Theatre Royal

Theatre Royal in Plymouth stands on George Street in the city centre. It is a large theatre with three performance spaces: the 1,300-seat Lyric for musicals and opera, the 200-seat Drum for new plays, and the 50-seat Lab for smaller works. A separate building, TR2 by the River Plym, houses rehearsal studios and workshops for making sets and costumes. In 2019 a bronze sculpture called Messenger was placed outside, showing a crouching actor. The theatre receives regular funding as a National Portfolio Organisation from Arts Council England. The theatre’s history began in 1758 when a playhouse opened at the top of George Street. After King George III visited in 1789 it became the Theatre Royal. In 1813 John Foulston’s neo-classical building opened with thick walls and cast-iron structure to resist fire. A serious blaze in 1878 was repaired within months. The 1930s saw the old theatre replaced by a cinema, which later partly reverted to theatre use before closing in 2019. The present theatre, designed by the Peter Moro Partnership, opened in 1982 and is noted for its brutalist style. Inside, the Lyric’s auditorium can shrink from 1,315 seats to 787 for intimacy, with two galleries and a large stage arch. It hosts touring drama, opera and ballet companies including Birmingham Royal Ballet and Welsh National Opera. The Drum won the Peter Brook Empty Space Award in 2007 for its new plays. TR2 on the riverbank runs extensive education programmes. Outside, the Messenger sculpture and the theatre’s frontage give a sense of Plymouth’s cultural life.