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Royalty (The) Royalty Theatre Sunderland NORTHERN REGION Show Location This Theatre is a Full Member of the LTG

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Year Ending 31st Aug - 2011

Productions Production Author Comment % Capacity Seats Sold Blithe Spirit No?l Coward 51 549 Journey's End R.C Sherriff 42 455 Jack and the Beanstalk Jonny Chambers 97 2044 Macbeth William Shakespeare 73 791 Unexpected Guest (The) Agatha Christie 85 923 Funny Money Ray Cooney 57 612 Thoroughly Modern Millie Richard Morris, Dick Scanlan, Jeanine Teson 76 823       Total: 6197

Report on Year On stage, the Royalty has seen a notable increase in ticket sales, which were 22% up on the previous season and an 11% improvement on the 2009/10 season. A well-received pantomime this year saw us return to the usual 97%. Our Macbeth figures were greatly enhanced by a visit from Sir Ian McKellen.We pulled out all the publicity stops for Sir Ian’s visit; the figures show this definitely contributed to our success for the rest of the season.We managed to pull off our very first musical Thoroughly Modern Millie, which was generally well received by audiences, it even made a healthy profit. The inclusion of a musical in the season has caused much ‘debate’ among executive members but although the show attracted new audiences the Royalty will be sticking to plays in future. We are still in the process of upgrading our studio theatre to enable us to stage more risky productions. A great deal of sorting out of our technical equipment has also taken place.We are also exploring new and diverse marketing methods, a visit from a world famous actor seemed to do the trick last year. Plans for 2011/2012: Productions of: The Diary of Ann Frank, Nightmare, The Fright of Your Life, Sinbad the Sailor, The Flint Street Nativity, Natural Causes, Keeping Tom Nice, My Own Show and Hi De Hi.

Year Ending 31st Aug - 2010

Productions Production Author Comment % Capacity Seats Sold Bones Peter Straughan 46 460 Come Back To the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean Ed Graczyk 33 330 Old King Cole David Farn 58 1378 Snake in the Grass Alan Ayckbourn 44 440 Privates on Parade Peter Nichols 64 640 Ancient Lights Shelagh Stephenson 37 370 Improbable Fiction Alan Ayckbourn 41 410 Bouncers John Godber Studio 100 240       Total: 4268

Report on Year Renovation projects have continued throughout the season, most significantly the whole building has been re-wired in order to comply with modern health and safety regulations. More fundraising is still required, especially if we hope to carry out further renovation work on the front of the building, and improve our studio facility. The studio space is long overdue for refurbishment with our existing lighting rig being condemned as unsafe. We are continuing to apply for funding where appropriate however the current economic climate is not helping with our efforts. On stage, the Royalty continued to perform a varied and largely well-received season, even though audience figures again remained disappointing. The 2009/2010 season started with what was thought to be the first amateur premiere of local writer Peter Straughan’s dark comedy Bones, which was performed for the Northern Regional LTG conference guests in September. Old King Cole, written by David Farn (a long standing member of the theatre), marked a return to the old style pantomimes with plenty of audience participation and popular family fun. Although audience members fell dramatically this year the show did bring welcome fresh actors to the stage all of whom have stayed with us and gone on to perform several other roles. A production of the ever popular Bouncers was produced in the studio, this sell out production proved a great hit with our increasingly diverse audience. The season ended with an unusual staging of Improbable Fiction, which was a great challenge to the actors, director and wardrobe with over 50 costume changes. This show left the audience, bemused, baffled but highly amused and was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone involved. Due to pressure from audience members who hold a dislike of any strong language, next season sees us return to a very safe selection of plays including comedy, drama and our very first ever musical, with not a swear word to be heard all year, well not on stage at least. Plans for 2010/2011: Productions of: Blithe Spirit, Journey’s End, Jack and the Beanstalk, Macbeth, The Unexpected Guest, Funny Money and Thoroughly Modern Millie.

Year Ending 31st Aug - 2009

Productions Production Author Comment % Capacity Seats Sold Ladies Day Amanda Whittington 53 640 Gameplan Alan Ayckbourn 46 552 Hot House (The) Harold Pinter 46 550 Katherine Howard William Nicholson 37 450 Breathing Corpses Laura Wade 40 480 Graduate, (The) Terry Johnson 58 700 Cinderella 86 2060       Total: 5432

Report on Year The close season of summer 2009 saw improvements to the theatre's antiquated heating system and non-stage lighting, the long-overdue installation of a damp-proofing course and a complete rewiring of the building's electrics. The old and frankly unattractive concrete canopy at the front of the theatre was replaced by a smaller and more modern version and both the foyer and bar area were given a much needed make-over. In truth, much of the work should have been done years or even decades ago, but a number of factors, including a report from local authority health and safety experts, made the need for action more urgent. The improvements cost in the region of ?60,000 with the bulk of the money coming via grants from various funding bodies (though not the Arts Council, who turned down our initial application but have encouraged us to apply in the future). It has been a long and sometimes frustrating task ploughing through the necessary red tape, but once the 2009/2010 season began we were at least able to see the first positive results. More fundraising is still required, especially if we hope to carry out further renovation work on the front of the building. But there is a general feeling of having turned a corner and thanks to the collective efforts of a small but hard-working team, there is a 'buzz' about the place which has been absent too long. On stage, the 'Royalty' continued to perform a varied and largely successful season, even though audience figures again remained disappointing. The 2008/2009 season included what was thought to be the amateur premiere of Laura Wade's quirky and thought-provoking Breathing Corpses, which required the stagemanagement team to come up with an ingenious relolving set - those with long memories can recall the last time we had such a revolve was probably for Noises Off some years ago. The Hothouse was in the middle of rehearsals when news broke of Harold Pinter's death; one of his first stage plays it is now 50 years old but retains the capacity to puzzle those who perhaps don't see much in the way of drama. A number of audience members commented that while they thoroughly enjoyed the production, they weren't sure what it was all about. The season ended with a popular staging of The Graduate, which saw one of our own youth academy graduates successfully take on the role of Ben Braddock, played in the original film version by Dustin Hoffman. And in a number of other shows the youth academy members were in the fore, keeping the 'old hands' keen and giving us a glimpse of those who may form the theatre's main acting strength in years to come. Plans for 2009/2010: Productions of: Bones, Come Back to the Five and Dime Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean, Old King Cole, Snake in the Grass, Privates on Parade, Ancient Lights and Improbable Fiction.

Year Ending 31st Aug - 2008

Productions Production Author Comment % Capacity Seats Sold Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (The) Jay Presson Allen (after Muriel Spark) 54 700 Blue Murder Peter Nichols 42 544 Dick Whittington John Morley 96 2281 Weir (The) Conor McPherson 44 570 Murdered to Death Peter Gordon 62 804 Cooking with Elvis Lee Hall 49 635 Brassed Off Mark Herman (ad. Paul Allen) 70 907       Total: 6441

Report on Year Along with many LTG companies (and a far number of professional venues as well) it continues to be hard work persuading people to leave the comfort of their sofas and spend a night in an old, sometimes draughty theatre. To improve our creature comforts the coming months will see the rather elderly heating units replaced with a modern, more energy-efficient system. This should keep the place better protected against the cold north-east winds while at the same time reducing our gas and electricity bills. Work is also progressing on a renovation of the front of the theatre, which has essentially remained untouched - bar the odd lick of paint - for decades. This will not come cheap but our initial approaches to various funding bodies have gone well. We hope to turn their words of encouragement into hard cash within the next twelve months and set a start date for the work. The end result will be a more modern, eye-catching frontage, which should make the Royalty more prominent and hopefully will attract more customers in through the doors. On stage the 2007-08 season demonstrated our commitment to a wide range of productions; while safe bets such as Murdered to Death generally went down well, some audience members were left puzzled by the theatrical sleights of hand of Blue Murder, while a few protested at the bawdiness of Cooking with Elvis. But no one complained with the season finale of Brassed Off, which married the acting talents of the company with the musical skills of the Chester-le-Street Riverside Band. The band members threw themselves into the production and enjoyed the experience so much they are coming back in the spring for a more traditional concert. The main development offstage was the establishment of a much-needed youth academy, taking in acting and singing talent aged 12 to 18. Over the years various youth theatres have come and gone, some more successful than others. But the latest attempt has been set up on far more professional lines and has quickly proved popular. The academy members have already staged an end-of-term show as well as running a week-long summer school which culminated in a full-scale production of The Little Shop of Horrors. Various projects are also in hand to integrate the youth and adult sections of the company and judging by the enthusiasm and talent already demonstrated, the future looks in good hands. Plans for 2008/09: Productions of: Ladies Day; GamePlan; Cinderella; The Hothouse; Katherine Howard; Breathing Corpses and The Graduate.

Year Ending 31st Aug - 2007

Productions Production Author Comment % Capacity Seats Sold Popcorn Ben Elton 51 553 Misery Stephen King 50 542 Aladdin John Morley 99 2347 Comic Potential Alan Ayckbourn 54 585 Romeo and Juliet William Shakespeare 48 510 Teechers John Godber 57 606 Moon Over Buffalo Ken Ludwig 49 531 Dumb Waiter (The) Harold Pinter Studio - Double Bill 73 176 One For the Road Harold Pinter Studio - Double Bill 73 0       Total: 5850

Report on Year After a reasonable 2005-06 season a slightly more positive note was to be heard through much of the following twelve months. While it still proved an uphill struggle to encourage people through the doors there was a small, but welcome increase in audience numbers, with attendances up by around 5 per cent across the season. Teechers was the most popular draw aside from the pantomime; a studio double production of The Dumb Waiter and One for the Road by Harold Pinter also gathered good crowds. Behind the scenes the executive committee was kept busy dealing with the terms and conditions imposed by the new fire policies and Health and Safety issues. Our finances remain sound and we could afford it without having to cut other costs, but how many LTG venues were placed under a financial strain to - essentially - carry on as they were? We are also putting in plans to improve and modernise the front of the theatre. As part of the continuing quest for new audiences we tried out Saturday matinees for two shows other than the panto as a way of looking into more flexible ways for people to book seats, however this proved that it was not viable and we have decided not to do matinee performances in the next season. The season now under way provides plenty to look forward to. Let us hope the green shoots of recovery seen last year continue to grow. Plans for 2007/2008: Productions of: The Prime of Miss Jean Broadie, Blue Murder, Dick Wittington, The Weir, Murdered to Death, Cooking with Elvis and Brassed Off.

Year Ending 31st Aug - 2006

Productions Production Author Comment % Capacity Seats Sold Murder Room (the) Jack Sharkey 51 553 Th?r?se Raquin Leslie Sands 45 483 Dead Funny Terry Johnson 56 602 Role Play Alan Ayckbourn 58 627 Humble Boy Charlotte Jones 48 510 Darling Buds of May (The) HE Bates 61 664 Babes in the Wood Damian Trasler, David Lovesy and Steve Clark 99 2347 Anastasia File (The) Royce Ryton Studio 82 198       Total: 5984

Report on Year

Year Ending 31st Aug - 2005

Productions Production Author Comment % Capacity Seats Sold Patrick Pearse Motel Hugh Leonard 46 498 Neville's Island Tim Firth 45 488 Night Mother Marsha Norman 38 409 Breezeblock Park Willy Russell 54 658 Experiment with an Air-Pump Shelagh Stephenson 44 473 Dracula Liz Lochhead 42 459 Jack and the Beanstalk Steve Clark, Damian Trasler and David Lovesy 12 Perf 100 2364       Total: 5349

Report on Year It is fair to say 2004-05 was not a season to be remembered fondly. Although the productions themselves remained of a high standard, and were invariably both well-acted and directed, Sunderland folk stubbornly refused to get off their sofas to see for themselves. The slow decline in audience numbers over the previous few years gathered pace at an alarming rate. As always the Pantomime was a welcome exception, but it was hard to shake the despondency for all those involved when even a potential hit such as Dracula failed to stir the box office to life. Striking a more positive note, we have applied a lighter touch to the line-up for the coming season in the hope that some absentees may be tempted through the doors. An intensive marketing campaign is in place to try to stimulate interest, overseen by a new Chair and some new faces on the Executive Committee. Highlights included a production of Kindertransport in the intimate setting of the Studio Theatre, while Breezeblock Park provided plenty of laughs and stirred nostalgic memories of 70?s fashions and fads. Neville?s Island, staged in the first week of November, had real fireworks outside on the Friday night of the run to coincide with the scripted explosions in the play! Off stage, outside bookings of the theatre and facilities remain constant and with the continued support of our main sponsors the Theatre?s finances remain sound. Many of our acting members also continue to gain professional experience, either in touring productions or at venues such as the Customs House in nearby South Shields. A sense of having turned a corner is definitely in the air as we prepare to mark the Royalty?s 80th anniversary. Let us hope the next twelve months end as positively as they have begun. Plans for 2005-6: Productions of: The Murder Room, Therese Raquin, Dead Funny, Roleplay, Humble Boy, Darling Buds of May and Babes in the Wood

Year Ending 31st Aug - 2004

Productions Production Author Comment % Capacity Seats Sold Mr. Wonderful James Robson 52 564 Our Day Out Willy Russell 68 740 Old King Cole David Farn 100 2219 Skylight David Hare 48 521 Wyrd Sisters Terry Pratchett 72 779 Real Inspector Hound (The) Tom Stoppard One Act 57 616 Black Comedy Peter Shaffer One Act 57 616 Dry Rot John Chapman 67 721       Total: 6776

Report on Year When the 2003-04 line-up was published the general reaction was one of approval for what seemed a balanced selection of plays. However, a mix-up over licences meant two of the scheduled productions could not go ahead so a frantic search began for alternatives. This hiccup aside, the theatre enjoyed a steady season on stage although there was another slight, but worrying, fall in audience levels. It remains an uphill battle trying to cultivate a theatregoing mentality in the good folk of Sunderland. Highlights included a joint collaboration with our resident youth theatre, NADA (Northern Academy of Dramatic Art). Willy Russell?s Our Day Out played to enthusiastic crowds, even if those with more delicate ears found the musical numbers a little loud. The pantomime was, as ever, hugely popular and one of the replacement plays, the stage version of Wyrd Sisters, brought in fans of Terry Pratchett?s Discworld books who had never heard of the Royalty before, let alone seen one of our shows. The need for a large cast also gave several new actors their chance, including one recruit who at 6` 7? tall was the obvious choice to make the most of a brief but memorable appearance by ?Death?! The other replacement play, a double-bill of Black Comedy and The Real Inspector Hound slotted into the May gap effectively; the slightly dated but surprisingly durable farce Dry Rot then left audiences happy as summer approached. As we throw ourselves into rehearsals for the first production of the new season, it is positive news that for the first time in several years every play is sponsored. The Green Room has enjoyed a much-needed lick of paint and the executive committee features several new faces. Let?s hope they bring with them plenty of new ideas for the future.

Year Ending 31st Aug - 2003

Productions Production Author Comment % Capacity Seats Sold Out of Order Ray Cooney 66 851 I Have Been Here Before JB Priestley 57 739 Goldilocks & the Three Bears John Morley 95 2052 Small Hours (The) Francis Durbridge 59 765 Tempest (The) William Shakespeare 58 752 Rise and Fall of Little Voice (The) Jim Cartwright 97 1017 'Allo 'Allo Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft 97 1257 Under Milk Wood Dylan Thomas 0 0       Total: 7433

Report on Year Our 77th attempt to try and formulate the ideal season! The usual mix of styles, tastes, comedies, classics and ?sure-fire? box office winners. Well that was the plan anyway! Whilst our business sponsorship, bar takings and pantomime receipts mean we can occasionally afford to turn a blind eye to a ?bums on seats? strategy we have to be constantly aware that attendances around 50% capacity are not healthy and attractive when you are trying to woo potential new sponsors ? it is a delicate balancing act or vicious circle, depending on your point of view and one which exercises our play selection group every year. A joint venture with Northern Academy (our Youth Theatre) of Under Milk Wood in the studio, was a huge success both critically and financially. The plan will be to repeat the experience with a new play in the Main Theatre, next year. The energy, talent and confidence shown by the Youth Theatre is mind-blowing ? if only they did not have to move away! As a reflection of the standards we try and achieve, two of our directors and a couple of our actors have joined the professional ranks and one of our actresses is now at Guildhall studying performing arts. David Farn, another member had his new play Distant Sun performed at the Edinburgh Festival starring Derek Fowlds and the cast of Heartbeat. We continue to receive superb support from the local press (The Sunderland Echo) with both pre-show publicity (normally with photograph) and a review virtually guaranteed. It is a huge benefit in terms of the theatre?s profile and has a direct effect on our ?walk in? audience. The common difficulty of finding a production team after casting has been completed, continues to cause concern and with a number of retirements from key positions at the end of this season the situation had to be radically reviewed. An open forum was held separate from the AGM where everyone was given the opportunity to suggest alternative approaches and solutions and the results were very encouraging. A new framework with an empowered Production Group has been formed with a hope that those recruited are retained and are guided in best practice. Watch this space! At time of going to press our city?s glossy 32 page Cultural Strategy has just been published and theatre/drama gets only a one line mention ? that is the desert in which we operate.

Year Ending 31st Aug - 2002

Productions Production Author Comment % Capacity Seats Sold Chorus of Disapproval (A) Alan Ayckbourn 67 865 Play It Again Sam Woody Allen 69 888 Two Jim Cartwright 55 710 Dick Whittington Norman Robbins 91 1170 Memory of Water (The) Shelagh Stephenson 72 925 Single Spies Alan Bennett 60 774 Deep Blue Sea (The) Terence Rattigan 52 672       Total: 6004

Report on Year It is good to see Jim Gardiner back at the theatre, a man of much acting and directing experience, especially when he consented to become our new Chairman, welcome Jim. As manpower, (is that politically correct?), is still at a premium, we stayed with seven plays this season but we hope to utilise the additional talent NADA has brought to our portals. The locally based National Academy of Dramatic Art began classes in our theatre just over a year ago and since then ex-students have been involved in our productions. Nearly 100 strong, it is wonderful to have youth active in our theatre again and we are looking forward to this partnership having a greater involvement next season. Our first two productions this season brought directors new to our stage, one debut and one very experienced, both very welcome additions. We also had the pleasure of entertaining David Parfitt, our Patron, on the sponsors night of our final production, an evening he thoroughly enjoyed. Finally, it is with great sadness that I report the death of Harry Dawes, a man with a wealth of acting and directing experience here and in other theatres across the country. I am sure many of you will remember him. He was a truly theatrical person and will be greatly missed.

Year Ending 31st Aug - 2001

Productions Production Author Comment % Capacity Seats Sold Hay Fever No?l Coward 66 855 C.O.D Michael Cooney 84 1085 Wait Until Dark Frederick Knott 79 1023 Shirley Valentine Willy Russell 65 842 Henry V William Shakespeare 65 842 Kafka's Dick Alan Bennett 60 737 Sinbad Jim Sperinck 98 1279       Total: 6663

Report on Year

Year Ending 31st Aug - 2000

Productions Production Author Comment % Capacity Seats Sold Tons of Money Will Evans and Valentine Evans (ad. Alan Ayckbourn) 68 737 Salt of the Earth John Godber 72 779 Hickory Dickory and the Millennium Bug Jim Sperinck 97 2304 Dead Guilty Richard Harris 83 894 Midsummer Night's Dream (A) William Shakespeare 67 726 My Cousin Rachel Daphne du_Maurier (ad. Diana Morgan) 77 830 Accrington Pals (The) Peter Whelan 67 723 Communicating Doors Alan Ayckbourn 70 757 Talking Heads Alan Bennett 97 351       Total: 8101

Report on Year Well we certainly got the new millennium off to a flying start. Not only an extra production on last year, but overall attendances were up by a magnificent 10%, to 70%. As the programme was compiled under considerable pressure, in weeks instead of months, this is especially gratifying. Opening with a laugh and closing with the ever favourite, Ayckbourn. Alongside this we were fortunate to continue to see a large proportion of young actors on stage, well under 50 anyway! The ever popular Dream did not disappoint with the large cast ranging in age from seven to over seventy. I am also pleased to report that we are now very honoured to have a patron, David Parfitt, internationally acclaimed director and Oscar winning producer. Having Sunderland roots he was delighted to accept and we officially welcome him and look forward to a long and happy association. We are also very lucky to welcome the volunteered services of chartered accountant Simon Lundy. He joined the executive committee this season. As we all know there is an ever-growing need to keep one's theatre alive and thriving and in the view of political pressure to be more involved in the community various avenues have been and will continue to be, explored. The AGM raised the issue of the building's facade, which would benefit greatly by a facelift. Hopefully the new exec. will take this on board. We lose our chairman, Martin Wallwork and vice Mike Kirk, who are both standing down this year. For the last three years they have "lived" at the theatre. Our indebted thanks go to them both and we hope they enjoy a well-earned breather.

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