Photo of the Manor Pavilion auditorium
Manor Pavilion Theatre, Sidmouth

The 2024 Summer Play Festival at the Manor Pavilion Theatre Sidmouth has eclipsed previous years in its early ticket sales.

The Manor Pavilion Theatre hosts the longest standing Rep Theatre in the country, with over 60 years of history at the venue. Paul Taylor Mills has been the artistic director for the past 11 years and takes his role as a custodian of theatrical tradition most seriously. He is currently Artistic Director of The Turbine Hall at the Battersea Power Station in London and has produced theatre for the likes of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Bill Kenwright. The quality of the productions and well-considered selection of plays gives the season a loyal following that allows it to flourish.

Last year's Play Festival surpassed expectations, showing a positive post-Covid recovery trend. This year, when tickets were launched in April, the opening day sales more than doubled last year's numbers. So far, this year is shaping up to be the most popular Play Season since records began. Audiences are hungry for quality entertainment and live culture seems more important than ever.

Paul Taylor Mills, Artistic Director, said:

"I'm thrilled with the success of this year's box office at The Manor Pavilion Theatre. The team at the venue and the Summer Rep Season have worked tremendously hard over the last ten years to build a loyal audience and provide quality drama for Devon. Knowing that audiences recognise and celebrate this makes all their hard work worthwhile."

With venues across the UK in difficult positions due to the current funding climate in the arts; Sidmouth is a real success story that needs to be celebrated.  Without the support of the local and wider community, these achievements would not be possible. It is of vital importance that local venues and theatrical traditions are supported with the same enthusiasm we see in Sidmouth.  This year has a strong selection of plays, details of which can be found on the Manor Pavilion Theatre website.