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     Peacock Theatre - Information & History
The Peacock Theatre is situated up from the Aldwych on the Kingsway. Originally the site was occupied by the London Opera House, which first opened its doors on the 13th of November 1911. The building was built for Oscar Hammerstein with a huge seating capacity of 2,660. The Peacock Theatre was for a short period also known as the National Theatre of England during 1914 to 1915. However the popularity of opera could not be sustained by the grand size of the building and by 1916 the theatre was purchased by Oswald Stoll and renamed the Stoll Theatre.
The period that followed led the Stoll Theatre to show films as well as variety shows and this continued right up to 1957 when the building was finally demolished.
A new concrete complex was created to include a towering office block, which was the order of the day, and this included a new theatre which was constructed in the basement of the building. It was called the Royalty Theatre with a seating capacity of 1,000 and first opened its doors in 1960. This new theatre saw the UK premier of George Gershwin's 'Porgy & Bess' which opened to rapturous applause on October 9th 1952.
The theatre never followed up on this success, perhaps because of its rather austere and somewhat boring architecture and location beneath a office block, and later, during the late sixties, found use as a TV studio for recordings of 'This is Your Life' with Eamon Andrews, which instantly became a popular TV show.
The theatre was later purchased by the London School of Economics and was renamed the Peacock Theatre, and it was after this rebirth that the Saddlers Wells Theatre Company at last found a home, whilst its permanent theatre was being constructed in its historic original site in Islington North London.
The Saddlers Wells Company occupied the Peacock from 1996, with its more central location, whilst its main theatre was being built. After this was completed in 1998 the Saddlers Wells Company retained the use of the Peacock Theatre as part of its role to develop its range of performances.
The Peacock Theatre is still in use during the day for lectures by the LSE and by night it becomes a Theatrical venue to host West End Plays performed by the Saddlers Wells Company that still use the Peacock for its own productions.
A recent refurbishment in 2003 has brought life back into the theatre, bars and the pedetrianised area outside. This has given the Peacock a new lease of life and certainly a worthwhile venue to carry the name of the Saddlers Wells Company.
Peacock Theatre | Performances | Information | Directions | History
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