If you ever wanted to learn more about the Theatre Royal Winchester from its days as a hotel to the Ghosts who appear occasionally. I can highly recommend one of their 75-minute informative “look behind the scenes” Heritage Day tours. They run tours for families and adults only, which are tailored especially for each group.

The one I joined was aimed at children under 8 years old, the next generation of theatre goers. Anyone attending the Heritage Day was actively encouraged to dress up and join in the spirit of the theatre characters.

Julie Roberts led the Heritage Morning talk sharing stories about the theatre’s past and present. The Tour takes you into the parts of the Theatre that you can’t usually access from the dressing rooms to the lighting control room.

I rarely see from the auditorium from any other position than sitting in front of the stage. It allowed me to stand on the stage and view things from a different perspective. Winchester Theatre Royal has a beautiful auditorium and I only appreciated the detailed architecture around the Dress Circle edges from the stage.

It’s interesting to see how the corridors and staircases link up and how much goes on behind the scenes that you never knew were there. Some infamous props are lurking around too which have featured in other Theatre venue productions.

I can highly recommend attending one of the Heritage Days when they become available. There are secrets within the Theatre walls that can only be discovered from certain angles and “in-house” knowledge.

For information about future productions and Heritage Day events at Theatre Royal Winchester please use the link below.

https://www.theatreroyalwinchester.co.uk/