THE GAIETY

Gaiety Theatre or Gaiety Heritage Cultural Complex is a historic theatre and tourist destination in Shimla in Himachal Pradesh (India).

It is located on The Ridge, Shimla. It is the hub of cultural events of the state.High in the hills, found its place in the sun as the ‘summer capital’ of British India.

LOCATION

HISTORY

Gaiety was opened on 30 May 1887.An example of the Gothic Revival style of architecture, derived from British Victorian examples. At one time the popularity of English plays in the theatre earned the nickname, Mecca of Theatre.

Gaiety Theatre, a design by the English architect Henry Irwin. mainly known for his works in Indo-Saracenic style of architecture.He was a very active architect during the last quarter of the 19th century.

Architecture

Built in 1887 having capacity of more than 300 people, was a five-story building. After two decades ,it was found that the building was structurally unsafe and in 1911 it was partially demolished.

HERITAGE

In 2003, restoration work began. With two decades of effort, the Gaiety Theatre Complex has been painstakingly restored and sensitively rebuilt.

RESTORATION