The story of Monmouth's Savoy Theatre

The theatre stands on the site of what was the Bell Inn, which can be traced back as far as 1794. During the 18th century, touring companies would travel the country appearing with varying levels of both skill and legality. The Bell Inn had an assembly room used for this very purpose and thanks to the 1788 legislation enabling local Magistrates to grant 60 day licences for entertainment, the assembly room thrived.

The venue was re-launched in 1850 by a J. F. Rogers as the 'Theatre Royal'. In 1869 the theatre played host to George Grossmith and George Junior, when the site also included the Corn Exchange. Towards the end of the 19th century the country saw a growing trend in roller-skating. The Theatre Royal was converted into 'The Rinkeries' apparently using the maple wood floor from the Corn Exchange. In June 1910 Frank Colbourne re-opened the building as the new 'Living Picture Palace and Rinkeries'. This was Monmouth's first Cinema. The building passed through many hands and by February 1927 the 'Picture Palace' had been purchased by Albany Ward and added to its 'Provincial Circuit'. By the following March, Albany Ward had been taken over by Provincial Cinematograph Theatres Ltd. (PCT).

The new  picture house opened on 5th March 1928. This is the current building as it is today, which is built on to the original frontage and front section of the previous building. Since then the building has passed through many hands and has spent a great deal of time closed down. The stage was never used to its full potential as cinema was more popular. The construction of the building was to a very high specification and was without doubt the finest picture house in the area, and with your kind help the Savoy will once again become one of the finest venues for film and live performances in this part of Wales.

Since 2006 we have restored the Savoy to provide a 400 seat town centre theatre of unrivalled beauty and character, hosting great shows by a wide variety of major performers including Seth Lakeman, Blackheart, Wishbone Ash, Fabienne Borget, Midge Ure and Glenn Tilbrook. Our amateur productions are thriving, with productions by the Savoy Players and the Youth Theatre, and a number of very welcome visiting groups. A full programme of music, comedy and drama is planned. So we can say that we have a theatre with a great past - and with your help - an even  greater future.