Swansea Grand Theatre
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Swansea council | |
Capacity | 1,000 |
---|---|
Construction | |
Opened | 1897 |
Architect | William Hope |
Website | |
www |
Swansea Grand Theatre is a
History
The theatre opened in 1897. Erected on the site of the former 'Drill Hall' it was designed for proprietors H H Morell and F Mouillot by architect William Hope of Newcastle, built by D Jenkins and opened by Madame Adelina Patti - a locally resident operatic diva.
In 1968, the Swansea Grand was threatened with closure but, following a campaign led by its manager and artistic director John Chilvers, the theatre was saved.
Facilities
Swansea Grand Theatre has a 1,014-seat auditorium and variety of smaller studios and rooms.[4] The Arts Wing is the most recent development at the theatre, a space to host exhibitions, conferences and smaller-scale music and drama performances.[5] These include Lunchtime Theatre on the last Saturday of each month, presented by Fluellen Theatre Company.
Ballet Russe and other organisations
Since September 1999, the Ballet Russe, formerly known as Swansea's Pavlov Ballet, has been based at the Swansea Grand Theatre. The company, which started in
Swansea Grand Theatre is also home to the Sir Harry Secombe Trust Youth Theatre, Fluellen Theatre Company, the Swansea Grand Theatre School of Dance and Mellin Theatre Arts, which hold classes, performances and workshops at the venue.[7][8]
References
- ^ a b City and County of Swansea - Swansea Ballet Russe
- ^ Vivyan Ellacott John Chilvers obituary The Stage Features, 31 March 2008
- ^ City and County of Swansea - A brief history of Swansea's Grand Theatre at Swansea Council website
- ^ City and County of Swansea - Grand Theatre Conference Facilities Archived 2008-12-18 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ City and County of Swansea - Grand Theatre - The Arts Wing
- ^ a b Background On The Ballet Russe Company
- ^ City and County of Swansea - Sir Harry Secombe Trust Youth Theatre and the Swansea Grand Theatre School of Dance Archived 2012-08-05 at archive.today
- ^ "Louise Edwards School of Dance". Retrieved 23 December 2009.[permanent dead link]