Theatre Royal, Dumfries

The Theatre Royal stands in the centre of Dumfries, a town in south-west Scotland. It is the oldest working theatre in the country and has survived thanks to the Guild of Players, who bought it in 1959. The building has hosted plays since 1792 and has been known by its present name since 1811. Robert Burns helped raise money for its first stone, laid in 1790. The theatre has seen many changes, including a major renovation in 1876 by Charles J. Phipps, who also worked on London’s Gaiety Theatre. The theatre is worth visiting because it links Scotland’s theatrical past with its present. George Stephen Sutherland, the first manager, came from Ayr and once ran the Tontine Assembly Rooms in Paisley. John Henry Alexander, a later lessee, moved on to run the Theatre Royal in Glasgow. J. M. Barrie, author of Peter Pan, often attended performances here during his youth in Dumfries. The theatre’s stage was improved in 1830 and again in 1876, when its seating grew to over a thousand. Inside, visitors find a theatre that still stages live performances. The Guild of Players puts on five plays a year plus a Christmas pantomime. Scottish Opera and Scottish Ballet have also performed on its stage. The building has a maple floor installed for roller skating in the early 1900s, before it became a cinema called The Electric Theatre. Today it remains a lively part of Dumfries, hosting festivals and new productions.