The Royalty Theatre

The Royalty Theatre in Sunderland occupies a building originally constructed as the Union Congregational Church, recorded on the Ordnance Survey map of 1896. During the First World War it served as an auxiliary hospital under the 11th Durham Voluntary Aid Detachment unit. The building began its conversion into a theatre in 1925 and was subsequently expanded into neighbouring houses on the same street. Sunderland Drama Club, which had used the premises since shortly after the Second World War, purchased the church, social centre, caretaker's house and theatre outright in 1969. The building continues in use today as a community theatre, retaining elements of its original church structure.