The Georgian Theatre Royal in Richmond, North Yorkshire, occupies a unique place in theatre history. Built by Samuel Butler in 1788, it is the oldest working theatre in the UK in its original form and has recently been beautifully restored. It runs a varied artistic programme throughout the year, including a wide range of high-quality drama, dance, children’s theatre, opera and musical evenings. Its annual pantomime is one of the most popular festive shows in the North of England and in 2015 was named by The Telegraph as the best place to see a pantomime in the UK. The horseshoe-shaped auditorium has three distinct levels. The pit is directly in front of the stage and above that are elegant boxes. At the very top is the balcony which has a magnificent bird’s eye view of the stage. Other Georgian features include Juliet boxes and working trap doors. The Theatre is also open during the day as a heritage attraction and ‘The Georgian Theatre Experience’ offers guided tours that go back-stage to unveil a fascinating world of grease paint, wigs and even resident ghosts! Added to this, is the opportunity to look round the Theatre museum, which was redeveloped in 2016 using heritage Lottery funding. Amongst the many exhibits is Britain’s oldest surviving scenery – The Woodland Scene’, together with historic playbills, costumes and set. Tours commence every hour on the hour from 10.00am to 4.00pm, Monday to Saturday from mid-February to the end of November.