Whenever I go past the Theatre Royal, I feel sad, looking at the closed doors with the signwritten promise, the show will go on... They’ve been shut since 2019, and while you'd think safety was the official reason, the story is a little more complicated. The government’s “shovel-ready” funding programme during COVID handed out money for projects that could spark jobs and renewal. The Theatre Royal was a lucky recipient. Yet, frustratingly for many, the doors have stayed closed as the property owner, the Timaru District Council, has spent years working out what to do next.
It makes me think about how heritage is never simple. Money might be available, but deciding how to balance history, community needs, and future vision can take longer than anyone hopes. And so, the building waits...
The story of this properties site begins with disaster. In 1868 the “Great Fire” destroyed 39 wooden buildings, wiping out three quarters of Timaru’s CBD. Locals were forced to start again, this time stronger, with stone and brick.
A year later, in 1869, Richard Turnbull built a bluestone warehouse for his merchant grain and wool business and for others to rent space in his store. The foundation were built on the ruins of the Byrne family home that had been lost to the flames. What was a warehouse became known as Turnbull’s Hall after it was used for a civic meeting in 1873 to host around six hundred locals who crowded in to discuss harbour works and a proposed breakwater. That meeting led directly to the appointment of Timaru’s first Harbour Board. A very significant milestone in our Timaru timeline...
Reflecting on the fire, and now the locked doors, I think about how communities often find their strength through loss. Out of fire came stone. Out of destruction came organisation. At the moment, I wait to see what will come of the proposed redevelopment. I am still feeling frustrated that the first plan was scrapped, and now wait with bated breath that we will see the lime light shine on the stage one day. Thought this, I recognise that in my own life too: the toughest times often leave the strongest foundations. We know more about who we and our true nature are when we face conflict. And I think when we do finally sit in the theatre stalls we will have a journey that we will reflect on and find strength from.
The warehouse focus, shifted to a stage for the people
In 1877, architect Maurice Duval remodelled merchant, Richard Turnbull’s Hall into a theatre for John L. Hall. The “Theatre Royal” was born. Shops faced the street, and the theatre sat behind them.
The Mechanics’ Institute Hall had been Timaru’s main venue up until then, but now the town had a real theatre, something with a royal vibe, that felt exciting and of status. The stage was 28 feet deep. The theatre was 51 feet long, 35 feet wide, and 35 feet high. Opening night featured the comedy Solon Shingle and a burlesque called Maldon, or the Wonderful Lamp.
Descriptions of the space are vivid: stalls, a pit, and a graceful horseshoe-shaped dress circle upstairs. There were stage boxes at each end, seating about 150 people in the dress circle alone. That year the South Canterbury Dramatic Club held its first performance there, raising money for the Fire Brigade. By the end of 1877, John Hall sold the lease to J. R. Stansell.
I imagine the excitement. Timaru, still rough around the edges, now had its own grand place for storytelling and song. It was more than entertainment — it was a way of weaving people together.
Owners, Mayors, and Rebuilds
In 1882 Moss Jonas took over. A year later, in 1883, he had Maurice Duval design a rebuild. Jonas was no small character — he served as Timaru’s Mayor from 1885–1886, sat on the Borough Council for 17 years, and on the Harbour Board. His influence is stamped on the town, and on this theatre too.
Then came William Gunn. He leased the theatre in 1896 and bought it outright in 1901. Under his family, major changes were made. In 1912, a renovation by architect and engineer Henry Eli White transformed the theatre once again. The interior we might picture from the early 20th century was born here.
The detail makes me smile: a peacock blue and white colour scheme, a “magnificent” centre circle, Roman-style lights, and private boxes. The new stage was 70 by 46 feet, and 27 feet high. The sloping floor was tilted sideways to improve sight lines — practical and theatrical all at once. Seating capacity was lifted to 1,250, making the theatre a hub for live acts, meetings, fundraisers, and even the new wonder of the age: silent films.
The Gunn family, through the Lyceum Theatre Trust, oversaw the building for the next 60 years.
Drama, Films, and Civic Pride
Theatre-Royal-AN1918- Faces that look down from the theatre boxs - Photo Geoff Cloake
In 1927, the South Canterbury Drama League was co-founded by Dr William Howard Unwin and Timaru Herald editor A. E. Lawrence. The theatre had already been adapting to the new age:
In 1923, the dress circle seating was replaced, the lighting improved, and a new film projector installed.
In 1926, architects Turnbull & Rule upgraded the projection booth with fire protection.
By 1935, plans to modernise the foyer and street façade were drawn up — the old shop fronts removed, and a new central entrance with a veranda added.
The Bughouse, as locals affectionately nicknamed it, was keeping pace with the times. Silent films gave way to talkies, and the theatre remained the town’s place to gather.
What I notice most is how it always reflected the needs of its people. A stage when drama was needed. A screen when films arrived. A hall for fundraisers, meetings, and community causes.
Theatre Royal. Photo by Geoff Cloake 2023
Council Hands and Community Hearts
In 1961, Timaru City Council purchased the Theatre Royal from the Gunn family. For the next decades, it hosted everything from amateur and professional live acts, public meetings, boxing, wrestling, even wool sales. The theatre wasn’t a relic; it was part of everyday civic life.
Then, in 1993, strengthening and restoration works were carried out. A new foyer was built, decorated with the Timaru District Council’s coat of arms in its stained-glass windows. Architect Barrie Bracefield led the design, with contractors C Lund and Son Ltd.
Ihe Friends of the Theatre Royal formed. Volunteers rolled up their sleeves to preserve the theatre’s ambience, welcome guests, serve as front-of-house hosts, and fundraise. Their efforts helped pay for dressing room upgrades, seating, and bar improvements.
I can remember when I was younger my parents disccussing the progress of the theatre at the dining table. Then finally dressing up to see my first show there. My cousin played Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, I remember being allowed back stage after the show and my aunty showing me the props and costumes. both my aunty and uncle gave many years to the theatre as volunteers pulling the rope and doing to work behind the scenes. I remember the big choir performances on the stage, and how proud I was see to see my parents out in the stalls. Later, I danced and sang on the stage in Showboat, where I met life long friends. I've even had a beer with Dave Dobbin backstage in his dressing room. To be fair it was over that beer that I felt embarrased about the state of the place behind the lush red stage curtain. It had seen better days, and really wasn't fit for a professional muscian or dancer. It was well past its useby date and to be quite frank, embarrasing. So it hasn't come as a surprise to hear the need and plans for the space. And I was very excited to hear that progress was coming.
Photos of the interior by Geoff Cloake
What I learned from my trip down memory lane, and learning about the buildings past, is that buildings don’t survive on bricks and mortar alone. They live because people care enough to care and protect them.
And so here we are. The Theatre Royal received government funding as part of the shovel-ready projects scheme, yet the building has sat idle while plans are drawn up for its future. For some in the community, that waiting feels like wasted time. For others, it’s a necessary pause to make sure we get it right. After being let down once, I hope that the decision makers will make the right call and open our regal stage to the punters and performers once more.
Either way, I know that the theatre’s story isn’t finished.
As I trace this history, I realise I’m also tracing a story about resilience. The Theatre Royal has been burned, rebuilt, remodelled, repainted, expanded, and finally closed again... and each stage of its life says something about the people of Timaru. About the way we gather, adapt, and dream. This last 10 years will certainly go down in the history books. And I think for those in the future will see too that identity is not fixed. We are shaped by fire, by change, by the hands that rebuild us. We are sustained by community. And like the theatre, we sometimes have to pause in the silence before the curtain rises again.
When the Bughouse’s doors open once more, I hope we walk inside not just to watch a performance, but to remember that we are part of its story and it is part of ours.
I was lucky enough to have a tour with my dad Geoff Cloake to take photos in 2023. The plan was to help archive the rejuvenation project. Thank you dad for sharing your photos.
I asked on Facebook if people had some photos of their memories... and this is what people kindly shared:
2023
August 2025 - Photography By Roselyn Fauth
August 2025 - Photography By Roselyn Fauth