Building work began on the theatre in 1885 by the newly formed Public Hall Company. The first group recorded as using the hall was the congregation of St. Paul’s Church, whose iron church had burnt down. The venue was also used for a wide range of events from military balls to political rallies.
In 1909 it was converted into Colwyn Bay’s first ‘picture house’ which makes Theatr Colwyn the oldest operating cinema in the UK with a film history dating back over 100 years. Sadly even the advent of the “talkies” couldn’t save the business and the venue, now called The Rialto, closed in 1930. Then disaster struck and a fire tore through the roof, causing it to fall into the auditorium.
It reopened as the ‘New Rialto Repertory Theatre’ in 1936 with a new roof and stage and under the leadership of actor / manager Stanley Ravenscroft. He initially leased the building for 9 weeks, but stayed for 22 years, living with his black cat in a flat over the auditorium. With the unexpected boost of thousands of Ministry of Food employees moving to the town during the Second World War, audiences surged.
The building was bought by the Council in 1959 and it became the ‘Prince of Wales’. Its rep was a massive success and for the next four decades this featured heavily in the theatre’s programme.
In 1991, as part of a modernisation programme, the name changed again to ‘Theatr Colwyn’. Since then cinema has been reintroduced alongside drama, dance, gigs, musicals and school shows. It now also has its own recording studio and band rehearsal room.
