Theatre Royal, Wexford

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The Theatre Royal in Wexford, Ireland opened in January 1832 and closed in 2005. Built by William Taylor, it became a key social and cultural hub in the 19th century, hosting frequent performances and visiting English companies. The amateur Wexford Light Opera Society also staged annual shows there. In 1942 the last private owner sold the building, and it was turned into a cinema, but the stage was kept and amateur groups continued to perform. A major change was the removal of the upper balcony, replaced by a steeply raked Circle, which reduced capacity and led to the loss of the 1960 Opera Festival.

The theatre was taken over by the Wexford Festival Trust in the 1950s, and restoration work began with help from the Irish Tourist Board. In 1973 the foyers were improved, and a 1987 overhaul transformed the building with a new foyer, extended seating, and backstage upgrades. The theatre reopened on 5 September 1987 for the Festival, and further foyer improvements in 1993 increased capacity, helping the Festival run longer and attract sold‑out houses. During the 1990s the Festival bought several buildings on the High Street behind the theatre to provide extra facilities and easier backstage access, with a key nearby property acquired in 2000.

In early 2006 the 1832 Theatre Royal was demolished and replaced on the same site by the National Opera House (Wexford Opera House), a much larger, year‑round venue. The new building opened on 5 September 2008 with a live RTÉ broadcast of The Late Late Show, and the first opera, Rimsky-Korsakov’s Snegurochka (The Snow Maiden), on 16 October 2008.