THE PRINCESS THEATRE
THE PRINCESS THEATRE
Box Office Telephone: 01485 532 252
The Princess Theatre is a busy and popular venue, set beside the Green in the heart of Hunstanton, or 'Sunny Hunny' (as it is popularly, and not entirely accurately, known). The bar's terrace area is a lovely spot to enjoy a coffee or something stronger and watch the world go by, with views across the Green and the prom to the beach and the sea, with the coast of Lincolnshire visible in the distance beyond the great bay known as the Wash (yes, it's Lincolnshire, not the French coast, as a tourist Dad was heard informing his family)! Situated at the north-west corner of Norfolk, where three-coloured cliffs brace against the winds from the North Sea, Hunstanton is one of the very few places in the east of England where you can actually watch the sun go down over the sea. A wonderful sight for theatre audiences taking refreshment in the open air during the interval on summer evenings.
Like most of the town, which was founded in the 1860s as a new seaside resort to which tourists flocked via the new railway system, the theatre is built of the local carrstone which forms one layer of the cliffs, an attractive rusty-brown but rather friable material which is usually strengthened at corners and round apertures with red brick. The wall at the rear of the theatre is believed to be the tallest carrstone wall ever built.
After a chequered early history, the building was left almost derelict until the Borough Council purchased and refurbished it in 1981. The venue re-opened on 5th July that year, renamed the 'Princess Theatre' in honour of Diana, who married Prince Charles and became the Princess of Wales that same month.
It remains an active theatre and cinema all year round, entertaining both local residents and the many visitors who are attracted by the delights of the area.
Once a year, funds permitting, we donate some item of use to the theatre, anything from a new radio mike to a fresh covering for the stage. The staff are all good friends of the Club. Indeed, some of them are fully paid-up and Active members of the PTC.
We also volunteer for duties front of house, or even backstage when needed: some of our members are well experienced in all aspects of theatre work and whenever the permanent staff need a hand they know they can call on the PTC.
In return the theatre staff allow us to use their facilities once a week during the later stages of our rehearsals, so that we can get the feel of the stage and make sure our production is heading in the right direction.
At other times we may use the coffee bar for committee meetings, AGMs, and social events such as our Quiz Nights and Poetry Mornings, and we have fun helping out at bi-annual Theatre Open Days. All of these activities attract attention and help to make the theatre an active part of the community