Theatre Royal Brighton
Theatre Royal Brighton is a historic Grade II listed theatre in Brighton, Sussex. The theater hosts musicals, plays, opera and ballet throughout the year, as well as Creative Learning events, workshops and courses. The venue has a capacity of 952 seats over four levels and features a wonderful Proscenium.
One of the oldest theatres in the country, Brighton’s Theatre Royal has a history that began over two hundreds years ago in 1806 when The Prince of Wales, George Augustus Frederick who later became Prince Regent and then King (George IV), approved the building of the theatre. It opened the following year on 27th June 1807. The opening performance for was Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
For it’s first fifty years the theatre struggled until it was bought and redeveloped by the actor Henry John Nye Chart in 1854. He hired the famous architect Charles James Phipps and soon the theatre became more financially successful and gained a respected reputation. When Henry died in 1876, his wife Ellen Elizabeth Nye Chart (also a thespian) took over and was one of the first female theatre managers. Ellen further built upon the success and reputation of the theatre.
In recent years the theater has hosted popular shows such as Priscilla Queen of the Desert, The Rocky Horror Show and Spamalot in order to appeal to a wider audience. The theatre was bought by the Ambassador Theatre Group in 1999 who have developed the infrastructure of the theatre, as well as investing in new productions and creating alliances with arts organizations.
In 2007 the theatre celebrated it’s 200th anniversary with a year of special events including a visit by Queen Elizabeth II when Her Majesty renamed a box in the theater The Queen Elizabeth II Box.
Please note the following when attending the Theatre Royal Brighton:
- The theatre can be reached from outside the city by train and is only a short 10 to 15 minute walk from Brighton train station.
- By car use the M23 using the signs to reach the city centre.
- There are 3,000 parking spaces in the city, with the nearest to the theatre being NCP on Church Street which is only £5 between 5:50 pm and midnight (Monday to Sunday).
- There are four wheelchair spaces available at the stalls. The first Box Office counter is at a suitable height for wheelchair users.
- There are bars at every levels that can take orders from drinks during the intervals.
- The Parlour, a new cafe on New Road serves coffee, pastries and savoury snacks.
- Rooms are available for hire for conferences and meetings.
- There is no cloakroom.
- The theater uses a Sennheiser infra-red sound amplification system. Make sure to ask for a compatible seat when booking. Headsets are available for access to the infra-red system. The first counter in the box office is fitted with an induction system for the hard of hearing.
- Guide dogs are welcome.
- An accessible toilet is available on the ground floor.
- Box Office opening hours are 10am-8pm on show days and 10am-6pm on non-show days.
You can find the address here, get contact details here and take a look at the seating plan here.