Local Theatres

 

 

A Grand History       The Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton opened its doors on 10th December  1894.  It was not the towns first theatre but it has outlived all its rivals, which included the Star Theatre in Bilston Street, The Empire Palace, and later the Hippodrome.   The driving force behind the Theatre in the early stages was Alderman C.T.Mander who was mayor at that time. Together with 6 other people, he set about assembling a top class team of craftsmen and builders, using local talent wherever possible.  It was designed by architect Charles J Phipps, and incorporated 4 shops on either side of the main entrance.   Wolverhampton builder Henry Gough carried out the construction work which cost £10.000.  It was completed in just 6 months from when the foundation stone was laid on 28th June 1894.   Today the Grand is regarded as one of Phipps greatest achievements, and the furnishings were just as impressive as the exterior. The Cream and Claret decoration, and the gold fixtures must have been quite breathtaking.  The capacity then was 2151, with the seating being segregated by class, the dress circle reserved for the gentry, and the lower classes if they could get in were placed in the Upper Circle.   The whole theatre was lit by electricity; except for the stage and the opening show was performed by the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company and was titled “Utopia Limited”.  The following years saw an unending array of talent appearing on the stage including Sir Henry Berlin, and it was said that Charles Chaplin was a call boy in 1902.  Winston Churchill addressed the Budget League from the stage, and Prime Minister David Lloyd George opened the governments Election Campaign in 1909.   Until the 1920’s the Grand was a touring theatre, but during the recession this all changed and it became a repertory theatre, which again saw some very famous names appearing including Kenneth Moore, Peggy Mount, June Whitfield and Leonard Rossiter.  These names also included Gwen Berryman who later became Doris Archer in the famous radio show.   The second world war hit the theatre badly, and shortages of materials meant that the shows became austere, and difficult to fill the house.  After that time it was felt that the days of the rep were numbered, and a production of South Pacific staring a very young Sean Connery did nothing to swell the audiences.  Television was thought to be the problem, as nation-wide rep companies were disbanding.  The Grand took steps to recover, the saw the return of touring companies again including Michael Caine and Terrence Stamp appearing in “The Long the Short and The Tall”.   Due to this the shareholders were forced to sell-out to the local authority for £74,000 in 1969, and to attract funding from the arts council the theatre was made into a non-profit making trust, and it began to refurbish the theatre.   Pantomime was always a success at the Grand Theatre, and received numerous touring productions, but nevertheless despite successful periods the Grand had to admit defeat and close its doors in 1980.  The public support was tremendous and the night the theatre went “dark” a fighting fund was started to re-open its doors.  Working with the council, renovation work started, and a subsidy was granted to enable the theatre to operate successfully.   Improvements were made all-over the theatre, and a reduction in seats to 1200 accommodated all new health & safety regulations. A deaf loop system, ventilation and a more spacious dress circle bar were installed.  1982 saw its doors finally open to the public again, and it was one of the best equipped in the country, and a joy to all who played it, and visited it.   In December 1994 the Grand Theatre celebrated its 100th Birthday with a performance from the D’Oyly Carte Opera Group, who if you remember originally opened it 100 years previously. This celebration offered new incentive to further improve the theatre by improving access, installing lifts and updating facilities, including restoring it to its original colour scheme first created by Phipps.  The successful application to the National Lottery saw a funding of £8 million, and so further refurbishment took place in 1998.   Today, the grand is firmly established as one of the country’s finest theatres, and continues to be a great success story through to the new millennium.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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