I had 10 very happy years working at the Theatre Royal,from 1975 - 1985, starting as a box-office assistant and finishing as front of house manager.

One of my fondest memories has to be the first visit to the theatre by Barry Humphries (aka Dame Edna).It was opening night and all was going smoothly until towards the end of the interval when the manager, the late Melville Gillam, rushed up to me saying that we had a drunk in the stalls bar and would I usher him out of the building.

I immediately went to investigate and found Mr Humphries in character as 'Sir Les Patterson' waiting to make his entrance through the stalls for the second half of the performance. It took a while for Mr Gillam to live that one down.

Happy birthday Theatre Royal.

By Bill Downes, Brighton