Actress Liza Goddard first visited Theatre Royal Brighton when she was very young.

She said: "It was when my father was a stage manager, touring with Jessie Matthews in Pygmalion.

"That was in the 1950s and it was his first job in the theatre after the war.

"I first worked there in 1970 in The Importance of Being Ernest on a tour from the Bristol Old Vic. I played Cicily and Simon Cadell played the butler, Lane, it was his first job. It was a fantastic company and the first time I'd ever toured.

"The Theatre Royal Brighton was one of the last to do away with the callboy and bring in the tannoy for the dressing rooms.

"They still had one in 1992 when I was performing with Christopher Timothy. He was wonderful and would knock on my door to say 'Miss Goddard, your cue'.

"Brighton has changed so much but luckily the theatre has not. It's a lovely theatre to play, the acoustics are marvellous and the atmosphere is always very good. The people who run it have been there a long time and always make you feel very welcome, there's a family atmosphere. In many theatres the actors are just a nuisance."

Nick Dodds, director of the Dome and Brighton Festival, has worked closely with the Theatre Royal Brighton over the years.

He said: "My best memory of the Theatre Royal Brighton was in 2005 when the festival put on a show called Underground. It was an extraordinary experience going underneath the stage and down to the bowels of the theatre seeing all the backstage areas and tiny dressing rooms. I will never forget it."

Polly Toynbee, Chair of the Brighton Festival, said she was closely connected with the theatre all through the year - not only at festival time.

She said: "It is one of the gems at the heart of Brighton's huge arts community. It is a delight to the eye and everyone loves it.

"It is one of the draws to bring people into the festival - May just wouldn't be the same without it."

John Houlihan, from Washington, said: "One of the things I like about this place are the bars.

"When I lived in Brighton I used to come to the stalls bar run by the legendary Myra Turner.

"She was such a character and all sorts of celebs used to hang out there because of her - like Dot Cotton from Eastenders, Annie Nightingale and Johnnie Porterfield.

"She really held court there all through the 60s, 70s and 80s and people just surrounded her like she was theatre land - it was wonderful."

Sue Houlihan said: "One of the memorable shows was when we came to see Lulu in a music concert here.

"It was great but she needed so much technology for her sound system and lighting that it was delayed for half an hour - the theatre was so used to doing plays it couldn't cope!"

Freda Taylor, 60, a retired bank cashier from Woodingdean said she came to the theatre regularly through the year.

She said: "I just love the theatre - the building itself, its upholstery and the warm inviting atmosphere.

"You always get the feeling the people watching are true theatre goers, not just people who have bought a ticket for somewhere to go. I tend to come and see shows for the artist rather than the play itself - anything with Penelope Keith or Glenda Jackson I like."

Her mother Frances Wenlock, in her early eighties, said she went to Charley's Aunt because it was a "good old cockney" play about how she grew up.

She said: "I have no time for high society, 'Oh Darling' type hoity toity people but they aren't like that here.

"Everyone is down to earth and just come for the show."

Paul Cook, 56, of Hove, said: "I come here whenever there is a play I fancy and always bring the grandchildren to the panto. It is a lovely old theatre and a good night out.

"The most memorable show I saw was Jeffrey Archer in The Accused - a play where his character was standing trial and the audience had to decide whether to find him guilty or not.

"It was before he was sent to prison himself which was quite funny and eerie at the same time."

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