Grand Theatre, Leeds
in undefined, United KingdomCategory: Attraction
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46 New Briggate, Leeds LS1 6NU, UK Print route »
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The Grand Theatre, also known as Leeds Grand Theatre and Leeds Grand Theatre and Opera House, is a theatre and opera house in the centre of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It was designed by James Robinson Watson, chief assistant in the office of Leeds-based architect George Corson, and opened on 18 November 1878. The exterior is in a mixture of Romanesque and Scottish baronial styles, and the interior has such Gothic motifs as fan-vaulting and clustered columns. The theatre is a Grade II* listed building. It seats approximately 1,500 people.The theatre is a large scale receiving house and hosts touring productions of West End and Broadway musicals and plays, comedians and music. The theatre is home to Opera North and is regularly visited by Northern Ballet. It has hosted many touring productions, musical artists and comedians.
For many years it was programmed by Howard & Wyndham Ltd and staged plays, musicals, pantomime and revues.The theatre closed at the end of May 2005 for a major refurbishment, transformation, and it reopened on 7 October 2006 with a production of Verdi's Rigoletto. The Stalls area was completely re-seated and re-raked, the orchestra-pit enlarged, technical facilities dramatically improved, and improvements to Opera North to the south of the theatre, accessible via a bridge and at street-level, which includes two new stage-sized rehearsal spaces and increased office space. The cost of the refurbishment has been estimated at £31.5 million.
A second phase of transformation included the restoration of the Assembly Rooms, a forgotten area on the first floor of the building that opened in 1879 and functioned as the Plaza Cinema between 1912 and 1978 and then as a rehearsal room for Opera North. With restoration now complete, the theatre has a second performance space, the Howard Assembly Room, which is used for recitals, concerts, chamber operas, experimental and educational work and other events for which the main theatre is unsuitable.Since the "transformation" at the theatre, particularly after a state-of-the-art automated flying system was introduced, the theatre has been more able to host larger West End Musicals and plays.
Recent productions at the theatre have included: The Phantom Of The Opera, Dirty Dancing, Shrek The Musical, Oliver, We Will Rock You and Wicked.
The theatre is managed by Leeds Grand Theater & Opera House Ltd which also manages City Varieties Music Hall and the Hyde Park Picture House.
