It was a "very emotional moment" for the cast, staff and members of the audience tonight as the Theatre Royal staged the first live performance in Suffolk for more than five months.
The Bury St Edmunds theatre raised the curtain on its performance of Around the World in Eighty Days at 7.30pm tonight, signalling a belated start to the season.
CEO and artistic director of the theatre, and the director of its opening production, Owen Calvert-Lyons said before they opened everyone is "giddy with excitement".
He added: "It will be a very emotional moment for everyone: staff, artists and audience. I can’t wait to share in the emotion with them.
"This is what theatre is all about - the electrical charge of sharing an experience with another human."
The Theatre Royal is the first venue in Suffolk to make a return with other live performances scheduled for June.
During the pandemic, there have been limited live performances indoors with the Theatre Royal holding an outdoor version of a Christmas Carol just before the new tier system and lockdown stopped the arts once again.
The production runs until June 5. See www.theatreroyal.org for more.
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