Story: Theatres, cinemas and halls

A crowd of mainly children pose outside Nelson's Theatre Royal either before or after an event there. A sign saying 'God save our King' suggests it occurred in the early 20th century. The wooden building opened in 1878 and was among a number of venues called 'Theatre Royal' built during the 1870s. By the 2010s it was the only one still standing, and the oldest purpose-built theatre in New Zealand.