The Grand Opera House is a

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perfor ...

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

, England. It is located on

Clifford Street Clifford Street is a street in central London, built in the early 18th century, on land that once formed part of the Burlington Estate. It is named after the Clifford family, Earls of Cumberland. The daughter and heiress of the last holder of ...

and Cumberland Street in the city centre. The theatre is operated as part of the

Ambassador Theatre Group The Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG) is a major international theatre organisation headquartered in the United Kingdom, with offices in Woking (head office), London, New York, Sydney, Mannheim and Cologne. ATG's key operations comprise three in ...

. It plays host to touring productions of plays,

musicals Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movemen ...

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

and

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form ...

, one-off performances by

comedian A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting foolish (as in slapstick), or employing prop comedy. A comedian who addresses an audienc ...

s, and other theatrical and musical events. The theatre has been designated a Grade II

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern I ...

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses. The charity states that i ...

Origins

The Grand Opera House was not built as a theatre. It was a conversion of two buildings, one a warehouse, the other a corn exchange designed by G. A. Dean in 1868. The architect, Mr J. P. Briggs of London, was commissioned to perform the conversion, which took three months and cost £24,000. The theatre opened as the Grand Theatre and Opera House on 20 January 1902 with a performance of a pantomime (''

Little Red Riding Hood "Little Red Riding Hood" is a European fairy tale about a young girl and a sly wolf. Its origins can be traced back to several pre-17th century European folk tales. The two best known versions were written by Charles Perrault and the Bro ...

''), starring Florrie Forde.

History

* ''17 July 1902'': the first public performances of films in York. Professor Herbert's animated pictures displayed in his 'Biograph Box'. The showing of films at the venue became a permanent feature from 1903-1916. * ''1903'': the theatre was renamed as the Opera House and Empire Theatre. This was an economic move to attract a mass audience, as smoking was not permitted in high-class theatres but was in

music hall Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as variety. Perceptions of a distinction in Br ...

type venues; smoking was very fashionable at this time. * ''1909'': a major redecoration of the building was undertaken. * ''1916'': the theatre was now known as the Empire Theatre. * ''1956'': closed "... by the crippling Entertainment Tax." * ''1958'': Ernest Shepherd of the

Shambles Shambles is an obsolete term for an open-air slaughterhouse and meat market. Shambles or The Shambles may also refer to: *The Shambles, a historic street in York, England * Shambles Square, Manchester, England * Shambles Glacier, Adelaide Island, ...

bought the theatre, now called the S. S. Empire hepherd of Shambles The stage and the rake to the stalls floor were removed to give a level surface for roller skating, bingo and wrestling bouts. The theatre remained in this configuration until 1985 when it closed for business. * ''1987'': the property was purchased by the India Pru Company Ltd. who renovated the building and restored the decor to its 1909

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...

style. * ''26 September 1989'': the theatre reopened as the Grand Opera House with a performance of ''

Macbeth ''Macbeth'' (, full title ''The Tragedie of Macbeth'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those w ...

''. After two years with mounting debts the theatre suddenly closed without warning. * ''26 February 1993'': the theatre reopened again, retaining the name of the Grand Opera House. * ''3 November 2009'': the theatre is acquired by Ambassador Theatre Group as part of the Live Nation Deal

References

Notes Sources *

External links

*
Theatres Trust description''York History'' description
{{coord, 53.95726, N, 1.08186, W, source:placeopedia, display=title 1902 establishments in England Commercial buildings completed in 1868 Grade II listed buildings in York Grade II listed theatres Theatres in York Art Nouveau architecture in England