One of the first performances features the
Kilmarnock Philharmonic Society with Handel's Judas Maccabeas. It
became the Palace Theatre in 1903, when it was taken over by John
Cummings. A stage was built, but like many such conversions
from public halls, it suffered as the balcony faced the proscenium
squarely and was isolated from the action on stage by blank side
walls. The Grand Agricultural Hall was added to the Palace complex
in 1927, and was one of the last commissions for James Miller, a
prolific Glasgow architect. This was also fitted with a stage in
1929 and was used as a concert room while the Palace found success
as a theatre.
In the 1920s and 1930s, the Palace alternated between cinema and
theatre, run by William Cummings, John's son, sometimes showing
documentary films like The Sinking of the Lusitania. In 1947 a gift
of £5,000 meant that the Palace could be converted to Kilmarnock's
civic theatre. After £30,000 of work, it opened in 1951 as the
Exchange Theatre, but there was not enough money left to pay its
running costs and shortly it closed again. On 3 September 1956 the
recently formed Kilmarnock Arts Guild, headed by Fred D. Neilson,
an amateur actor and one-time tour manager for Duncan Macrae, moved
in. While some locals regarded the old Palace as a lost cause, the
enthusiastic newcomers began a repertory season there. The council
slashed the rent by two-thirds, and the theatre became well
established with an annual pantomime and touring shows to
supplement the amateur dramatics.
Sadly, the interior was destroyed by fire in 1979. It lay unused
for a time, but eventually the council decided that Kilmarnock
should once again have it's own theatre, and having spent £190,000
on the first stage of refurbishment, the Palace opened it's doors
again on 31 August 1982. Exactly three years later, and with more
spent to improve the foyers and backstage facilities, Billy
Connolly came to declare the theatre open. He told the audience,
which included Provost Tom Ferguson who had supported it's
reinstatement, 'I love the way you change the theatre every time I
come here. I've never seen this place the same twice.' The
comfortable modern auditorium of the Palace today may be relatively
small and undistinguished for a theatre of Victorian origin, but it
continues to be a great asset for Kilmarnock folk, who support it
well.
