I’m a big fan of theatre tours and take one whenever I get the opportunity. Recently I have been on two which have been rather special. Chichester Festival Theatre, one of the best regional theatres in the UK, does not do tours very often but the one I experienced recently was outstanding. We were taken round every department with the head of each explaining how they work. I was particularly interested in the understage and backstage areas and how scenes are changed using only lifts and rails because the theatre has no fly tower.
Even better was my tour of the Gaiety Theatre in Douglas, on the Isle of Man. Here the tour was presented by a member of staff who had worked there for many years, including the period between 1990 and 2000 when an incredible restoration of the theatre took place. It is a Frank Matcham masterpiece. The tour lasted nearly two hours and covered every aspect of the theatre, including the last remaining operational Corsican Trap in the world ( too complex to explain here but look it up or watch the YouTube video ).
Both theatres are what they are today thanks to the efforts of one man. In the case of Chichester this was Leslie Evershed-Martin. He has written two books about his time at the theatre, The Impossible Theatre and The Miracle Theatre. The Gaiety owes its present success to Mervin Stokes. His book is called Saving The Gaiety. All three books are now out of print but second-hand copies can be found online.
Other tours I would recommend are at the National in London and The Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford.