Ron Drew's Theatre Page

Local Amateur Theatres

During the 19th Century there was very little in the form of entertainment in the borough as a whole save for that provided at the local Inns and pubs. But, of course, Dick Thornton (qv) changed all that and the professional theatre flourished. 

But it was not to last long. With rising unemployment and the results of the war, entertainment facilities in South Shields declined. After the war South Shields was left without a purpose designed theatre or cinema for many years.

This Theatre started its life before the 1939-45 war as a shelter from the elements for the 'Day Trippers' to the town. The sands and foreshore had always been a popular attraction since 1986 when the Ecclesiastical Commissioners transferred to the Council 62 acres of land running along the foreshore from the parks to Trow Rocks . The Commissioners had already transferred the adjacent land for the North and South Parks which were opened in 1895. At the Pier Head, on the seafront between these two parks, was a memorial to the lifeboat designer and builder, William Wouldhave and Henry Greathead, unveiled in 1890, and  adjacent to these the new SHELTER, its design being in keeping with the Victorian buildings in the area.

It comprised an open structure divided lengthwise by paneling with seating on either side - described by Harry Low of the South Shields Gilbert & Sullivan Society as 'a roof with no walls'! It afforded little protection from the cold North winds and no entertainment was available in its vicinity in the early days to provide for any inclement weather. In fact 

In 1949 there was a renewed interest in the theatre in South Shields, no doubt fuelled by the increasing interest of the amateur societies in the town. In June of that year the Town Council, backed by the driving force of Councillor Gompertz. attempted to provide for the wartime loss of the Queens and bring live theatre back to the town. They converted the old SHELTER at the Pier Head  into a theatre at a cost of £5000. The curtains of the new Pier Pavilion opened up on Whit Monday, 1949 in time for the summer holidaymakers. It opened with a summer concert party  and this was followed by a winter repertory company.

In his book "THIS WORLD OF MUSIC" Harry Low recalls that the first professional pier-end concert party was the Gladys Morgan Company, a family affair. It was followed by companies run by Lily Denville, Carl Shaw, Barry Woods and, in 1951, 1952 and 1953, Bobby Dixon a Tyneside comedian. In one of these shows there appeared a young comedian called Billy Breen who later became the TV personality, Larry Grayson. The last professional company was run by Mr Tremlet, manager of the County Hotel in South Shields, who had as one of his acts Jill Summers of TV's Coronation Street.

Starting in 1950, as Harry Low tells us, many repertory companies appeared at the Pier Pavilion, such as the Paramount Players, the Coronet Players, the Easdale Players in 1955 and the Coburn Players in 1956.

The repertory companies at the Pier Pavilion were well all received, but none more so than, during the years 1954-56, the  Denville Players, under the direction of Charles Denville. The cast included Roy and Kay Dotrice and the company incorporated members of his family including his daughter Michelle. Roy went on to play with the Royal Shakespeare Company whilst Michelle Dotrice will always to be remembered for her later portrayal of Betty as the long suffering wife of Frank Spencer (Michael Crawford)  in the TV series "SOME MOTHERS DO HAVE 'EM".

Another famous personality to appear with the Denville Players was Albert Burdon, a local Shields comedian who appeared with Jessie Mathews in the film "EVERGREEN" . With the Denville Players he was guesting in "THE GAY DOG" which also featured Helen Charlton and Ken Dunn, two members of the Westovians, one of the major amateur societies in the town.  

It was in the late 50's that the Summer Variety Shows and Winter Repertory had ever dwindling audiences. The theatre suffered a period of occasional usage mainly by amateur societies, especially the Westovians, who  played there regularly until, in sad disrepair, the structure became an embarrassment to the council. The Pier Pavilion was threatened with demolition, and in 1976 it closed because it did not meet the new fire regulations. After much negotiation a lease by the Westovians was agreed  with the council and, after a programme of refurbishment, they returned to the Pier Head venue in 1978 . Through judicious planning and spending they have refurbished and turned the Pier Pavilion into a thriving hive of entertainment.

In 1981 the backstage dressing rooms were restructured as well as other first floor accommodation. This was followed in 1997 by further upgrades including the construction of a new entrance, a studio and a face lift for the Green Room 
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Copyright (c) 2000 Ron Drew
Last revised: April 09, 2004 .