Gaiety Theatre, Isle of Man
Ornate facade of the theatre
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| Address | Harris Promenade Douglas Isle of Man |
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| Owner | IoM Department of Tourism |
| Capacity | 898 seated |
| Current use | Fully operational theatre with a year-round programme of shows |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 16 July 1900 |
| Rebuilt | 1976 Victor Glasstone (major restoration) |
| Architect | Frank Matcham |
| Website | |
| Villa Gaiety | |
The Gaiety Theatre is a theatre in Douglas, Isle of Man which together with the Villa Marina forms the Villa-Gaiety complex. The Gaiety is situated on Douglas promenade, overlooking the sea and adjacent to the Villa Gardens, Arcade and Butts.
Built in 1899 to the designs of architect Frank Matcham as an opera house and theatre the Gaiety, along with the nearby Villa Marina, stands on the site of a lodge occupied in the early 19th Century by Castle Mona architect and Atholl family retainer George Steuart, and then later bought by benefactor Henry Bloom Noble and donated for recreational use.
The Pavilion had been built in 1893 at the height of the Island's tourism boom and was owned by Richard Maltby Broadbent, the man who turned Groudle Glen into pleasure gardens and was instrumental in the construction of the Groudle Glen Railway.
The idea was that the Pavilion would match the theatres and dance halls at other resorts such as Blackpool. To create the space needed a "Belfast Roof" was built, meaning a barrel vaulted roof was formed from iron sections bolted together into hoops which were then reinforced and faced with laminated wood. However the venture was not a success, and the Pavilion closed after only six seasons following which Boradbent sold the land to the Palace and Derby Castle Company.
The new owners enlisted the services of Frank Matcham in order to carry out an extensive renovation of the venue with Matcham presenting his plans for the theatre to Douglas Corporation in March, 1899. Part of the plans saw the creation of a glass ceiling in order to afford maximum light together with an elegant and playful interior inside the narrow shell of the Pavilion's Belfast Roof and the remains of the Villa house.
The stage was extended by 42 ft (12.8 m) and the resulting loss of seating was made up for by enlarging the circle and adding the third level. The under-stage machinery was installed by the Douglas firm of J.L. Killip & Collister of Tynwald Street.
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