Theatre News

Theatre Royal Stages Historic Auction

Editorial Staff

Theatre Royal Newcastle is to host a grand auction to sell off a wide range of its interior furnishings, including auditorium seats, before it ‘goes dark’ for its anniversary restoration this summer. The auction will take place on Sunday 6 March in the Theatre itself, and is open to the public.

Successful bidders on the day could walk away with their own piece of Theatre Royal history*, including seats from the auditorium, curtains, drapes, brass fittings and lights, coal scuttles and chandeliers. The first 200 people to arrive will also receive a complimentary refreshment and snack.

A total of 445 Auditorium Seats will be up for grabs, (comprising single seats plus lots of two, 10, 15 and 20), as well as 11 ‘Celebrity Seats’ – carrying the names of such greats as Sir Ian McKellen, Kenneth Brannagh and Ridley Scott.

The auction will take place in the Theatre Royal Auditorium, and doors will open at 1pm for bidders to register and browse the lots. Bidding will begin at 2pm with the help of local auction house Anderson & Garland.

The Theatre Royal is one of only seven Grade 1 Listed theatres in England and is regarded by many as the UK’s finest theatre building. Over 174 years it has been renovated many times, and following a major fire after a performance of Macbeth in 1899, the entire auditorium was re-designed by one of the world’s greatest theatre architects, Frank Matcham.

This 2011 restoration will recreate Matcham’s classic 1901 Edwardian auditorium design and also introduce the highest modern standards of comfort and improve energy efficiency. The auction will sell-off all the interior elements that aren’t authentic to this scheme and make way for new seating at all levels as well as new lighting and ventilation, fabrics, carpets, paintwork and extensive gold-leaf work.

The work, costing £4.75m in total, is set to take place between March and September this year in readiness for the Theatre’s 175th birthday in 2012. During this time, there will be no shows, but all the other Theatre functions will continue as normal, including the Learning programme and Box Office. There will also be a new Heritage Learning Programme for visitors to explore the Theatre’s colourful history.

To place a sealed bid, view terms and conditions or for more information, please e-mail hannah.griffith@theatreroyal.co.uk or call 0191 244 2599. More information can also be found on the Theatre Royal website.

*Please note, all items will be available for collection on 15 March only.