The Theatre Royal, formerly the New Theatre, is a restored Regency theatre in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, England. The building is one of eight Grade I listed theatres in the United Kingdom, and is the only working theatre operated under the auspices of the National Trust. It is considered to be one of the most perfect examples of Regency theatres in Britain. The theatre presents a diverse programme of drama, music and stand-up comedy. It regularly produces its own work which tours nationally, recent productions include Torben Bett's Invincible in the summer of 2016 and, in early 2017, an adaptation of Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey. The Theatre Royal is currently a member of the pioneering Black Theatre Live partnership, a consortium of eight UK theatres committed to effecting change nationally for BAME touring through a three-year programme of national touring, structural support and audience development. History The New Theatre The Theatre Royal was opened by its proprietor and architect William Wilkins on 11 October 1819 as the "New Theatre". It was one of the most elegant, sophisticated and up-to-date playhouses of its age. The fact that it has survived, without significant alteration, into our time is a miracle and it is now one of only three buildings to give the experience of theatre-going in pre-Victorian Britain. Wilkins was an architect of national repute, responsible for, amongst other buildings, the National Gallery in London and Downing College, Cambridge. As the proprietor of the Norwich Theatre Circuit, he employed a small company of players to undertake an annual tour of six theatres: Yarmouth, Ipswich, Cambridge, Bury St Edmunds, Colchester and King's Lynn. Each was open for just one or two short seasons during the year. The Bury theatre opened for the Great Fair in early October to mid-November and was only available for special events at other times of the year. At that time, it would certainly have enjoyed large audiences particularly as the local community would not have been able to travel far for entertainment, until the arrival of the railway in the 1840s. The Norwich comedians were disbanded in 1843 and at Bury there followed more than half a century of economic difficulty and theatrical gloom. This was alleviated briefly in 1892 when the world premiere of Charley's Aunt was staged at the theatre. The theatre closed in 1903 but was reopened in 1906 when alterations to the building were