Everything about Blackpool Grand Theatre totally explained
Blackpool Grand Theatre is probably the oldest and best-known
theatre in the town of
Blackpool,
England. Since 2006, the theatre is also now known as the
National Theatre of Variety.
History
The Grand was designed by the famous Victorian theatre architect
Frank Matcham and was opened in
1894 after a construction period of about nine months. The project was conceived and financed by local theatre manager Thomas Sergenson who had been using the site of the Grand for several years to stage a circus. Sergenson's successful directorship of the theatre ended in
1909 when he sold the operation to the
Blackpool Tower Company for a considerable profit.
The success of the Grand continued through the
First World War and on until the
1930s. The theatre now faced stiff competition from the newly introduced talking movies and the building was operated as a cinema outside the tourist season (ie, during the winter). This practice continued until
1938 when the nearby Opera House was constructed.
The Grand was able to stay open during the
Second World War but the post-war rise in the popularity of
television was probably the cause of the theatre's dwindling popularity toward the
1960s. Incredibly, plans were filed for the demolition of the historic site in
1972 but the Grand's status as a Grade II* listed building prevented this from taking place. An agreement was reached with the Grand's owners,
EMI, that a refurbishment of the the now-unused building would take place if it could be used as a
bingo hall. After three years of this use, a group called the Friends of the Grand with the support of
Blackpool Borough Council negotiated to lease and eventually buy the theatre back from EMI over a period of a few years. The purchase was complete by
1 October 1980 and a refurbishment, achieved partly through voluntary effort, was begun. Finally, on
23 March 1981 the Grand re-opened as a theatre once again to stage an
Old Vic performance of
Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice featuring the distinguished British actors
Timothy West and
Prunella Scales. The theatre's return was further confirmed in May of the same year when a Royal Variety Performance was staged in the presence of
Prince Charles,
Prince of Wales.
Current status
Since the early
1980s, the popularity of the theatre has increased and the Grand's future seems secure. The theatre saw its centenary in
1994 and a restoration project was begun in the
1990s that's expected to be complete in
2007 after fifteen years of work and about £3million of investment.
In 2006, the Grand was named the UK's
National Theatre of Variety. The title being awarded nationally by
Equity who staged an all-star gala performance to celebrate the theatre's new accolade.
Since reopening in 1981, the Board of Directors of Blackpool Grand Theatre Trust Limited, theatre proprietors, has been led by Chairmen John Hodgson (to 1981), W Geoffrey Thompson OBE (1982-1993), Samuel G Lee (1993-2003) and David Coupe (2003-). The Grand has been managed and programmed by a succession of theatre managers: Brendan Sweeney (1981), John Shedwick (1982-1988), Paul Iles (1988-1992; 2005-2007), Will Queket (1993-1994), Danny Moar (1995-1996), Stephanie Sirr (1997-2001), and Peter Cutchie (2002-2005).
Further Information
Get more info on 'Blackpool Grand Theatre'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://blackpool_grand_theatre.totallyexplained.com">Blackpool Grand Theatre Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
