THEATRE ROYAL BURY ST EDMUNDS IS A VIBRANT 200-YEAR-OLD THEATRE LOCATED IN THE BEAUTIFUL SUFFOLK TOWN OF BURY ST EDMUNDS. FIRST BUILT IN 1819, IT WAS RESTORED TO ITS ORIGINAL REGENCY DESIGN IN 2007 AND AS A GRADE 1 LISTED BUILDING, IS THE ONLY THEATRE IN THE NATIONAL TRUST PORTFOLIO AND THE LAST WORKING REGENCY PLAYHOUSE IN THE COUNTRY.
Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds is a proud producing theatre, staging 3 in-house productions each year. Our annual pantomime is legendary, attracting 25,000 audiences each year and delighting generations of audiences. This year’s production is The Legend of Robin Hood starring Chris Clarkson as our pantomime dame for the sixth year running and Britain’s Got Talent’s Nerrine Skinner.
The theatre’s Summer School model has also proved very successful; designed to provide opportunities for young people to work alongside a professional cast and crew on a production. The most recent of which were The Secret Garden (2022), Goodnight Mister Tom (2018) (with Roy Hudd), Pride & Prejudice (2019), and Holes (2021). Our Spring productions work with some of the UK’s best talent to create distinctive, beautifully-staged plays, which then tour across the country. Recent productions have included A Christmas Carol, Around the World in Eighty Days and Home, I’m Darling. Theatre Royal also presents a vibrant year-round programme of drama, family shows, comedy, music, dance, community productions and more.
Home, I’m Darling photo credit to Dan Cole Media
Theatre Royal has a thriving Creative Learning programme working with schools and communities across our region. Children and young people have a multitude of ways to get involved with the theatre, through Youth Theatre, Holiday Workshops, After School Drama Clubs, Career Insight Days, Takeover Projects and Work Experience. Through our Community Engagement programme, we work with young people, disability groups, survivors of domestic abuse and people in recovery from substance abuse; with the aim of growing and enhancing local lives.
Visiting Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds is a unique historic experience, with many of the original Regency aspects of its’ design closely adhered to and preserved, it is a wonder to behold in its own right. Join us for behind-the-scenes tours of the building to discover more about the building’s fascinating history and the part it had to play in helping to shape the local area. You’ll even have a chance to tread the boards yourself!
We look forward to welcoming you to Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds.
