Sudbury Theatre

Recent discovery of a collection of Play Bills from the early 19th Century

An interesting collection of play bills advertising performances by the Fisher Company at the Sudbury Theatre for a season during May/June 1827 has recently come to light and been forwarded to the Sudbury Museum Trust for inspection. The owners have given permission for them to be photographed and with the help of the Secretary of the Trust, Mr. David Burnett, The Sudbury History Society has had them copied for permanent reference.

Please note, some of the Bill Posters for the circus & theatre have been copied side-by-side in order to reduce costs. These images are available in A3 hard copy form and on disc.

Included in the collection are 12 posters advertising an equestrian circus at the New Olympic Pavilion in Stour Street. This was on the site of Kentish Lodge, opposite The Chantry and next door to Hardwick House. These bills are dated January 30th to Feb 25th 1822 with an additional one for October 1824

There are 17 Theatre play bills and they may well refer to the original Fisher Theatre which stood adjacent to the Dolphin Inn in Friars Street (now Angel Inn) before the company moved into Mr. Jones’ new Theatre further up the street.

A poster for Monsieur Daguire and Co’s Panorama of the French Revolution and a Panoramic view of the Battle of Waterloo in the Assembly Room in Sudbury Town Hall on Thursday Eve. January 18th 1838 and another for an amateur musicians concert at the same venue in 1850 are in the collection.

Finally a single poster advertising a concert in the Large Room at the Rose and Crown on Saturday Dec, 15th 1821. Mr. Burton the Juggler and his company, including a ventriloquist, would perform.

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