Waterloo on their playing fields with such a nearby corruptive and seductive influence. Unfortunately the problems of management were no less than than those which beset anybody today who is rash enough to run a theatre for a living and in 1805 its proprietor sold the freehold to a dissenting sect who evicted the actors and turned the building into a chapel. The citizens of Windsor were furious and set a splendid example to their descendants by subscribing the £6,000 needed to build a fine new theatre on the site of the present building. This was opened in 1815 and continued with fluctuating fortunes until it was gutted by fire on 18th February 1908.

The fire in 1908

An account of the disaster in the local press seems more concerned with the prowess of the various fire brigades called to the scene than with the sad fact that Windsor was once more without a theatre. Fortunately its owner, Sir William Shipley, was a prosperous and public spirited man who was determined that the old building should be replaced by one worthy of its setting.

The present building was completed in 1910 and opened on 17th December that year. For some years Sir William remained in personal control of the theatre's activities. Like many businessmen, however, he found theatre management too bewildering, frustrating and unpredictable and in 1921 he leased the building to Messrs Collins and Gladwin. When Mr Collins died, Jack Gladwin became sole Lessee and successfully pursued a policy of housing touring companies of every kind.

The rise of the talking pictures

The coming of talking pictures in 1928 knocked the bottom out of business. A year or two later Mr Gladwin converted the theatre into a cinema and subleased it to a local syndicate who used it as a dumping ground for third-rate pictures.

Three years later John Counsell rescued it briefly from its ignominious fate. For eight months he strove in vain to establish a repertory company with very little capital and in face of the obstinate indifference of all but a faithful few of the public. After several attempts to start again, he eventually succeeded and formed a repertory company in March 1938. Six weeks later the theatre achieved some of its former glory. King George VI and Queen Elizabeth attended a performance of The Rose Without A Thorn. The next morning the theatre was headline news and from that moment it may be said that the Theatre Royal and its company were accepted as an essential part of the Windsor scene.This set a precedent which has been frequently followed by the present Queen and almost every other member of the Royal Family. In 1988 the company celebrated its fiftieth birthday, an occasion graced by the presence of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.

See also

* "The Merry Wives of Windsor" by William Shakespeare

External links

* [http://www.theatreroyalwindsor.co.uk/ Theatre website]
* [http://www.theatreroyalwindsor.co.uk/history.php History]