Ipswich Regent

The Regent Theatre opened in 1929 as a 'cine-variety hall' and was among the first UK theatres to play films with sound. Designed by William Edward Trent, it was extremely luxurious, with a restaurant, 14 boxes, a resident Wurlitzer organ and organist and an 18-piece orchestra. Unusually, a manager's cottage was incorporated into the theatre design. During World War II the theatre was used to stage concerts and civic events, as well as ballet and opera. During the 1950s and 1960s it hosted many top acts, including Buddy Holly and the Crickets and The Beatles. The Rolling Stones performed at the Gaumont Theatre in 1964, and with Ike & Tina Turner and The Yardbirds in 1966. Status Quo, Gene…

Architecturally, the Regent Theatre is a steel-framed building with precast concrete floors and brickwork, fronted by a two-storey neo-Georgian façade. The entrance elevation features a central section of brown brick with three first-floor windows set beneath an enriched stone cornice, approached via a full-width flight of stone steps and canopy. This is flanked by narrow stone pavilions with rusticated ground-floor detailing, display recesses and urns at parapet level; a matching two-storey bay to the left originally served as the entrance for cheaper seats. Internally, the auditorium retains much of its 1929 form and decorative treatment, although the original Wurlitzer organ and…

Ipswich Borough Council took the theatre on following controversy over its future, reopening it as Regent Theatre on 21 September 1991. It was given a Grade II listing in 2000. In 2009, the Regent Theatre celebrated its 80th birthday with a gala concert featuring Lesley Garrett and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.