Patti Theatre

Craig-y-Nos Castle from outside

The Patti Theatre is a private theatre inside Craig-y-Nos Castle (meaning Rock of the Night) in Powys, near Swansea, Wales. The theatre was commissioned by the opera singer Adelina Patti and her husband, the French tenor Ernesto Nicolini, who made Craig-y-Nos their home from 1878. Patti lived there until her death in 1919. It first opened in August 1891. Since opening it has often been home to amateur dramatic performances, including in Patti's own lifetime. In 1985, for example, we are told that the Patti theatre has been home to the Neath Opera Group for over twenty years.

The theatre houses nineteenth century scenery and its original front cloth. It also retains its mechanical features, including the ability to raise and lower the auditorium floor to provide raked or flat-floor areas, so that the room can also be used as a ballroom.

Adelina Patti, 1874

In the 1990s opera diva Dame Gwyneth Jones bought the house and planned to restore Craig-y-Nos Castle and its grounds and make it into a tourist attraction, with facilities for operatic performances and training young singers - 'the Glyndebourne of South Wales'. Jones had inherited jewellery from her friend and mentor, Dame Eva Turner, who in turn had inherited it from Patti. She proposed a training school where students would receive advice on vocal technique and stagecraft, as a stepping stone between college and career. She also felt that 'the castle could play a lucrative commercial part in the life of this valley community', with a personal ambition to see Patti's chapel restored and reconsecrated for christenings and weddings. She felt that it was not a personal responsibility, but for the people of Wales, and hoped that she would secure funding from the Arts Council of Wales and heritage Lottery Fund. She sold her property in Vienna to help fund the revdelopment of Craig-y-Nos. She set up the Dame Gwneth Jones Patti Trust to administer the castle.

A similar push had also been made in 1961, with Wyn Morris, of the Welsh National Opera Company, seeking to organise an annual opera festival at Craig-y-Nos.

Guests at the house that shefntertianed included regularly Edward VII, as Prince of Wales.

After Patti's death in 1919, the house became a tuberculosis sanatorium and a geriatric home. In 1968 it was bought by a consortium of local businessmen to turn it into a hotel and restaurant but their plans failed as they were hit by the recession. In 2025, Craig-y-Nos is a hotel and the Patti Theatre is used for events and wedding ceremonies.

The original structure of Craig-y-Nos castle was built in the 1840s and Patti made several additions, including the theatre, clock tower and turrets.

Wyn Morris, assistant conductor of the Welsh National Opera Company, attempted to organise an annual opera festival at Craig-y-Nos. He said that he visited the castle twice, in 1904 and 1907. On the first, he performed in Black Eyed Susan and on the second he performed in Still Waters Run Deep.

Wyn Morris recollects that 'her boudoir was covered with signed pictures of actors and actresses - Bernhardt, Duse, Ellen Terry, Irving, William Terriss, Wyndham, Alexander, Tree and Lewis Waller'.

There were 14 pianos around the house, including a concert grand piano in the theatre.

Patti used to produce three plays every year at the theatre.

Claud Jenkins, actor, performed there in autumn 1904. He wass playing a season at the Grand, Swansea, where the musical director was W. F. Hulley, who had been at Covent Garden. Hulley looked annually for a producer for Patti and the Swansea amateurs. He was to play William and she Susan in Black Eyed Susan.

Opening

The official opening of the theatre was widely reported in August 1891, though an informal opening had happened earlier.

The opening of the theatre was a significant event for the local community. The village around the castle were decorated with banners and flags and the Penwyllt station, on the Midland Railway, was decorated to welcome important guests, with a motto on the fence reading "Welcome to the Visitors".

The event was to be attended by celebrities from the operatic and theatrical world. Patti had arranged for carriages to collect her guests from the station, on their arrival on a special train that she had ordered.

The opening event would include Patti and other high-profile opera singers. They were to be supported by W. F. Hulley's popular amateur opera company from Swansea, who had been key to the theatre's unofficial opening in spring, when they performed The Coastguard.

The guests staying at the castle during the opening event were Monseiur Le Marquis de Casa Englesia, Baron and Baroness de Reuter, Sir Henry Hussey Vivian M.P. and Lady Vivian, Monsieur Le Count Fontana de Lisle, Mr and Mrs Baird and the Misses Baird, Mr and Mrs Kingston, Mr Augustus Spalding, Madame Valda, Mr Durward Lely, Mr Terris, Mr Alfred Berili, Mr and Mrs Madame Arditti, Mr and Mrs Klein, Mr Lawson (Daily Telegraph), Mr Novara, Mr Johnson and Mr Percy Harrison. The extended list of guests attending include local dignitaries, politicians and elite families.

The event began with William Terris appearing before the act-drop to address the audience. He had replaced Henry Irving who had been unable to attend as 'circumstances had intervened rendering his personal participation ... impracticable'. This address was to 'mark his strong sense of the alliance connecting the musical and dramatic arts'. He ended the speech by 'declaring the Theatre open for the late summer season of 1891'.

The programme began at 8.30pm with the inaugural address and was followed by La Traviata Act I. After the interval the group performed Act III of Faust. The cast included Adelina Patti-Nicolini, Signor Nicolini. Signor Navara, Mdme Julia Valda, Mr Durward Lely, Miss Ellen Flynn, Mr Reginald Brophy, Mr Edwin Ball, Mr E. Jones. The chorus was made up of members of the St David's Amateur Operatic Society and the orchestra was composed of mainly Swansea amateurs. Hulley was conductor of the band and Signor Arditi was conductor.

Following the overture, the act drop was raised to reveal the drop scene, in which Madame Patti was recognised as the figure of Semiramide in the war chariot. This received great applause.

The second act was the garden scene of Faust. The scenery, accompanied by real plants, ferns, a large flower bed and a tree, were commented on by the press.

Following the performances guests were entertained with supper.

The Theatre

The Theatre is situated at the north end of the castle. The front faces south and is in the courtyard with an ornamental facade in Italian style. It was built adjoining the French billiard room and clock tower. The principal entrance is from the castle, by the wide corridor from the billiard room, but there is an entrance from the courtyard which chiefly leads to the balcony, for use of the public.

The theatre is 42 feet by 27 feet and is 22 feet high. There is a curved end at the back of the auditorium where here is a small gallery or tribune. There are 12 Corinthian columns with decorated surfaces around the sides, dividing the walls into panels.

The floor was installed to be able to suit both a theatrical audience and a ball company. At the opening it slanted towards the stage, but it can be raised at the stage or lower end to a level with the stage and transformed into a ballroom. as a ballroom, the length of the room is 62 feet.

The decorations are in quiet tints of blue and ivory white, with gilding and was carried out by Mr J Lacasas of London. Over the stage in gold are the names Rossini, Verdi and Mozart either others around the rest of the room: Gounod, Auber, Donizetti, Berlioz, Shakespeare, Handel, Beethoven, Wagner, Flotow and Mellin. Patti's favourite, Rossini, occupies the central position.

The Theatre had seats for 180, though it was possible to accommodate 200 people. The first two rows of chairs had arms and were plush rich blue silk.

The orchestra was divided from the auditorium by a low balustrade and was sunk 6 feet below the stage level, so that only the heads of the musicians could be seen. There was room for 16 musicians, though for the opening there were 24.

The prosceiunim is 20 feet wide and 19 feet high with a handsome border, a pediment and descriptive and decorative ornaments at the top. The frieze of the proscenium is panelled - with this same panelled effect continuing around the auditorium.

The tableau cutrtains are electric blue silk plush and richly festooned.

The act drop represents Patti in her well-known character of Semiramide driving a Roman chariot and a pair of fiery, galloping white steeds. It was painted by Walter Ham of London.

The stage is 25 feet from the front of the ceiling and 40 feet wide, with efficient height to allow for scenes to go into the flies without rolling.

The theatre was lit with electric and with electric footlights, rows of batten lights, wing and ground lights and numerous coloured lamps. The number of lights in the whole theatre at its opening was 281 and all of these were under the control of one prompter by means of a switchboard, which has each department labelled 'a wonderfully clever contrivance'.

There is a cellar under the stage for the accommodation of machinery, scenes and traps, while alongside the auditroium, on the opposite side of the corridor from the billiard room, is a large scene dock, 32 feet long and of full height to accommodate scenes when not in use. Behind the stage are several dressing rooms on the first and second floors. They were also able to be used as sleeping rooms, if needed, with American folding beds in each. There was also a lofty overhead for holding properties.

The stage scenery is most elaborate, there being enough to set 30 operas complete. Most was painted by Mr Halley of London and a portion at the Lyceum.

In the centre of the stage hangs a fine chandelier with 20-30 candles.

There were 6 limelights - two being on the prompter's side and a powerful set of mediums above the chandelier.

The stage arrangements were under the supervision of Mr George Bowen assisted by the scenic painter Mr Halley, London, and Mr Rigo, New York - nut now of Covent Garden. 'The theatre is, indeed, a model one, and no expense has been spared to make it superior to any of the London theatres except in size, of course".

The electric lighting was under the direction of Arthur Bergthiel of the Wenham Company of electrical engineers.

The theatre lights can be used separately or altogether. The footlights have been arranged so that they can be removed for a ball. They plan to illuminate the clock tower - same company.

On the theatre's opening, one journalist writes 'the beautiful little theatre as perfect in all parts as taste and money can make it' and 'absolutely as perfect as modern science and knowledge can make it'. They insinuate that Patti had 'some serious and high artistic purpose at heart in the erection of the Theatre at Craig-y-Nos'. For its opening, the house and theatre were lit with electric lighting and the auditoriums decoration and its act-drop received extensive praise.

In his opening address, William Terris said that the theatre 'has been erected and provided with every mechanical appliance perfected by modern science, in the very heart of a wild Welsh valley, teeming with the beauties of nature, but remote from the busy haunts of men'. He explained that the theatre was 'dedicated to the allied arts, and adorned with the presentments of great musicians and dramatists'.