One of the UK’s oldest theatres is gearing up to reopen after a £6 million makeover

For a few years it looked like it might be curtains for one of the UK’s most historic playhouses. Margate’s Theatre Royal, which has stood in the seaside town since 1787, was in dire straits when it closed in 2022.

Prior to shuttering, the building was deteriorating due to underuse and was in need of some serious TLC. Luckily, the local council swooped in before it met a tragic fate, injecting £6 million into a project to upgrade the 239-year-old venue with funding from the government’s Town Deal programme.

Now, with works on the Grade II* listed building near completion, the council is on the hunt for a theatre operator to take it over. 

‘We are mindful that this £6 million investment from the Town Deal must do more than just fix the roof and restore the plasterwork. It needs to create a living, breathing space that provides jobs and gives our community a venue they can be truly proud of,’ said local councillor Ruth Duckworth.

Thanet District Council and property firm Colliers, which will be managing the process, are calling on organisations to apply for a long-term lease of Margate’s historic theatre. The arts venue is due to reopen in the latter half of 2027 in time for a Christmas panto. Following the revamp it’ll have 480 seats.

The council is hoping to have an operator on board by the end of the summer so that they can start planning the reopening programme for the second oldest operating theatre in Britain.

Its return to the stage will be the latest of many exciting projects underway across Margate, including a new £1.1 million project to build a skatepark in the hip Cliftonville neighbourhood as well as a fresh project to do up one of its most iconic buildings. Plus, the historic Margate Winter Gardens, currently being refurbished, will add to the list of restoration schemes breathing new life into the artsy seaside town.

Did you see that this abandoned seaside lido is being turned into a spectacular new music venue?

Plus: this fascinating industrial museum will get a £2.4 million revamp.