, 2013 The first "New Theatre" on this site opened in 1836 and presented music hall entertainments. It was replaced in 1886 by a new building, which was the home of the
Oxford University Dramatic Society. The theatre was damaged by a fire in 1892, and enlarged in 1908. It was then managed by the Dorrill family until 1972. The present building dates from 1933, and was designed by the Milburn Brothers with an interior in
Art Deco style by
T. P. Bennet and Sons. The colour scheme was originally in shades of deep brown with gilt friezes, but in later years (circa 1980), a multicoloured scheme was introduced. There has been a theatre on the corner of
George Street for almost 170 years. The first theatre, built in 1836, was commonly known as the "Vic" and later as the "Theatre Royale" after the company that played there. Forbidden to perform plays during university terms, the lessee of the theatre shifted to presenting concerts or music hall entertainments, and by 1880, the theatre was in poor condition. At the instigation of members of the local community and individuals associated with the
University of Oxford, a company was formed to raise money for a theatre to be made available to university and town players as well as professionals. In February 1886, the Oxford University Dramatic Society opened the second New Theatre with
Shakespeare's
Twelfth Night. Designed by
Harry Drinkwater and able to seat a thousand spectators, the second New Theatre was damaged by a fire in 1892 and altered in 1908, increasing its capacity to 1,200. Charles Dorrill started work in the box office when the first New Theatre opened in 1886. He rose through the ranks to become assistant manager and, in 1908, manager, when the Dorrill family took over the venue. The Dorrills ran the theatre as a family business for the next 64 years. Charles Dorrill died suddenly in 1912. His son, Stanley, who was working at
Blackwell's, the Oxford booksellers, was asked to take over. Stanley was 18 at the time, and his tenure would last 47 years. In 1933, Dorrill stated his intention to build "the most luxurious and comfortable house of entertainment in England" and commissioned a new building from theatre architects William and T. R. Milburn of
Sunderland. The Milburns co-operated on an
art deco interior with T. P. Bennett and Sons (who had designed the
Saville Theatre in London). The Milburns' theatre oeuvre included the
Sunderland Empire Theatre and London's
Dominion Theatre. The third New Theatre re-opened in February 1934 with a formal speech by Miss Tawney, and included a revolving stage (mechanism extant) and an increased capacity of 2000 (1710 seated). During the
Second World War, approximately half a million troops had free entertainment at the New Theatre, earning Stanley Dorrill an MBE (
Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire). The theatre published a weekly eight-page program, which was typeset at local publisher Alden Press. The New Theatre's annual
pantomimes (incorporating Vera Legge's Dancers) attracted many star names and became an Oxford family Christmas tradition. In 1963/4 Yana (Pamela Guard) starred in
Cinderella with
Des O'Connor as
Buttons,
Danny La Rue and
Alan Hayes as The Ugly Sisters, and Erica Yorke as Prince Charming, alongside
Jack Douglas,
George Arnett, and Wendy Cameron. The following year, 1964/5,
Billy Fury starred in
Aladdin, appearing with his band The Gamblers alongside Ray Fell and Laurie Lupino Lane.
Freddie Garrity played Wishee Washee opposite
Lulu in
Aladdin in 1976, returning in the 1980s to play Jack in
Jack and the Beanstalk with
Anne Charleston,
Alvin Stardust, and
Lynsey de Paul.
Peter Noone of
Herman's Hermits performed in pantomime at the New Theatre in the early 1970s, together with
Peter Glaze as the Dame. 1978 saw
Norman Collier take to the pantomime stage in
George Street. In 1955, Stanley Dorrill became managing director, and his son, John Dorrill, took over the day-to-day management of the theatre, having served an apprenticeship in London's
West End. John married Erica Yorke, who appeared as the
principal boy in many New Theatre Christmas pantomimes. By the mid-1960s, the New Theatre began to struggle. John Dorrill took over as managing director from his father in 1965 and planned to redevelop the site into shops and offices with two smaller theatres, but
Oxford City Council rejected the idea. Eventually, musicals and play productions were supplemented by pop and rock concerts. Finally, in 1972,
Howard and Wyndham's provincial theatre chain group took over, bringing the Dorrill family's ownership to an end. In 1977, Apollo Leisure took over the lease of the theatre and renamed it
The Apollo. Apollo Leisure was bought out by
SFX in 1999, followed by
Clear Channel Entertainment in 2001. After a refurbishment in 2003, the theatre reverted to its original name of the
New Theatre, with
Clear Channel Entertainment's theatre division becoming
Live Nation two years later. The
Ambassador Theatre Group bought the theatre in 2009. ==See also==