History of Theatre Royal Stratford East: 1884 - 1953

 

Actor-Manager Charles Dillon engaged Architect James George Buckle to design Stratford’s first permanent playhouse, the Theatre Royal, in 1884.

Application was made before the Stratford Magistrates for a licence to open a permanent theatre on 5th July 1884.

Plans to convert a local wheelwright’s shop were rejected by the West Ham Local Board as unsafe and improper. There was also objection from the Rev. R P Pelly, vicar of the local St. John’s Church on Stratford’s Broadway. He produced a petition against the proposed building, which was signed by the clergy of the district, and which urged:

"…that a theatre would not tend to the moral elevation of the people of the neighbourhood; that it would injuriously affect a respectable home for young ladies nearby; and that probably a low class of drama would be provided, so that it would become the resort of the lowest classes".

Despite Pelly’s objection, licence was granted to Dillon on the grounds that "it was easier to keep control over a licensed permanent theatre."

The first performance, a Grand Opening Night, was on Wednesday 17th December 1884 with Lytton Strachey's "Richelieu". Charles Dillon of course played the lead.

Dillon sold the theatre on to Albert O’Leary Fredericks.

Albert Fredericks was a 46-year old local coal merchant and had been part-financing the Theatre for some time.

The Theatre was to stay in the Fredericks family for nearly fifty years. Above the stage are the letters ‘FF’. Superstition has it said that if ever those letters were to be removed the Theatre would crumble to the ground.

In 1891 they decided that the stage was too small so they bought the Fishmongers shop, which was behind the Theatre at 61 Angel Lane. The stage went from 18 foot deep to its present 38 foot - one of the deepest stages in London. When Theatre Workshop (nearly seventy years later) transferred shows to London’s West End, they had to reduce the size of their sets.

In that part of his new property between the extended stage and Angel Lane, Albert provided two long bars, one for the Stalls and one above for the Dress Circle. It also gave him an office overlooking the Lane.

Albert O’Leary Fredericks died on Wednesday 26th June 1901.

The control of the Royal passed to Albert’s niece and adopted daughter Caroline Fredericks Ellis. She was Fredericks’ eldest child. Her brothers Fred Jr. and Sam helped her in the management of the Theatre.

In April 1902 she applied to West Ham Borough Council for supply of Electric current to the Theatre. She chose Frank Matcham, architect of the Borough Theatre, to supervise additional work. The theatre was entirely re-upholstered, re-seated and carpeted; electric light installed and stage boxes added to the auditorium. It re-opened on 12th May, 1902 as one of "the handsomest and cosiest of suburban theatres".

For the next five years a sequence of melodramas followed, showing again that there was a faithful and reliable audience for this type of drama.

The theatre remained in almost constant use as a live theatre and stayed open during the First World War.

Caroline suffered ill health during the last years of the war and died on 28th. August 1919. The Theatre passed to her brothers Fred and Sam.

Fred Frederickson was the Licensee and Sam continued the same programming until the Theatre was damaged by a fire that broke out at midnight on August Bank Holiday 1921.

The Theatre re-opened on 16th January 1922. The programmes continued as before.

Sam Fredericks died on 3rd December 1922.

During the 1923-25 period the Royal provided a series of Revues as an alternative to the usual melodramas.

The East End was going through the difficult post-war depression, and the Royal started losing its regular audiences. It reduced its prices and played twice nightly but it could not compete with the gloss of the Cinema. The Royal closed its doors the same week as the General Strike hit Britain in 1926.

An attempt was made in March 1932 to restart with a season of Melodramas. This was the last dramatic season that a member of the Fredericks family was to manage.

At the end of the year Fred began a programme of Revues and Variety but failed to attract an audience.

The Company closed on 11th February 1933.

A succession of different managers followed, all with different ideas as to how to boost the Theatre’s fortunes. None of them lasted. Inevitably the Theatre closed for some time during the Second World War.

In October 1946 David Horne took over. He and his wife Ann Farrer ran seasons of straight plays and kept the theatre going until the start of 1950.

It was during this period that he booked a Christmas show, Alice in Wonderland by a company called The Theatre Workshop. Thus the Company who were to return in 1953 and make the Theatre famous appeared for the first time.

During Horne’s stewardship the first play to be televised live from a theatre - Todd Slaughter in "Spring-Heeled Jack" - took place on Monday 16th January 1950. This was ironic as the rapid growth of television was a major difficulty in this era of the Theatre Royal’s life.

With the arrival of The Theatre Workshop Company in 1953 the Royal entered into its most exciting period. During their stay at the Royal, Theatre Workshop had a considerable effect upon theatrical technique in this country (1953 - 1979).