About the Princess Theatre

The Princess Theatre stands overlooking the Wash and green in the busy East Coast resort of Hunstanton. Hunstanton is famous for being the only Resort on the East Coast that actually faces west allowing for stunning sunsets to be seen from the Box Office foyer and bar terrace of the theatre.

History

From Capitol to Princess - A history of the Princess Theatre
The Princess Theatre, Hunstanton has certainly had a chequered history since it opened as The Capitol Cinema in 1932. Previously a hotel called Simpsons, it was rebuilt and opened on the 22nd June 1932 with the film 'The Desert Song'.

Built by Ben Culey of King's Lynn, the theatre is particularly noted for its construction in Norfolk Carrstone and it contains the largest gable wall of carrstone in existence. It was cleverly designed as a live theatre as well as a cinema and live shows such as Fred Roper and His 20 Wonder Midgets, Private Lives and Rookery Nook were some of the opening shows to be staged in 1932.

After many years as a very successful cinema and theatre The Capitol closed in the 1960's. It was then sold in 1974 and changed its name to The Kingsley Centre and provided summer seasons and films for approximately two years but declined and eventually operated as a Bingo Hall. After some time it closed again and was left almost derelict for several years until the Borough Council of King's Lynn and West Norfolk purchased it in 1981 under the Chairmanship of Major Leslie Dutton.

In honour of Lady Diana Spencer who, on her marriage to the Prince of Wales in July 1981, became the Princess of Wales, the theatre was renamed The Princess Theatre. It was officially re-opened on the 5th of July 1981 with a concert starring The Wurzels.

From 1981 until 1983 the Princess Theatre was managed by Richard Condon of The Theatre Royal in Norwich. In December 1983 he decided that he could no longer continue managing a third theatre (he also managed The Pavillion Theatre at Cromer, and for one season The Wellington Pier at Great Yarmouth) and the Northern Area Manager of the Borough Council of King's Lynn & West Norfolk became responsible for the overall management of the Princess Theatre.

The initial policy was to provide a summer season show with Sunday Celebrity Concerts, closing in September or October to re-open for a Pantomime at Christmas. In 1987 the Council made its first full-time appointment of a Theatre Administrator. In 1988 a full-time Theatre Manager was also appointed and The Princess Theatre then remained open throughout the year.

In 1987 a 16mm projector was purchased and films were shown in Hunstanton again. However in 1988 a 35mm projector was installed and the original Kalee 9 projectors were donated to the Film Archive Department of the University of East Anglia.

In December 1988 the Princess Theatre was honoured by an informal visit from the Royal Family to the pantomime Cinderella. The late Princess of Wales and her two children Princes William and Harry, the Princess Royal and her two children Peter and Zara Phillips together with Lady Jane Fellowes all attended on Thursday 30th December at the 2.30pm performance. The Royal Princes have privately attended many pantomimes since that date.

Over the years the Borough Council continued to invest in the Princess Theatre, in 1995 an extension was built on the front of the theatre allowing a new foyer, bar and box office. At the same time additional facilities were created for disabled visitors.

In early 2000 a new ventilation, heating and air cooling system was installed for the auditorium, and at the beginning of 2001 the auditorium itself was refurbished, including new raked seating which improved both sightlines and access for disabled patrons.

In 2002 the theatre celebrated it's 21st birthday and also saw the long awaited refurbishment of the gentleman's toilets finally go ahead together with the existing stage flying system being replaced by a new powered system.

During 2010, following a service review, it was announced that The Princess Theatre would no longer be run by the council, and would be now managed by an external company. On 17th January 2011, C & R Cinemas Ltd. took over the running of 'The Princess' and opened the doors to the public on 4th February with the popular 'The Kings Speech'.  Whilst now primarily a cinema 'off season', patrons can expect a full line-up of live shows for the Summer Season, and beyond.

The Princess  is now open every day of the year (except Christmas Day) and the programme provides a wide range of entertainment from Variety to Drama, Dance, Music, Pantomime and Films. The Theatre is also an important venue for the two week Hunstanton & District Festival of Arts held every June.

The Princess is very much still open, so watch this space!