Gaiety Theatre, Isle of Man

The Gaiety Theatre is a theatre and cinema in Douglas, Isle of Man. It was built in 1899 to the designs of architect Frank Matcham as an opera house and theatre, and it opened on 16 July 1900. It stands alongside the neighbouring venue the Villa Marina, and the two are presented together under the VillaGaiety name, which also encompasses the Broadway Cinema and Dragon's Castle.

The Gaiety Theatre was built in 1899 to the designs of architect Frank Matcham as an opera house and theatre. Along with the neighbouring venue the Villa Marina, it stands on land which was once part of a grand Regency estate. A theatre was originally built in 1893 at the height of the Island's tourism boom to the design of John Rennison and commissioned by Thomas Lightfoot and C.F. Maley, then known as The Marina. Six months after opening the consortium was declared bankrupt and it was bought out of auction and renamed The Pavilion. The Pavilion was owned by Richard Maltby Broadbent, but the venture was not a success and it closed after just six seasons, after which Broadbent sold the land to the Palace and Derby Castle Company Ltd. On 9 December 1899 a notice in the ERA Newspaper announced the construction of the newly named Gaiety Theatre by the Palace and Derby Castle Company Ltd, who commissioned Frank Matcham to convert the narrow shell of The Pavilion into an Opera House and Theatre. The Gaiety Theatre opened on 16 July 1900 and enjoyed considerable success, particularly in the Edwardian era until the outbreak of the First World War in 1914.

1. 1VillaGaiety - Isle of Manvillagaiety.com
2. 2Historyvillagaiety.com
3. 3VillaGaiety Corporate & Community Partnersvillagaiety.com
4. 4Our Teamvillagaiety.com
5. 5Gaiety Theatre, Isle of Manwikidata.org