One of Britain's oldest theatres, still intact at the remarkable age of 208 years, is the Theatre Royal, in the Scottish Borders town of Dumfries. Gordon Irving, himself a Dumfriesian, tells of its links with the playwright J.M.Barrie and the poet Robert Burns.

Scots in America, on vacation in the United Kingdom, often miss out on visiting Scotland's oldest theatre. Surprisingly, it is one of the least known. Aptly, you find it in a street called Shakespeare, in the town where the poet Robert Burns lived (and is buried), and where a schoolboy named James Matthew Barrie first caught the bug to become a writer and playwright.

The Theatre Royal was opened at a time of great social gatherings in the land. Everybody descended on the Scottish lowland town, mainly during the local horse races. It was built by subscription and had a gala opening on September 29, 1792.

The new theatrical activity it created soon roused the interest of Robert Burns in the writing of plays, and his prologues were presented from the stage by his friends among the actors. Meanwhile, a young laddie from Kirriemuir, in Angus, later to be world-famous as Sir James M. Barrie, was a pupil at Dumfries Academy, developing his growing interest in drama as he sat in the wings of the Theatre Royal.

He wrote, later in life: "It is a pretty little building, quite complete, but so tiny that you smile to it as to a child when you go in." I wonder, can London theatregoers picture a dress circle from which they could almost shake hands with a man in the pit or gallery, and, with one leap, pop on to the stage?

"I loved that little theatre in Dumfries for which Robert Burns once wrote the prologues."

The actor John Laurie, who was born in Dumfries, knew the Theatre Royal well and was closely associated with it.

The building was re-modelled in 1876 by C. J. Phipps, the specialist theatre architect. It was associated with all the great names - from Kemble and Kean and Henry Irving as actors to Charlie Chaplin and Harry Lauder as music-hall stars.

Through music-hall it became associated with early films, changing its name to the Electric Theatre in 1910. Its saga continued in the entertainment business as a cinema up to 1960 when it was converted back to a legitimate theatre.

Today the vintage building widens its activities through regional community groups, offering plays, readings, films, musicals and, from time to time, visiting companies.

How fitting that Scotland's oldest theatre should stand in a street called Shakespeare, and reveal such strong links with Barrie and Robert Burns.

Click here to meet Author Gordon Irving

Special thanks to the Scottish Theatre Archives, Special Collections Department, University of Glasgow Library, for permission to use the image of Sir Harry Lauder and Charlie Chaplin

Links:

Fam Scot Sir Harry Lauder

Fam Scot Robert Burns

Fam Scot James Matthew Barrie

Scottish Theatre Archives