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Opened in 1782 by Austin & Whitlock, managers of the Northern Circuit of theatres in England.  Whitlock was the brother-in-law of Sarah Siddons, who performed at the theatre a number of times. Other performers included Edmund Keen, Joseph Grimaldi, Ira Aldridge, Paganini, Charles Dickens. Frank Matcham built a new stage and fly tower in 1897.  The auditorium was gutted by fire in 1908 and rebuilt with a cantilevered circle by Albert Winstanley.  Converted to a cinema in the 1930s, but bought by Lancaster Footlights and restored as a theatre in 1951.

Adrian Tayler - 18.03. 2025