The Prince Theatre, built in the reign of King Rama IV, was located on the grounds of Chaophraya Mahinthrasakthamrong’s residence outside the old city walls in the Tha Tian area, near Wat Pho. Originally called the Siamese Theatre, it served as a private venue for the owner’s entertainment and occasionally hosted performances for visiting dignitaries. After participating in the grand exhibition celebrating the centenary of Rattanakosin in 1882, the troupe adopted the name Prince Theatre.

Inspired by his travels to England as Deputy Envoy, during which he visited London theatres, Chaophraya Mahinthrasakthamrong brought back European theatrical concepts and adapted them to lakhon nok — a form of Thai theatre performed outside the royal court, traditionally with male actors playing all roles. He introduced refined, luxurious costumes, intricate stagecraft, and creative adaptations of Thai literary stories into this hybrid format, which came to be known as Lakhon Phanthang — a novel, cross-cultural theatrical genre of the time.

In addition, the Prince Theatre troupe left an enduring mark on the Thai language. During the reign of King Rama V, the theatre held performances for seven days each month, and a sign at the front of the theatre announced the schedule as “week.” Over time, this English word was adapted into Thai as “wik,” and people came to understand wik to mean “theatre.” Since then, the term has entered everyday language and has been used to refer to theatres, as in wik likay or wik lakhon. In modern usage, wik has even been extended to refer to television stations, showing how this linguistic legacy continues today.