Futurist Theatre

The Futurist Theatre stood on Scarborough’s South Bay seafront, beside Foreshore Road. Built in 1921 to Frank Tugwell’s design, it opened as a cine-variety venue run by William Catlin. The building once wore gleaming white Carraraware tiles by Henry Doulton, though these were hidden for decades under yellow cladding. Inside, an Abbott and Smith organ played by Horace Shepherd filled the auditorium with music. By 1954 the cinema had a 38-feet wide CinemaScope screen and Western Electric sound. The theatre hosted stars like The Beatles, who performed twice in 1963 and 1964. Robert Luff’s productions of The Black and White Minstrel Show drew crowds between 1966 and 1974. A 1958 rebuild lengthened the stage four feet, while a 1967 extension added fifteen feet and a stage tower. At its peak the Futurist seated 2,393, making it the twelfth-largest theatre in Britain. Visitors found a grand auditorium with circle and balcony seating. The organ and stage hosted shows and films for decades. In summer the theatre filled with holiday crowds, and in 2011 Calendar Girls played to over 16,000 people. The building’s final years saw debate over its future before demolition in 2018.