The earliest recorded public entertainment in cheltenham. Guy dobbins marched through town to banging a drum to announce a show at the crown tavern

Cheltenham is established on the itinerant theatre circuit. First theatre (a converted malt house) in coffee house lane (now pittville street) is sold to john boles watson

Watson establishes cheltenham’s first purpose-built theatre in york passage (now grosvenor terrace)

King george iii visits watson’s theatre

Watson opens a new theatre royal in cambray meadows, site of the current bath street

Assembly rooms open

Theatre royal burns down

Old well music hall opens. Closes after the site was acquired by the ladies’ college in 1887

Frank matcham born in newton abbott, devon

Cheltenham is without a theatre. The cheltenham new theatre and opera house company consortium headed by a group of influential businessmen employ frank matcham to design and build a theatre

New theatre and opera house opens on thursday, 1st of october. Lillie langtry stars in the opening production entitled lady clancarty, or wedded and wooed

In the early years the opera house flourishes, presenting regular touring productions and pantomimes at christmas. Other theatres are established in cheltenham including the pavilion in montpelier gardens and the hippodrome. The first moving pictures were shown in the winter gardens

The first refurbishment of the opera house takes place. The auditorium is repainted and re-upholstered, and carpets are replaced

The opera house undergoes the first change of management and the theatre is leased to mr. Robert redford. Redford appoints his brother h. Oswald redford to run the theatre

Frank matcham dies of blood poisoning

The opera house is sold and mr. Wilfred simpson is appointed manager. He held the position until 1955

The opera house establishes a partnership with the theatre royal bath who stage a pantomime in cheltenham

The building is sold to cinema house ltd. Who intended on turning the opera house into a cinema

The cheltenham theatre & opera house company buy back the building and reinstate it as a full-time theatre with wilfred simpson as managing director

Wilfred simpson produces his first pantomime at the opera house

During the war jack edge presents a new revue entitled see you in the shelter billed as “the funniest and most topical comedy revue touring.”

By now the theatre is presenting more prestigious productions, such as the bristol old vic’s king lear starring kenneth connor

Richard burton appears in dark summer

A young roger moore appears in r.C. Sherriff’s miss mable

The theatre closes, but receives a temporary reprieve when it is purchased by the cheltenham corporation

The council leases the theatre to a company headed by frank g. Maddox

The opera house closes

In response to the closure the cheltenham theatre association is formed by david phillips and margaret davies

On june 18th the association presents itself to the mayor and launches an appeal to raise an initial £3000 to save the theatre

A public meeting is held on 28th october to introduce the new board of directors and announce their aim to re-open the theatre

The opera house opens its doors for the very last time on the 6th of december for a gala fund-raising performance meet your friends. The theatre was then refurbished and modernised

The everyman theatre opens with a new repertory company. The first season opens with a production of n.C. Hunter’s a piece of silver. A young steven berkoff appears in several plays that summer

Ian mullin’s first production at the everyman, meet me by moonlight, opens on november 7th

Penelope keith joins the everyman rep company. Her first performance was in noel coward’s blithe spirit

Malculm farquhar becomes the new artistic director

The theatre closes for two years and undergoes a redevelopment in conjunction with the building of the regent arcade

The everyman theatre re-opens in with a new studio theatre at the end of february.

The main house opens with a gala performance of my fair lady starring jacqueline dankworth (daughter of cleo laine and john dankworth). The performance was attended by princess anne and her husband, captain mark phillips

The everyman makes the transition from the rep company to a receiving house

The current restoration of the everyman theatre begins on may 1st