The Theatre in Hunslet, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, was a theatre for summer shows, built in 1771 by Tate Wilkinson and redeveloped in 1867. Mrs Siddons and Ching Lau Lauro appeared here in 1786 and 1834 respectively. It was the only drama theatre in Leeds until 1864, after which business was challenged by competition. It became shabby and was partially rebuilt in 1867 to create the smarter Royal Theatre, which was to burn down in 1875. No theatre was built again on this site, and its surviving Victorian successors are the Leeds City Varieties of 1865 and the Grand Theatre of 1878.
The Theatre, Leeds, early 19th century
The Royal Theatre, 1867–1875. Confusingly the nameboard still says "Theatre Royal".
Royal Theatre playbill for 1868. Confusingly it is still called the "Theatre Royal".
Ching Lau Lauro was top of the bill in 1834.
Sarah Siddons was a Welsh actress, the best-known tragedienne of the 18th century. Contemporaneous critic William Hazlitt dubbed Siddons as "tragedy personified".
Sarah Siddons as Euphrasia in Arthur Murphy's The Grecian Daughter, at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, in 1782
Sarah Siddons as Lady Macbeth, by Robert Smirke, c. 1790–1810
Sarah Siddons by J. Dickinson