Ron Drew's Theatre Pages

Professional Theatre

• The origins of Music Hall -  Dick Thornton.
  Read about the founder of modern variety, who was born in Templetown, South Shields on 4th February 1839, one of eight children. His father was a miner and he too became a pit lad, but he soon left the mines and rose to own a chain of music halls and create the biggest and most celebrated variety circuit in the world. 
   
• The Theatres and Cinemas in South Shields
  A brief look at the history of past Theatres in South Shields
  •  The early theatres and cinemas (up to the middle of the last century)
    A look at some of former theatres and cinemas
  •  The Queen's Theatre (Queens)           
    Further detail about one of the most popular of these theatres
     
• Local Professional Theatres today
  Venues in South Shields, Newcastle and Sunderland provide a variety of attractions for the local theatre-goer. The shows staged range from Classical Ballet through Musicals, Plays, Variety and Concerts to a range of  Music which includes Classical, Big Band and Jazz to which Ron and Evelyn are both rather partial.

  Theatres in the locality which we often visit(ed) include-

  • The Customs House, South Shields
    - Its history, present activities and future aims.
     
  • Empire Theatre, Sunderland
    Its origins rooted in South Shields
     

  • La Strada, South Shields
    A Night Club which, in the 60's and 70's, provided a home for music hall and variety artists. (The club is now closed and bulldozed to the ground)

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  Copyright (c) 1998-2004 Ron Drew
  Last revised: January 04, 2005.