Exterior view of the Theatre Royal, Christchurch, prior to opening
Exterior view of the Theatre Royal, Christchurch, prior to opening
[1907]
"The people of Christchurch, in seeing the need to establish a venue for the local music society to perform, constructed the Music Hall on the original site in 1863. Then a visiting American actor conceived the idea of a theatre. This met with the approval of the society and in 1863 after some structural alterations the venue was re-opened and re-named the Royal Princess Theatre. Productions staged until the building's demolition in 1876 included Shakespeare's Richard II, King Henry IV, The Merchant of Venice, and other classics like Don Giovanni. The second theatre was opened eighteen weeks after the closure. The present Theatre Royal, which stands opposite the original site in Gloucester Street, opened 25 Feb. 1908 with a performance of The Blue Moon. Today, after 82 years of progress in art and technology, sadly the Theatre Royal only plays a minor part in Christchurch's live theatre". -- The Press:, 4 Oct. 1905, p. 7/ 8; The Press, 26 Feb. 1908, p. 7.
File Reference CCL-KPCD02-0061
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