Dates: 1898 –
Grade II Listed building, currently empty
History
Opened in 1898 as a music hall but was damaged by fire after only three months.
1898 23 December – stage, dressing rooms and auditorium severely damaged in fire. The safety curtain was not lowered.
1899 22 May – Reopened in 1899 as the New Palace Theatre of Varieties
1909 – Now ‘The Palace Theatre’ – Owned by United County Theatres Ltd.
1924 – ‘The New Palace Theatre’ was owned by Mr John Tellam (who also owned the Alhambra Theatre, Devonport), who passed away in 1924
1934-1939 – ‘Here We Go Round’ and various other revues and variety shows broadcast from the Palace Theatre, Plymouth
1936 – The theatre is owned by Mrs M Hoyle (‘one of the few women theatre proprietors in the country’)
1936 – December – Jack and the Beanstalk pantomime.
1937 – December – Aladdin pantomime
1953 July – performance of ‘Meet Mr Callaghan’ (featuring Miss Anna Valentina)
1953 – performance of Oklahoma
1959 – 7 February – Final performance (see BBC Rewind film below)
1961 – Converted to a bingo hall
1977 April 19-23 – Touring opera production ‘Cinderella’
1980 Max Boyce performance ‘Boyce the Voice’ recorded at the theatre, broadcast on BBC1, May 15 1980
1980 Norman Wisdom appears in pantomime, as ‘Normal Crusoe’
?year- reverted to being a theatre until 1983 as ‘The New Palace Theatre’
1983 – Converted to The Academy disco / nightclub.
1997 – Renamed the Dance Academy. after being purchased by Manoucehr Bahmanzadeh
May 2006 – The Dance Academy was closed after Class A drugs were found on the premises.
Plymouth Herald article about the Dance Academy closure and history
