Palace Theatre, Westcliff-on-Sea

The Palace Theatre is a theatre in the town of Westcliff-on-Sea in the English county of Essex. The theatre presents a range of performances, including drama, music and both local and national touring companies.

The theatre was built by Ward & Ward of London and was opened in October 1912. It was named the "Palace of Varieties" in November that year. In December it was renamed "The New Palace" and a small annexe at the back of the stage was built to facilitate projection for cinema. In the interwar period the theatre mainly presented touring ballet and repertory companies. The theatre and its business continued through World War II, however there were some financial troubles and a period of closure, and a number of companies held the lease of the theatre thereafter.

In 1957 the Palace Theatre Club was created with the intention to protect the interests of the theatre and raise funds for it. In 1969 the Palace Theatre suffered a major financial crisis and was closed, however a petition by the Palace Theatre Club led to its reopening in 1970 and the establishment of the Palace Theatre Trust. After extensive redecorations in 1973 and 1986 and the addition of the adjacent building to the theatre as the Dixon Studio in 1980, in March 1999 the theatre was closed again, but was reopened in 2001 under new management. The theatre was closed in 2002 when the management left without explanation, however it reopened again in 2003 under the newly formed Southend Theatres, the result of a merger of the Cliffs Pavilion and the Palace Theatre.

The theatre opened on Monday 21 October 1912 and named as the "Palace of Varieties" on 14 November. The theatre was built by Ward & Ward of London and was owned by Mr. Raymond of the Raymond Picture Company who also controlled 14 other cinemas and theatres. By the standards of the day, it was a modern building, claiming to be the only building of its time to be fitted so that "no matter from what part of the building spectators look up to the stage, there is a clear and uninterrupted view". It seated 1500 compared to 603 today.

In December 1912 the Theatre was renamed as "The New Palace", presenting a forerunner of the TV talent show Opportunity Knocks. In 1919 Mrs Gertude Mouillot bought the theatre for £25,000, intending to open it as a cinema but owing to the steep "rake" of the circle, it was impossible to project pictures from the front. Accordingly a small annexe was constructed at the back of the stage and rear projection was used. Unfortunately this meant that any films shown had to be run all the way through on to a blank reel to make it the right way round for the audience and then re-run again afterwards to make it right for the next person hiring it. The annexe is still there today and greatly used.

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