Grand Theatre Leeds
Encyclopedia
The Grand Theatre 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, while 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 home to Opera North
and is regularly visited by Northern Ballet Theatre
. It has hosted many touring productions, musical artists and comedian
s.
The theatre closed at the end of May 2005 for a major refurbishment, entitled transformation, and re-opened 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, air-conditioning installed, backstage technical facilities dramatically improved, and Opera North now has an Opera Centre to the south of the theatre, accessible via a bridge and at street-level. The Centre includes two new stage-sized rehearsal spaces and increased office space. The cost of the refurbishment has been estimated at £31.5m.
A second phase of transformation included structural improvements and further refurbishment of the theatre, and also the restoration of the Assembly Rooms, a forgotten area on the first floor of the building. The Assembly Rooms opened in 1879 and functioned as the Plaza Cinema between 1912 and 1978 and subsequently 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 opera
s, experimental and educational work, and other events for which the main theatre is unsuitable.
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
and Opera house
Opera house
An opera house is a theatre building used for opera performances that consists of a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, and backstage facilities for costumes and set building...
in the centre of Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It was designed by James Robinson Watson, chief assistant in the office of Leeds-based architect George Corson
George Corson
thumb|right|Spenfield House, 1875-77George Corson was a Scottish architect active in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.He was born in Dumfries, where he was articled to Walter Newall before moving to Leeds in 1849 to work with his brother William Reid Corson who was working there with Edward La Trobe...
, and opened on 18 November 1878. The exterior is in a mixture of Romanesque
Romanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
and Scottish baronial
Scottish baronial style
The Scottish Baronial style is part of the Gothic Revival architecture style, using stylistic elements and forms from castles, tower houses and mansions of the Gothic architecture period in Scotland, such as Craigievar Castle and Newark Castle, Port Glasgow. The revival style was popular from the...
styles, while the interior has such Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
motifs as fan-vaulting
Fan vault
thumb|right|250px|Fan vaulting over the nave at Bath Abbey, Bath, England. Made from local Bath stone, this is a [[Victorian restoration]] of the original roof of 1608....
and clustered columns. The theatre is a Grade II* listed building. It seats approximately 1,500 people.
The theatre is home to Opera North
Opera North
Opera North is an English opera company based in Leeds. The company's home theatre is the Leeds Grand Theatre, but it also presents regular seasons in several other cities, at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham, the Lowry Centre, Salford Quays and the Theatre Royal, Newcastle...
and is regularly visited by Northern Ballet Theatre
Northern Ballet Theatre
Northern Ballet, formerly Northern Ballet Theatre, is a dance company based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, with a strong repertoire in theatrical dance productions where the emphasis is on story telling as well as classical ballet...
. It has hosted many touring productions, musical artists and comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
s.
The theatre closed at the end of May 2005 for a major refurbishment, entitled transformation, and re-opened on 7 October 2006 with a production of Verdi
Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi was an Italian Romantic composer, mainly of opera. He was one of the most influential composers of the 19th century...
's Rigoletto
Rigoletto
Rigoletto is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the play Le roi s'amuse by Victor Hugo. It was first performed at La Fenice in Venice on March 11, 1851...
. The Stalls area was completely re-seated and re-raked, the orchestra-pit enlarged, air-conditioning installed, backstage technical facilities dramatically improved, and Opera North now has an Opera Centre to the south of the theatre, accessible via a bridge and at street-level. The Centre includes two new stage-sized rehearsal spaces and increased office space. The cost of the refurbishment has been estimated at £31.5m.
A second phase of transformation included structural improvements and further refurbishment of the theatre, and also the restoration of the Assembly Rooms, a forgotten area on the first floor of the building. The Assembly Rooms opened in 1879 and functioned as the Plaza Cinema between 1912 and 1978 and subsequently 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 opera
Chamber opera
Chamber opera is a designation for operas written to be performed with a chamber ensemble rather than a full orchestra.The term and form were invented by Benjamin Britten in the 1940s, when the English Opera Group needed works that could easily be taken on tour and performed in a variety of small...
s, experimental and educational work, and other events for which the main theatre is unsuitable.