Princess Theatre

The Princess Theatre in Torquay, England is a 1,500 seat theatre that first opened its doors on Wednesday 7 June 1961. Top of the bill on opening night were Tommy Cooper and Morecambe & Wise. The theatre is a touring house which means it doesn't produce but receives touring productions. It stages a variety of productions including opera, ballet, concerts, West End musicals and a Christmas pantomime. The theatre was built by Torbay Council as the main feature of the redevelopment of the Princess Gardens area on Torquay seafront. The theatre replaced a marquee which was erected annually to house light entertainment. Theatres in seaside resorts were traditionally known for their annual Summer Season consisting of light entertainment and family variety shows and Torquay was no exception. In the past the Princess Theatre has staged summer shows from Joe Pasquale, Bradley Walsh, Ken Dodd, Danny La Rue and Jimmy Tarbuck. More recently comedians Michael McIntyre, Jack Dee, Katherine Ryan, Dawn French and Russell Howard have graced the stage. Artists including Billy Ocean, Paloma Faith, Don McLean, Level 42, Squeeze (band) and Will Young have performed at the venue as part of their UK tours. The theatre has become a favourite for large UK touring productions and has staged Chicago, The Play That Goes Wrong, We Will Rock You, The Cher Show and Six. The theatre also hosts amateur productions from two local groups: TOADS Stage Musical Company and TOPS Musical Productions. The venue is owned by Torbay Council and operated by Ambassador Theatre Group.