Getting to Know Leeds Grand Theatre
The Leeds Grand Theatre
It was not until 1878 when a spectacular theatre was built in a backlash to the tradition of music hall believed by the society to lower entertainment’s tone through humour as presented in these establishments. Leeds Grand Theatre, also called Grand Theater and Leeds Grand Theatre and Opera House, is located in the centre of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. It has a mixture of Scottish baronial and Romanesque styles exterior and Gothic, fan-vaulting interior. Majority of its design inspirations originate from these continental influences, specifically the ecclesiastical, gothic spires. It can accommodate as many as 1,500 people.
The theatre takes pride in giving entertainment to the people of the city and of its surrounding area through its plays, film, musicals, comedy, and music. It serves as home for Northern Ballet Theatre and Opera North. It has already hosted a myriad of touring productions, comedians, and other musical artists. Its second performance space, called as the Howard Assembly Room, is where concerts, experimental and education work, chamber operas, recitals, and other events unsuitable for the main theatre. It is being funded and controlled by Leeds City Council.
It can be noted that only the audience sitting in the best seats of the theatre are permitted to use its main entrance, while all the other patrons through its side entrances so as to separate the Victorians, the class-conscious people, from those people below their ranks. The theater also provides a transfer staircase to enable any member of the audience to have better position by paying more. Its conventional seating is only given to the Orchestra Stalls.
More about the theatre
Grand Theatre also offers tours throughout the theatre. Its backstage tour allows you to discover its story since its opening through over 130 years in the history of entertainment industry. It gives you the opportunity to go and witness behind the scenes and see yourself where the magic really comes from. It enables you to explore and feel what it is like to be a Victorian theatre goer as well as dig and reveal the secrets of the building. Keep in mind that these tours last for an hour and their accessibility are not always available to all the areas of the city since it is a working building. They are also offered for group tour of five people or more.
Another unique feature of the theater is its access to almost the entire auditorium ranging from the foyer and a wheelchair access lift to the foyer that comes from the Box Office. There are steep stairs in some parts of the auditorium, which may not be suitable for individuals with limited mobility. For this reason, theater goers are recommended to check with the Box Office before buying a ticket for certain event in case you may have concerns to raise.
Leeds Grand Theatre also caters its deaf, hearing impaired, and visually impaired audience through its infra-red system, head sets, and wheelchairs. This only means that the theatre can cater everyone and promises its customers great entertainment beyond everything.