Swansea Grand Theatre is a

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venue in the

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Swansea, Wales Swansea ( ; ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea (). The city is the twenty-eighth largest in the United Kingdom. Located along Swansea Bay i ...

. The theatre stages

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pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment, generally combining gender-crossing actors and topical humour with a story more or less based on a well-known fairy tale, fable or ...

s and touring theatrical acts visiting Swansea. Swansea Grand Theatre was the base for the UK's only Russian

ballet company A ballet company is a type of dance troupe that performs classical ballet, neoclassical ballet, and/or contemporary ballet in the European tradition, plus managerial and support staff. Most major ballet companies employ dancers on a year-rou ...

, the Swansea Ballet Russe.City and County of Swansea - Swansea Ballet Russe
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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

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- 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. The Swansea Corporation (City Council) leased the building in May 1969 and bought it outright in 1979. The theatre was then refurbished and updated between 1983 and 1987 at a cost of £6.5m. A further £1m was spent on an Arts Wing which opened in 1999 (opened by

Catherine Zeta Jones Catherine Zeta-Jones (; born 25 September 1969) is a Welsh actress. Recognised for her versatility, she has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Tony Award. In 2010, she was appointed Comma ...

). The City and County of Swansea continues to own, manage and fund the building today.

Facilities

Swansea Grand Theatre has a 1,014-seat auditorium and variety of smaller studios and rooms. The Arts Wing is the most recent development at the theatre, a space to host exhibitions, conferences and smaller-scale music and drama performances. 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

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, is a group of young dancers, most whom trained in

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at the Bolshoi and Kirov academies.Background On The Ballet Russe Company
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Coppélia ''Coppélia'' (sometimes subtitled: ''La Fille aux Yeux d'Émail'' (The Girl with the Enamel Eyes)) is a comic ballet from 1870 originally choreographed by Arthur Saint-Léon to the music of Léo Delibes, with libretto by Charles-Louis-Éti ...

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Swan Lake ''Swan Lake'' ( rus, Лебеди́ное о́зеро, r=Lebedínoje ózero, p=lʲɪbʲɪˈdʲinəjə ˈozʲɪrə, links=no ), Op. 20, is a ballet composed by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1875–76. Despite its initial failu ...

'', and also give gala performances including extracts from ''Bayadere'', ''Carnival of Venice'', ''

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Le Corsaire ''Le Corsaire'' is a ballet typically presented in three acts, with a libretto originally created by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges loosely based on the poem '' The Corsair'' by Lord Byron. Originally choreographed by Joseph Mazilier to ...

''. Swansea Grand Theatre is also home to the Sir

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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.

References

External links

Swansea Grand TheatreFluellen Theatre Company
{{coord, 51, 37, 05, N, 3, 56, 52, W , region:GB, display=title Organisations based in Swansea Theatres in Swansea Theatres completed in 1897