The Princes Hall in Aldershot, England is a 600-seat theatre / receiving house which presents a varied programme of music, ballet, comedy, pantomime.
An additional three function rooms named the Princes Suite, the Edinburgh Suite and the Tichborne Suite (after the prominent Aldershot family) are available for hire for conference, parties and weddings. The Theatre is owned and managed by Rushmoor Borough Council.
The Princes Hall also hosted a vaccination centre during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Princes Hall was awarded the Devereux Cup in 2008 for its contribution to the arts.
The Princes Hall website www.princeshall.com won Best Recreation or Tourism Website at the 2008 Hantsweb Awards[ Hantsweb Awards Winners 2008 - September 21, 2009 ]
Background
Commissioned by Rushmoor Borough Council as a civic hall after the demolition of the town's Theatre Royal in 1959 and the Hippodrome theatre in 1961, the Princes Hall was built on the site of the old Warburg Barracks and was designed by Building Design Partnership. It opened in November 1972 with a gala concert by
Kenny Ball and was named for HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh who officially opened the centre on 22 May 1973 and who said: "I'm sure this centre will be a tremendous success. I can’t help feeling that you should all jump up and start dancing. In case there are any doubts – the place is now open".
[ Princes Hall::History ]
Entertainers and personalities who have appeared at the Princes Hall include
Gene Pitney,
Ivor Emmanuel,
Billy Fury,
Marty Wilde,
Heinz Burt, New World, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas,
Bobby Crush, Charles Hawtrey,
Kenny Ball,
Tommy Trinder,
Bobby Davro,
Syd Lawrence,
Geno Washington,
Jools Holland,
Jane McDonald,
Anna Karen, Joe Brown,
Harry Corbett and
Matthew Corbett in the
Sooty, Little and Large,
The Krankies,
Val Doonican,
Barbara Dickson, Danny La Rue,
Lenny Henry,
Dan Snow,
Norman Wisdom, Des O'Connor,
Alvin Stardust,
The Hollies,
Joan Armatrading and Katherine Jenkins.
It has also attracted many top comedians including Jimmy Carr, Frank Skinner, Rhod Gilbert, Sarah Millican, Lee Mack, Al Murray, Russell Kane, Jethro, Harry Hill, Bobby Davro, Freddie Starr, Russell Brand, Omid Djalili, Rob Brydon, Ross Noble, Simon Brodkin, Russell Brand and Ken Dodd.[ 40th Anniversary Exhibition - Princes Hall, Aldershot]
Pantomime
Ever since it opened the Princes Hall has hosted a popular annual
pantomime for three weeks every December. The first pantomime held was
Puss in Boots in December 1972 starring
Tommy Trinder. Subsequent productions have included Harry H. Corbett in
Robinson Crusoe (1973),
[ Susannah Corbett, Harry H. Corbett: The Front Legs of the Cow - Google Books] Bob Grant in
Cinderella (1974),
Melvyn Hayes in
Aladdin (1975),
Roger Kitter in
Jack and the Beanstalk (1976),
John Junkin in
Red Riding Hood (1977),
Anna Karen in
Dick Whittington (1979),
Clive Dunn,
Janet Fielding and
Valentine Dyall in
Aladdin (1983), Dave Lee Travis in
The Pied Piper (1984) and
Babes in the Wood (1991), Sally James in
Dick Whittington (1985),
Arthur English in
Cinderella (1986),
Johnny Ball in
Jack and the Beanstalk (1988) and
Mother Goose (1989),
Keith Chegwin in
Aladdin (1990) and
Cinderella (1992), Danny John Jules and
Nigel Pivaro in
Jack and the Beanstalk (1994),
Carmen Ejogo in
Robin Hood (1995), Michael Fenton Stevens in
The Wizard of Oz (2000), Bodger & Badger in
Jack and the Beanstalk (2001), and
Dominic Wood in
Cinderella (2002).
[ Pantomime Archive - the Princes Hall]
The pantomime has been produced and directed by Hopkins Associates since 1994 (celebrating 20 years of pantomime in 2013
Ice Show
From 2006 to 2008 the Princes Hall hosted a professional
ice show in the main auditorium during the summer. Over 14 tonnes of crushed ice were used to create the ice rink on the main stage, on which over 30 Russian ice skaters and acrobats performed.
These were
Snow White on Ice (2006),
Peter Pan on Ice (2007) and
Beauty and the Beast on Ice (2008).
Aldershot Visitor Information Centre
Since 2010 the Princes Hall has also been the location of the Aldershot Visitor Information Centre. Services available include advice on things to do and see locally, books, maps and guides, local accommodation, events and information as well as train and bus time tables.
See also
-
West End Centre, Aldershot
-
Hippodrome, Aldershot
-
Theatre Royal, Aldershot
External links
