Manchester UK Local Theatre Directory: Theatres (3) - Standard Listings |
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Opera House Manchester
3 Quay Street
Manchester, M3 3HP
By Telephone on 0844 871 3018
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| The New Theatre, as it was named, opened on Boxing Day 1912. Struggling to compete with other establishments, it was sold to United Theatre Ltd in 1915 and was renamed the New Queens Theatre. Between the years of 1916 and 1920, Sir Thomas Beecham chose to perform there on several occasions and it was in honour of this great man that, in August of that year, the theatre was renamed The Opera House. Over the years this building has ‘seen’ life change around her. Surviving the Second World War, it operated as a cinema for a time and later became a bingo hall. In 1984 the Opera House became a theatre once more and over the years, has staged the most magnificent shows such as Barnum, Phantom of the Opera, Oliver and many more. After major refurbishment in 2003 the Opera House continues to attract the best in entertainment, standing proud on Quay Street as a part of Manchester History.
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Opera House Manchester
3 Quay Street
Manchester, M3 3HP
By Telephone on 0844 871 3018
Visit Website
| The New Theatre, as it was named, opened on Boxing Day 1912. Struggling to compete with other establishments, it was sold to United Theatre Ltd in 1915 and was renamed the New Queens Theatre. Between the years of 1916 and 1920, Sir Thomas Beecham chose to perform there on several occasions and it was in honour of this great man that, in August of that year, the theatre was renamed The Opera House. Over the years this building has ‘seen’ life change around her. Surviving the Second World War, it operated as a cinema for a time and later became a bingo hall. In 1984 the Opera House became a theatre once more and over the years, has staged the most magnificent shows such as Barnum, Phantom of the Opera, Oliver and many more. After major refurbishment in 2003 the Opera House continues to attract the best in entertainment, standing proud on Quay Street as a part of Manchester History.
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Palace Theatre
97 Oxford Street
Manchester, M1 6FT
By Telephone on 0844 871 3019
Visit Website
| The Palace Theatre of Varieties opened on Whit Monday 1891 and had cost its owners the then colossal sum of £40,500. The seating capacity at the time was 3,675 and ticket prices ranged from 6d in the balcony to 4/- in the stalls. All the great names from the Music Hall era appeared in the following two decades including Marie Lloyd, Harry Lauder, Little Tich, Lillie Langtry, Vesta Tilley and Charlie Chaplin. In 1913, the interior of the theatre was renovated under the direction of architect Bertie Crew and re-opened after seven months with Harry Houdini - and a much reduced seating capacity of 2600! The Palace Theatre, always in tune to the taste of the audience, captured the heady atmosphere of the 1920’s and 1930’s with extravagant revues, full-length musicals and lavish pantomimes. The 1940’s brought the stars of radio whilst the 1950’s and 1960’s saw everything from ballet to be-bop, opera to rock ‘n’ roll, Hamlet to Look Back in Anger and The Dancing Years to Guys and Dolls. In the late 1970’s the Palace Theatre underwent a major refurbishment, extending the stage and dressing room facilities to accommodate such high-profile companies as the Covent Garden Opera and the Kirov Ballet and restoring the auditorium and Front of House facilities to their Edwardian splendor. The Theatre re-opened in 1981 with Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Jesus Christ Superstar and has retained its position as the premier provincial touring venue with productions ranging from Nicholas Nickleby to Les Miserables; the Covent Garden Opera to Saturday Night Fever; Luciano Pavarotti to Victoria Wood and Disney’s Beauty and the Beast to King Lear. Chronicling its great history, the Palace Theatre has an extensive programme archive, a 1,000 Hall of Fame named supplement, detailed prime source material from the 1890’s and a thirty-page history of the theatre.
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The Royal Exchange Theatre
St Ann's Square
Manchester, M2 7DH
By Telephone on 0161 833 9833
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| The Royal Exchange Theatre was founded in 1976 in the old Cotton Exchange in Manchester by a group of artistic directors — Michael Elliott, Caspar Wrede, Richard Negri, James Maxwell and Braham Murray — a group whose origins lay in the 59 and later 69 Theatre companies whose work had had such an impact first in London and then Manchester. In 1979 the artistic directorship was augmented by the appointment of Gregory Hersov. Sarah Frankcom was appointed as an Artistic Director in 2008. Braham Murray stepped down as Founding Artistic Director in 2012 after 36 years with the company. On 15 June 1996 the IRA detonated a massive bomb in Manchester city centre, 50 metres from the exchange. Damage to the building was extensive, making performances impossible. Repairs took over two years to complete and cost £32 million, a sum provided by the National Lottery. Whilst its home was being rebuilt the company performed in its mobile theatre, which was set up in an indoor market building in nearby Castlefield. As well as repairing the theatre the rebuilding programme also added a second performance space, The Studio, as well as a bookshop, craft shop, restaurant, bars, and rooms for corporate hospitality. The theatre's workshops, costume department and rehearsal rooms were moved to a second site on Swan Street. The refurbished theatre was re-opened on 30 November 1998 by Prince Edward. The opening production was Stanley Houghton's Hindle Wakes, the play which was being presented when the bomb went off. In 1999 the Royal Exchange was awarded the title of Theatre of the Year in the Barclays Theatre Awards, in recognition of its successful refurbishment and ambitious re-opening season. Over the years the Exchange has attracted a high calibre of actor to its stage from Albert Finney, Leo McKern and Tom Courtenay in the early days through successive generations including Vanessa Redgrave, Helen Mirren and Robert Lindsay to figures such as Janet McTeer and Amanda Donohoe. It has also had a reputation for spotting young actors before they became megastars. Kate Winslet and Hugh Grant both appeared at the Royal Exchange long before they made it on film. The Exchange has also had a knack of spotting directorial and design talent before they went onto greater things. Adrian Noble, Nicholas Hytner, Phyllida Lloyd, Ian McDiarmid, Robert Delamare, Matthew Lloyd and Marianne Elliott all directed at the Exchange as associate or artistic directors at some stage and designers such as Mark Thomas, Rae Smith and Lez Brotherston have all done important work there
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