Little Theatre

The Little Theatre was originally the Minor Hall Ballroom of the Royal Aquarium, Great Yarmouth. In 1934, through the initiative of Mr Cliff Diamond, then manager of the Aquarium, a stage was built with a fit-up proscenium. Summer seasons of repertory were staged by George A de Gray in 1935 and 1936, John Lee Hunt in 1937 and 1938, and the Forbes Russell Brighton Repertory in 1939. Over the war years, there was no further professional activity until Robert W Schofield took on the lease, opening with the Westminster Players in May of 1946. Subsequently, Mr Schofield presented the County Repertory Players and Aurora Productions at the theatre till his death later that year.
Peter Elliston, Director of Aurora Productions, took on the lease in 1946 with the Aurora players presenting weekly repertory both summer and winter seasons. In 1950, a collaborative venture between the Little Theatre and Mr F C Symonds manager of the Lowestoft Playhouse formed the “East Anglian Repertory Company”. This was done in the hope of achieving profitability for both theatres, but by the end of 1950, the venture had failed. Aurora Productions held the Little Theatre lease for one further year but played no part in its running.
Repertory though continued at the Little Theatre into 1951 with the newly formed Yarmouth Repertory Company under the direction of John Dodd with some of the Aurora cast; Desmond O’Callen, Diana Shaw, with Ruth Kettlewell returning in 1952. The company presented all year round productions under the management of Mr Dodd successfully till 1957, when the Government’s “Entertainment Tax” made the maintenance of a year round repertory company impossible.
Come April 1957, Anthony Cundell takes on the management and production of plays in the Little Theatre under the sponsorship of Thompson’s Enterprises (proprietors of the Royal Aquarium). Mr Cundell and his Norfolk Repertory Company presented repertory theatre in the summer seasons till the end of 1969. At that time, the Little Theatre was converted to a cinema.