Opened in 1900, as the Grand Opera House, it is one of Yorkshire’s true theatrical highlights. Designed by Frank Tugwell, it was built with Victorian grandeur in mind; with gilded plaster mouldings, electric lighting throughout, and dressing rooms with hot and cold running water (revolutionary at the time!).

The theatre opened its doors 13th Jan 1900, with a gala in aid of Boer War soldiers, followed just a couple of days later by its first pantomime, Dick Whittington, which played to a packed 1300 seats. The theatre was scented back then too, so as audience members took their seats they would have smelt Erasmus Perfume by the Erasmic Soap Company.

Over the decades, the theatre attracted stars of the highest calibre. Legends like Sarah Bernhardt, a young Charlie Chaplin, Ken Dodd and more.

Local sculptor Frances Darlington added a beautiful relief frieze to the foyer in the early 1900s, still admired today.

By the 1930s, cinema and radio were pulling audiences away, so then manager William Peacock and his daughter launched the White Rose Players – one of the UK’s first weekly rep companies. Performing a new play every week, they kept the stage alive with around 45 shows a year until the mid-1950s, when the rise of television saw audiences drop once again.

In 1955, the curtain fell.

But just three years later, it rose once more, saved by local backers and reborn as Harrogate Theatre under charitable trust.

A full restoration in the 1970s ensured its long-term future, and the stage played host to a diverse mix of touring drama, comedy and music – including an intimate gig by none other than David Bowie.

And where would any vintage theatre be without a haunting or two? Ask staff and they’ll tell you about Alice, the peppermint-scented ghost who’s said to occupy the stalls – believed to be the heartbroken spirit of a jilted lover, her presence even inspired a centenary play and a ghost hunt or two.

Today, Harrogate Theatre is thriving once more. It programmes shows not only on its own stage but also across the town’s Royal Hall and Convention Centre. A booming youth theatre, set-building workshop, and a renewed community focus means that at 125 years old, it remains a vital, living part of the town.

A theatre with endless stories to tell, a ghost in the wings, and a future as bright as its past.

Welcome to Harrogate Theatre
Summer 2025 Season

(Youtube videos)