Theatre Royal, Newcastle, Newcastle upon Tyne, Guide du visiteur et quoi faire à proximité

The Theatre Royal is Newcastle upon Tyne's grand playhouse on Grey Street, a Grade I listed building with a columned stone front that anchors one of the city's finest streets. It has staged drama, opera, ballet and pantomime for generations, and it is still a working theatre today.

The story behind it

Newcastle has had a Theatre Royal since the late 1700s, but the building you see on Grey Street dates from 1837. It was designed by the architect Benjamin Green as part of the great rebuilding of central Newcastle led by the developer Richard Grainger, which gave the city its elegant, curving streets of pale stone. Green also designed the Grey's Monument at the top of the street, so the theatre and the column were conceived as part of the same grand scheme.

The interior has had a more turbulent life than the facade. A fire in 1899 damaged the auditorium, and the theatre was refitted in the early 1900s by Frank Matcham, one of the best known theatre designers of the Victorian and Edwardian age. His richly decorated, horseshoe-shaped interior is what makes the house so loved by audiences.

What to look for

• The portico on the front, with its tall Corinthian columns, gives the building the look of a classical temple among the shops and cafes.
• Stand a little way up or down Grey Street and look along the gentle curve of the buildings, where the theatre sits among terraces built in the same period and the same pale stone.
• At the top of the street, look back at Grey's Monument, designed by the same architect, and notice how the theatre and the column frame the view.
• The posters and display boards at the entrance show what is currently on, from touring drama to opera, ballet and the annual pantomime.

Tips for your visit

• You only need ten to fifteen minutes to take in the exterior, but allow more if you want to photograph the whole sweep of Grey Street.
• The best way to see the inside is to book a performance. Check current opening hours and whether any tours or backstage visits are running.
• Morning light is kind to the facade, and the street is quieter then. In the evening the building is lit up as audiences arrive, which gives it a lively atmosphere.
• Grey's Monument, Grainger Market and the Central Arcade are all a short walk away, so the theatre fits easily into a stroll through the city centre.

See it on a quest

Murder Mystery: Death in the Shadows in Newcastle upon Tyne is a good way to see the Theatre Royal and the streets around it. You walk to it as one stop on a longer route through the city centre, the app tells you about each place as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle based on what is in front of you. It suits anyone who likes a dark, atmospheric mystery. One ticket covers the whole group, and you can start whenever you like, with no guide and no set departure time.