Group Tours

We offer a number of different ways for groups to discover our Theatre from live interpretation tours with actors to talks on the colourful characters in Georgian theatre.

Whether you are combining your tour with a performance at the Theatre, a dramatic workshop, or out and about discovering the fascinating history of Bury St Edmunds, we have lots on offer for groups to do!

For further details on booking a group visit contact our groups co-ordinator grouptours@theatreroyal.org or 01284 829957 .

Before or after your tour stop in our Greene Room bar for refreshments, cakes, teas and coffee. Contact our groups co-ordinator to discuss your catering requirements.

For more information on how to get to the Theatre and parking please click here.

Group offers

THEATRE ROYAL GUIDED TOUR
£6 per person (£5 - Friends of the Theatre Royal / National Trust )
Discover why the Theatre Royal is one of the most significant theatre buildings in Europe. Find out about our fascinating past and eavesdrop on conversations between characters associated with the Theatre's early history.

LIVE INTERPRETATION TOUR
£6 per person (£5 concessions) and £200 + VAT for the group
Have a tour of the building and see live performances of snippets from the Theatre's history staged by Theatre Royal actors in costume.

PICK N' MIX
£12 person (tour & lecture) or £14 per person (tour & matinee)
Combine a matinee performance with: a guided tour of the Theatre or one of our entertaining audio-visual lectures on the world of Georgian Theatre.

CLASSIC
£10 per person
Experience a ‘classic’ day out in Bury St Edmunds with a guided tour of this grade 1 listed gem in combination with a classical lunchtime concert.

Please visit our whats on pages for full details of matinees and concerts or call our group tours co-ordinator for more information.

Lectures

All our lectures can be combined with a tour for a true discovery of our Georgian heritage. Entertaining and engaging these talks often feature readings from the period and are always fully-illustrated with images, text and even sound effects.

Lectures available:

THE GEORGIAN GLOBE
Explore the significance of Bury’s Regency jewel in the history of European theatre and find out what makes this building so special.

A THEATRE RESTORED
Journey through the three major restoration projects of the Theatre Royal in 1906, in the 1960s and in 2005-2007.

THOMAS POTTER COOKE (1786-1864)
Cooke became famous playing the title role in The Vampire, Vanderdecken in The Flying Dutchman and the monster in Presumption, the stage adaptation of Frankenstein. Later nautical roles became his trademark, especially “Sweet William” in Douglas Jerrold’s Black Eyed Susan, whom he played more than eight hundred times.

WILLIAM CHARLES MACREADY (1793-1873)
One of the most celebrated tragic actors in London, Macready visited the Theatre in Bury St Edmunds in 1828. This lecture draws a sketch of his life and life in the theatre in the first half of the 19th century.

IRA ALDRIDGE (1807-1867)
Aldridge was the most famous and successful black actor of the age. Born in America, he moved to the United Kingdom as a young man to pursue his career as an actor. He was often billed as the 'African Roscius' and his popularity with audiences was immense.

MELPOMENE AND THALIA
Actresses of the Georgian Period
This lecture features celebrated Georgian actresses like Sarah Siddons and Dorothy Jordan, famously portrayed as Melpomene and Thalia, the muses of tragedy and comedy. It also looks at the social situation of women working in Georgian theatre.

WHY NOT A WOMAN AS WELL AS A MAN?
Female playwrights of the Georgian Period
This lecture presents celebrated playwrights like Susanna Centlivre, Elizabeth Inchbald, Hannah Cowley and Joanna Baillie, all of which have already featured in the theatre's ‘Restoring the Repertoire’ productions.

THOMAS HOLCROFT AND THE THEATRE
Holcroft (1745-1809) was a key figure in the radical movement of the 1790s and a close friend of the social reformer William Godwin, husband of Mary Wollstonecraft. This lecture takes a closer look at his involvement in the theatre and his work as a playwright.