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Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent

theatre and former cinema in Stoke-on-Trent, England

Manuscripts, fine bindings, an engraving plate and preserved performance ephemera
Arts and lettersInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionAug 30, 2026
Entity authorityQ7308112 ↗
Source-derived summary

The Regent Theatre is a theatre in Stoke-on-Trent, England. Constructed in 1929 as a cinema, it is one of several theatres in the city centre and one of two operated by the Ambassador Theatre Group on behalf of Stoke-on-Trent City Council. The building was converted for full-time use as a theatre in 1999, and since then has hosted a number of shows and musicals. The theatre is also the northern base for the Glyndebourne Touring Opera.

History

20th Century

The building was originally opened as a cinema, having been commissioned by Provincial Cinematograph Theatres. The Regent was one of a number of "Regents" built across the country by the company, including one in Bournemouth, Brighton and Bristol. The building was designed by William E. Trent and opened in 1929 by the Lord Mayor of Stoke-on-Trent, William Leason. The building was not only designed for cinema use, but for cine-variety with the stage being used in its early years to host stage performances in-between films. A Wurlitzer organ was also installed.

In 1950, The Regent, by this point owned by Gaumont British, was renamed The Gaumont and began to host local amateur dramatic performances following the closure of the nearby Theatre Royal.

Editorial summary

“Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent” enters the record as theatre and former cinema in Stoke-on-Trent, England. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Regent, Theatre and Stoke-on-Trent can confirm, complicate or overturn.

Editorial reviewA useful identification and reception guide that helps separate the work itself from editions, performances, ownership and later interpretation. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1929, 1999, 1950—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1929. Its strongest next move is a source search built around Regent, Theatre and Stoke-on-Trent.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

“Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Regent, Theatre and Stoke-on-Trent provides the most credible route into that argument.

Evidence profile

Attribution, date and provenance are strongest when supported by the original work, a catalogue record and documented transmission. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 30, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q7308112. Authority coordinates are 53.024, -2.176. 1 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1929, 1999 and 1950.

Critical limits

Later fame can flatten the distinction between original context, subsequent adaptation and institutional collecting history. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.

Best used for
  • Identifying works and editions
  • Tracing reception history
  • Finding collection records
Verify next

The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent primary sources, Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent archive and Regent research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent”?
  2. Where is authorship, date or provenance documented?
  3. How did later circulation or interpretation alter the work’s reception?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.