The theatre’s existence is down to Channel Island born Peppino Santangelo.
Peppino came to the city in 1924 to join the Hull Repertory Company based at the Little Theatre in Kingston Square.
After turning the struggling company around, Peppino turned his attentions to the Assembly Rooms next door.
The Assembly Rooms were where great writers of the Victorian age had given readings, such as Charles Dickens in 1859 and 1860 whose visits are remembered by a blue plaque on the building.
Peppino thought the venue could be a new home for the company. At the same time, he realised that the Little Theatre’s other neighbour, Hull Central Fire Station, needed more space.
So Peppino suggested swap – the Little Theatre for the Assembly Rooms – and the deal was done for £9,000.
Not even the outbreak of the Second World War could halt Peppino’s dream and as the theatre’s first manager, he told crowds of 1939: ‘I have made plans for your future entertainment, always bearing in mind that we are at war and that laughter and not tears should be the dominant feature.’
