International stars played there

Jun 12 2007 By The Journal

Darlington Civic Theatre first opened its doors on September 2, 1907. It was then called the New Hippodrome and Palace of Varieties and was run by managing director Rino Pepi.

Among the first stars to appear on the new stage was comedienne Marie Loftus. And over the years, many more have followed, including Charlie Chaplin, Anna Pavlova, Tommy Cooper, Dame Margot Fonteyn, Rex Harrison, Dame Vera Lynn and Micky Rooney.

In the early days, audiences were charged 2d for a seat in the stalls. When it opened, the theatre was on three levels, with the stalls, the dress circle and the upper circle. The upper circle offered bench seating which made the theatre accessible to all.

These benches still existed until the late 1980s, but for many years the area was closed off to the public. The theatre was refurbished in 1990 and the upper circle reopened with new seating. Darlington Civic Theatre now has a capacity of almost 900.

Tradition has never been forgotten in the theatre, which maintains much of its original decor, though when it first opened the theatre was predominantly blue compared with its current red. The traditional hemp flying system is still used to install scenery on stage.

During the years Signor Pepi ran the theatre it saw great success, but after his death in November 1927 it suffered a fall in fortunes with severe competition from cinema.

Several managers came and went until 1966 when after much hard work from the community and Darlington Operatic Society, Darlington Council took responsibility for the theatre. It then became known as Darlington Civic Theatre.

For more details about the theatre's history log on to: www.darlingtonarts.co.uk