The musical comedy opened in New York on Broadway in March of 2005. Based on the classic “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” with a book by Eric idle and a collaboration effort with John Du Prez. The Broadway musical offers three musical scores from the original movie. The original press releases states: “Telling the legendary tale of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, and their quest for the Holy Grail, featuring a chorus line of dancing divas and knights, flatulent Frenchmen, killer rabbits, and one legless knight who create unforgettable musical production numbers that Eric Idle promises will be as good or quite likely better than any other show with killer rabbits and a legless knight opening on Broadway or in Chicago this season.

The running time of the show is two hours and fifteen minutes without and intermission. The production sells out often and Monty Python Spamalot theater tickets average seventy-five dollars.

Pocket Sandwich Theatre is a one-stop destination where one can enjoy to the fullest in every sense of entertainment. They maintain that the place is the most fun packed place in the Dallas theatre. They constantly strive to live up to the expectations of their customers and provide them with best entertainment possible. The overall atmosphere is very casual and friendly. They have professional quality of stage shows, periodic dramas and theatrical shows. All these are blended with good food, drink and other amenities which make it a wonderful place to have fun.

To experience the action packed dramas and be a part of all this excitement it is necessary to locate the place primarily. Pocket Sandwich Theatre is a place in Dallas, centrally located one block east of Central Express Highway Number 75. Its exact location is at 5400 East Mockingbird Lane, Suite 119 of the Central Plaza. It is a place where you can relax while enjoying different varieties of food, with friends and families. The theatre has all this and much more with the thrill of seeing a live performance in an intimate setting.

The Pocket Sandwich Theatre has a capacity to seat near about 145 guests at the table, and the bar. There is also a facility for booth seating, assigned to guests as they arrive. There are special arrangements or considerations when larger groups of people come at a time to seat them together. Special arrangements are made for patrons with special physical needs.

It is a good place to spend in value time with family and friends. Pocket Sandwich Theatre gives out an exquisite mixture of Comedies, Melodramas, and Music shows with occasional drama thrown to keep-up the pace of the audience. The main motive behind the theatre management is to highly entertain the audiences with the selected shows. They should feel much better and contented when they leave the place than coming in the theatre. The care is taken by the management to intimate the audiences if their shows are not targeted to the children. Usually the late night shows are not to be meant for children, as they are not expected to turn out during that time.

The atmosphere inside the Pocket Sandwich Theatre is so well maintained it more than satisfies and entertains the audience. The scripts of the shows are most hilarious and they are done in good-natured fun. Before any of the performance starts, the guests are served with nachos, popcorn along with pitchers of beer and other beverages. This surely makes any play bearable, but usually all of them are of high-class. The audiences are encouraged for passive entertainment too. That means they are also encouraged to throw popcorns at the overdramatic performers whether they are good or bad. This unique adventure is fun for all the age groups. 

Everyone can enjoy these shows with lovely sandwiches served. They constitute the dinner with some appetizers. For those who really want to have a blast at the Pocket Sandwich Theatre should well before reserve their seats.

Regarded as one of Australia’s most beloved landmarks, Princess Theatre hosts world class stage dramas and musical productions like Les Miserables, The Phantom of the Opera, Cats, Mama Mia!, The Sound of Music  and The Producers. This theatre is the second building in the same site that was used for entertainment for a period of 135 years. The first building was Astley’s Amphitheatre that was opened in 1954 and the present theatre was opened in 1886 with the name christened as Princess Theatre. The theatre has been refurbished several times after this period and today it boasts as one of the theatres with world’s first sliding roof and ceiling with state of the art electric stage lighting.

It is also said that the theatre is haunted by a friendly ghost named as Federici who died after a performance of the opera, ‘Faust’. As an honour a seat in the third row dress circle is kept empty since it is regarded as a sign of good luck to see him in the theatre. His appearance has been witnessed by many staff in the theatre. This theatre’s grand Victorian style elegant foyer and stairway is compared to that of the Paris Opera. The theatre has a seating capacity of nearly 1500 with other modern facilities for the visitors as well. This placed is also used as the venue for Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

Visitors also have the luxury of dinning in the Melba or Marriner rooms before they visit to see a musical production that takes place in the theatre. While Princess Theatre is the ideal place for a perfect evening of entertainment, visitors also have the luxury of entering into a perfect mood of relaxation at a Spa in Melbourne. One of the best spas would be Chuan Spa Melbourne.

New York theatre tickets can be purchased online in advance with the least hassle. There are about 39 theatres located in the theatre district of the city. The theatre district is located within the 53rd and 42nd streets of Manhattan. This district is also called the Great White Way and is one of NYC’s most visited tourist destinations. The theatres here host some of the most popular shows featuring the very best creative teams and cast. Most of these theatres have more than 500 seats and people can watch some of Broadway’s most popular shows such as “The Phantom of the Opera” that is also one of the longest running shows. It has been playing for more than 20 years!

Broadway Theatre Tickets

You can get New York theatre tickets for the more commercial productions that are produced with no expenses spared. The shows are such great hits as the creative team puts together a superlative show that is aided by numerous talented artists who grace the stage.

If you desire to experience a more artsy kind of production, you can get New York theatre tickets to the off-Broadway shows that are hosted in theatres with a seating capacity up to 500. There are extremely low budget off-off Broadway shows which are hosted in theatres that have a seating capacity of about 100.

Audiences are wooed with award musical treats such as “Wicked”, “The Color Purple”, “Mamma Mia”, “Hairspray” and “Mary Poppins”. Children are especially delighted while watching “The Lion King”, “The Little Mermaid”, “Altar Boys”, “Beauty and the Beast”, “Stomp” and “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas!”

More mature audience generally purchase New York theatre tickets for shows like “November”, “August: Osage County”, “Avenue Q”, “Cat On A Hot Tin Roof”, “Chicago”, “Spamalot”, “Spring Awakening” and “The Homecoming”.

Purchase New York theatre tickets for shows such as “Billy Elliot”, “Curtains”, “Cymbeline”, “Cyrano de Bergerac”, “Grease”, “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change” and “Is He Dead” if you like comedies.

The best way to buy New York theatre tickets is from an authorized ticket broker. They usually have a huge inventory offering you much greater choice and variety. You can purchase orchestra, mezzanine or premium tickets in advance and even get the tickets to shows that have been sold out. Getting last minute tickets from authorized ticket brokers is also very easy. You just have to give them a call using a toll free number or make your purchase online. The security of the information that you are needed to provide is not a worry factor as the websites use the latest and secure technology and software.

When you book tickets via an authorized ticket broker, you get valid tickets that can be delivered at your doorstep via the Federal Express delivery service. They are delivered within a day after you have purchased them. You can plan and enjoy an evening at Broadway without any hassles. You need not rush to the box office for purchasing the last minute day-of-the-performance tickets or wait outside hoping someone will sell you a ticket due to a last minute cancellation. Instead, you can buy the New York theatre tickets from a registered ticket broker and go there to watch the show at your convenience.

Pantages Theatre is a famous venue built in the city of Los Angeles, America. This city of America is also known as the entertainment capital of the world.

A city which is known for many activities going around, here it focuses on a lot of entertainment events. Pantages Theatre is a venue wherein one can come and watch a plethora of dramas and plays.

The Pantages Theatre was built in the 1990″s. The Pantages Theatre has to its credit of showing some very interesting plays having great storylines and performances par excellence.

The Pantages Theatre is also present in other cities of the America to keep the spirit of live entertainment alive in the eyes of the people. It is not just plays that are shown in the theatre but there is other entertainment that surrounds the Pantages Theatre.

For instance, the theatre acts as home for the melodious music played and as a concert venue for people who love listening to music. Although office meetings and work occupation makes it difficult for professionals to take time out for fun activities.

And same is the case with children who tend to enjoy their holidays by trying something different which they have never done earlier, well for them the Pantages Theatre acts as a blessing in disguise making their weekends very enjoyable.

The Pantages Theatre works as a real break through for them. In a stressful environment where there is always a hustle bustle seen just about every where and people who intend to wind up their tasks before they could even think of having some time off from their hectic routine and same goes for the youngsters studying in the educational institutes of any level.

In the fast track global changes where everything demands to be completed in a swish and where the people think of having a magic wand in their hands that could take them far away from the worries of life with just a swift move and take some time out of their monotonous and hectic routine life to entre a place where they would get a dream come true sort of environment and refresh themselves.

All the worries and problems that they come across daily refreshing themselves for some time however, eventually going back to the reality where stress awaits them rather they face the stresses with great new ways.

Where they could close their eyes and sit in a cozy serene environment with melodious music entering their ears and getting a soothing effect and relaxation which seemed to have been lost somewhere under the piles of problems of the daily lives and it is the Pantages theatre that acts as a rescuer and believes that one should adapt to the social changes.

A Hollywood landmark, Pantages Theater signifies both the glorious past and adventuresome future of the world’s entertainment capital. Situated in the heart of Hollywood, on Hollywood Boulevard, this glittering theater has served as a movie palace, music hall and all-around venue for big-budget productions since its opening in 1930. The Pantages’ history is as grand and diverse as its stage and screen fare. Founder Alexander Pantages originally stacked the bill with MGM flicks and vaudeville acts, while center stage gave a way to live theater. The Pantages has also been the site of many gala premieres and spectaculars.

The Pantages Theater was one of the first movie houses built after the advent of talking pictures in 1930. It was designed for maximum audience comfort, with over 40% of the interior space devoted to public areas, lobbies, lounges and restrooms. The opening night audience was more impressed by the interior of the theatre. The Pantages also gained attention for boasting the most elaborate sound equipment anywhere in the world. In 1959, Universal Pictures booked Spartacus into the Pantages as a long-run, sure-fire attraction. To run the event, the house had to scale own its capacity to 1,512 seats. This reduction in seating capacity forced the Oscars to relocate, but there were still star-studded evenings at the Pantages.

The Pantages Theater was a home to the glittering Academy Awards Presentations from 1949 to 1959, and in 1967 it was sold to Pacific Theatres. Pacific briefly closed the house down for refurbishing. After undergoing a major restoration, the Pantages reopened, refreshed, again taking its place as one of the finest movie houses on the west coast. It continued as such for nearly a decade till 1977, when the silver screen went dark. Once again work was begun on the Pantages’ latest and greatest incarnation in preparation for the L.A. run of ‘The Lion King’. The production brought back the magnificent art deco gleam to the facility that had been covered by years of tarnish and deterioration.

Today, the Pantages Theatre is one of Los Angeles’ leading homes of legitimate theatre and a favorite location for TV shows, movies and music videos. Restored to its original conditions, the Pantages offers a variety of performances. It has also hosted rock concerts, for bands including Dream Theater, and Foo Fighters to name a few. Shakira graced the staged in 1997, while in 2006 Mexican pop-group RBD recorded their CD/DVD ‘Live in Hollywood’ at the Pantages. The Pentages Theater is now operated by an arm of the Nederlander Organization.

The Pantages Theatre has recently presented large scale production musicals such as Disney’s The Lion King, which ran at the theatre for over two years. It is currently playing host to the Los Angeles production of the Broadway musical Wicked. So, get your tickets and see the season’s most exciting event in the intimate setting of Pantages Theater. Nearby the place, you’ll find bars, tatoo shops and t-shirt shops. There are several excellent restaurants within walking distance that you might like to try out!
For more information about Pantages Theatre tickets visit:
http://www.ticketluck.com/venues/Pantages-Theatre-ca/index.php

In Britain, the repertory movement was a theatrical movement that originated in the early years of the twentieth century, was continued and developed between the two world wars, and became, after 1950, the prevailing form of theatrical organisation outside London. The earliest repertory companies were created and introduced as a protest against London’s domination of the theatres in the regions, along with a desire to counter-balance the commercial successes of the ‘West End’. My argument in this essay is that the time has come for a renewal of that protest in the face of a modern domination of British theatre by ‘The West End’.

By the second half of Queen Victoria’s reign, most people earned more money and worked shorter hours than ever before. This meant that for the first time, ordinary workers had enough leisure time to enjoy pastimes. By the mid-1800s, most of the large towns had several theatres, providing a range of ‘song-and-dance’ shows that entertained the whole family. By the 1860s, theatre became so successful that not only were they decorated to make them more comfortable with proper cushioned seats and carpet, but also matinées were introduced and the representational style of theatre was replaced with a new realism, pioneered on the continent by writers such as Ibsen. This meant box-sets were placed on the stage to create a proper room or rooms and the set would then be decorated with all the household items appropriate to that type of room; the set would appear exactly like a real-life room. At the beginning of the nineteenth century, theatres had stayed open many hours, often until midnight, showing tragedies, farces, pantomimes and other forms of entertainment that appealed to a mass audience. Theatres were not always the most salubrious places to visit. However, by the end of the century theatres were more attractive, stayed open for much shorter periods of time and the theatre programmes again consisted of just a single play. Banks and Marson (1998, p.45) claim that:

The court of Queen Victoria and so-called Victorian morality and attitudes affected the theatre. The Queen invited actors and companies to give ‘command performances’ at Windsor Castle;

thus the theatre became open and acceptable to all social classes, not just the lower classes of the earlier part of the century.

After the end of the Victorian period, things began to change significantly. Annie Horniman was “one of the most important forces in the shaping of twentieth century theatre in England” (Flannery, 1970, p.34), funding many worthwhile and critically acclaimed theatrical ventures and launching the careers of many famous figures in the world of drama. Annie was one of the key promoters of realism in the theatre in the UK, after observing with interest some of Ibsen’s plays. She also became aware of the number of repertory theatres in Germany and was keen to introduce into England the cultural value they brought. In her time Annie Horniman bought and renovated or financed several theatres that went on to achieve international recognition, as well as developing the modern repertory movement and enriching Britain’s dramatical culture, for which she was awarded an honorary MA. Most significantly, Horniman collaborated with W B Yeats on the establishment of the Abbey Theatre in Dublin as the first British repertory theatre in 1903. In 1907, she then bought the Gaiety Theatre in Manchester and redeveloped it as a regional repertory theatre. Harold Brighouse was another supporter of Manchester’s Gaiety and a prolific playwright of over seventy plays. Brighouse’s dominant style of writing was realism, and with Annie Horniman, was one of the first Britons to introduce and project this new style of theatre into British society. Brighouse, author of ‘Hobson’s Choice’, and other writers working in a similarly realistic style at the Gaiety became known as the Manchester School, which influenced the work of many other regional repertory theatres.

Barry Jackson shared with Annie Horniman her belief in the repertory movement. He was responsible for opening the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, which offered a valuable springboard for young actors wishing to work in ‘professional theatre’; through his work in Birmingham, he was also financing and supporting four other theatre companies. In 1904, a small group of theatrical players travelled around an area giving performances of old plays such as, ‘Youth’. It was this group, the Pilgrim Players, that later developed, under Barry Jackson’s guidance and influence, into the Birmingham Repertory Company; soon small repertory companies were beginning to establish themselves all over the country.

Although uncommon in British repertory theatres, some companies employed a form of repertoire system. In theatre, a repertoire system can operate with a theatre putting on many plays, including musicals, ballets and operas, at any one time. It is different from a weekly (or three-weekly) repertory system in that each play will have a different cast from within the same company, and possibly a different technical team too, making each production quite separate and unique. There are many benefits to this system, such as better quality and an increased variety of productions. However, the repertoire system has drawbacks too, including increased production costs due to each show needing separate sets, props, costumes, actors and publicity, with frequent changes to be organised.

When the British repertory system was in its early period of great success, it used to be that even smaller towns supported a theatre. The resident company would present a different play each week, normally a revival from a range of classics, but occasionally, if given the chance, a new play – the rights for which would have been recently released after a West End or Broadway run. However, these companies were not known for producing and developing new, untried work. Generally, companies would include a ‘leading lady’ and a ‘leading man’, two younger actors who would generally play the romantic roles. There would also be a ‘character’ actor and actress who would usually play the older roles and possibly a ‘soubrette’ who would play the cheeky, mischievous roles, thus creating a resident cast of seven actors. Occasionally a ‘guest star’ would be brought into the company for a short run to boost audience attendance and help pick up ticket sales.

The process of weekly rep was very stressful and pushed both the actors and the technical team to their limits. Typically the plays put on were three act plays and so along with performing one play, perhaps seven times a week, they would also have to learn lines, run and block a second play in their time between performances. However, from the audience’s point of view, seeing so many more, different performances, nearby and cheaper than the West End, was a fantastic and exciting opportunity. Local communities would strongly support the actors and would treat them like celebrities. According to the article on ‘repertory’ in Wikipedia, “sometimes entire families would make a visit to their local rep as part of their weekly routine like going to church”. For many of the younger audience members, this became a base for their future recognition, acknowledgement and enjoyment of live theatre, and indeed, a base for their social and cultural sense of self. However, today the practise of a new play every week and a week’s rehearsal does not happen and the practise of rep is more likely to be seen in large cities in well known establishments such as Birmingham Rep where plays run for between three and six weeks. Now actors rehearse for at least three weeks and as a result, a better show is produced and performed. However, a variation of weekly rep can still be found in some places in the UK. For example, producer Charles Vance still produces a successful weekly rep in Sidmouth based on a rotation of twelve plays.

Local repertory companies were keen to ensure a regular, good quality production for their communities. However, due to the World War between 1914 and 1918, the development of repertory slowed so much, it almost ground to a halt. The repertory theatres that remained open and successful such as Birmingham and Liverpool, encouraged other theatres to open, and continued giving their own performances, even twice a night. However, despite other smaller repertory theatres opening, by 1950, the popularity of the old style repertory theatres was disappearing, being replaced by regional theatres. Following an act of parliament in 1948, which established the arts council, many new regional repertory theatres were built; these were better financed, provided better facilities and put on longer runs of plays and invested in new writing, although still in repertory.

Regional repertory theatre in Britain was at its most important and influential between the 1950s and the 1980s. During this period the number of repertory theatres increased and the movement offered a good solid base to teach actors their trade, often acting as a preparation for professional theatre. This enabled many actors, such as Imelda Staunton, Judi Dench and Ian McKellen, who all began their careers in repertory theatres, as did Laurence Olivier, Peggy Ashcroft, Edith Evans and Ralph Richardson at Birmingham Rep between the wars, to go on to achieve universal recognition for their acting abilities.

The financing of the early repertory theatres was found privately, either through wealthy patrons such as Annie Horniman and Barry Jackson, or by local support. This meant that the companies were dependent either on the public’s continual support or on a patron having enough money to keep them running for a long period of time. This left many companies in an unstable position; the money could disappear at any time and the group would dissolve. However, the importance of keeping morale high during the Second World War was recognised by government funding for the first time, through what would become the Arts Council. This resulted in an increase of financial assistance for repertory companies after 1945.There was also a noticeable growth in local funding for resident companies or ‘regional theatres’ through the 1948 Act authorising expenditure on the arts, from the local rates, by local councils.

The years between the 1950s and the 1970s were some of the richest for dramatical culture in Britain with a wide variety of productions. Not only were the classics performed, as we see in today’s professional theatres, but also many of the plays produced, both in and out of the West End, were contemporary, with playwrights such as Willy Russell, John Osborne and Harold Pinter bringing a new meaningful depth to British theatre. Regional repertory theatres enabled a wide variety of new writers to develop an interesting range of drama, often with a local or a social and political theme.

A feature of the work of Peter Cheeseman… at the Victoria Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent, has been… historical documentaries of local interest, using idiomatic speech and researched by his own group of actors. (Goorney, undated)

In contrast, the same theatre was the early training ground for the famous comedy writer, Alan Ayckbourn. On the stage today, there are fewer plays being written to be performed specifically in professional theatres, again reducing what could be a very rich theatrical culture.

The vast development of the regional theatres throughout the 1960s and 1970s was followed by a huge decline in the 1980s. Cutbacks in funding meant that seasons had to be cut back and some of the studio theatres were closed completely. The closing and disappearance of repertory theatres is due to the year-on-year reduction in funding, whether it be funding from the local communities, the regional arts boards, or from central government, the financial support is simply being denied to them. The increasing difficulty for theatres in finding sponsorship and benefactors to fund their work is resulting in lowering wages, reducing cast and company sizes and restricting budgets, all of which have a clear effect on the final performances; a reduced quality production is the outcome. This has become a concern for many politicians. In February 2003, Robin Harper, MSP for the Green Party, challenged the Scottish Executive over the funding of Scottish theatre, saying, “Core funding for the Scottish Arts Council has been at a standstill, causing many theatre companies to suffer financial hardship, and their capacity to stage productions to be severely restricted.” Repertory theatre depends upon money and support from local and national government; failure to provide sufficient support will mean that repertory will not survive and Britain will loose a key educational and entertainment resource. In a Lords’ debate on 14 July, 1998, Lord Jenkins of Putney quoted Sir Cameron Mackintosh, a leading commercial theatre producer in Britain, saying:

The reason that British theatre is the envy of the world – both artistically and

financially – is that public money was invested in revitalising regional theatre from the 1950s onwards… most UK theatres outside the West End were built, saved or funded by public money. (Lords Hansard, 1998)

Bill Alexander (1998) wrote to The Independent newspaper about the benefits of good funding from his experience at Birmingham Repertory Theatre, saying that good finance:

…will see us almost double the number of performances and productions… launch Birmingham’s only venue for new writing… produce more work for children and family audiences, double our investment in education and community activities… and bring a rich programme of large-scale work to our main stage.

Today, the situation with theatres has much reverted to how it was pre-repertory, with the ‘regional’ theatres predominantly producing amateur productions, occasional touring productions and one-night entertainment shows such as music evenings and dance shows. In contrast the West End is dominated by Shakespeare and musicals – many of which are the work of Andrew Lloyd Webber – with only very few theatres presenting plays, and those that do are long-running and change infrequently. Television has become the dominant medium at the expense of live drama. Without repertory theatres there are very limited opportunities for actors to develop their talents and train and learn their craft, thus resulting in the whole of the British arts system wilting and being reduced to a very primitive and unpolished existence. As Lord Rix said in the House of Lords, on 14 July 1988, “Regional theatre is the birthplace of most new work and the training ground for our industry.”

Film and television have been an increasingly dominant medium for drama and acting over the last fifty years with many actors who had been professionally trained in theatre, turning to work ‘on the big screen’, a career change that pays more and brings greater public admiration and acknowledgement. However, film and television do offer a lot, especially for those who cannot afford to go to the theatre regularly; a wide range of classics and dramas are constantly being reproduced on film and aired on television, making it possible for the majority of the population to have some experience of cultured drama.

It is inevitable that the experience of watching television at home, alone or in a small group, watching a film in a cinema in the company of a larger audience and being part of an audience at a live production in a theatre are not the same. The improvement in cinemas, both physically and in terms of technology, has lead to huge revival in cinema going in Britain in recent years. Watching, for example, a comedy or a horror film with a large audience around increases the individual’s pleasure and involvement in the film, because it is easier to laugh out loud when others are laughing around you too, and when one person jumps or screams, others feel the tension too. However, the performance on film is fixed and cannot react to the mood of the audience.

The unique quality of live drama is not only that the performance of the actors changes and develops from performance to performance, but also the involvement of the audience with the production adds an extra dimension to the experience for both actor and audience. The most obvious form of this is in the ever-popular Christmas pantomime. However, in more subtle ways, the same is true for all live productions in the theatre. This interaction is the key force that enables you to understand what is the purpose and underlying meaning behind the play. We need theatres in Britain that present a rich variety of drama from both contemporary and classic sources and from a range of different cultures. As Goorney (undated) suggests:

A popular theatre cannot be built solely on the basis of contemporary plays concerned with the political or social ills of our society. The plays inherited from the great theatres of the past, the Greeks, the Elizabethans, the Commedia dell’arte and the Spanish theatre of Lope de Vega, are the heritage of all people and must not remain, as at present, the privilege of the few.

I believe there are many good reasons why we need more repertory theatres today, perhaps most importantly because they encourage, prepare and train young actors and dramatists for professional theatre so thoroughly, presenting a more experienced and better trained actor to the public. This has worked for hundreds of actors over the years, many of whom have gone on to become Britain’s finest dramatic performers. There is no point training the best stage actors if there is no demand or opportunity for them to exercise their dramatic performing skills. The whole community is impoverished if we are not able to be challenged, entertained and educated by the experience of seeing meaningful scripts brought to reality by skilled and exciting actors. As Goorney (undated) says, “…Art generally, including theatre, exists to enrich our spirit, to inform and extend our horizons…” In the past, regional repertory theatre has been at the heart of that experience and I believe it is time for it to be so again.

Bibliography

Alexander, Bill. 1998. Rep must look to the future, not live in the past, The Independent, July 3, 1998

Arts and Humanities Data Service 2005 Birmingham Repertory Theatre Archive Database http://ahds.ac.uk/performingarts/collections/birmingham-repertory.htm

Baker, F (Ed). 1998. The Annie Horniman Papers, Manchester: John Rylands University Library

http://archives.li.man.ac.uk/ead/search/eadSearchHandler?operation=full&recid=gb-0133-aeh

Banks, R A and Marson, P. 1998. Drama and Theatre Arts, London: Hodder and Stoughton

The Birmingham Repertory Theatre 2007 Birmingham Rep

http://www.birmingham-rep.co.uk/core_asp/gen_faq.asp#24

Chambers, Colin (Ed). 2002. The Continuum Companion to Twentieth Century Theatre, London: Continuum

Goorney, H. (Undated). Political Theatre in Britain 1928-1986

http://www.wcml.org.uk/culture/hgepilogue.htm

Hayman, Ronald. 1973. The Set-up, London: Eyre Methuen

Flannery, James W. 1970. Miss Annie F. Horniman and the Abbey Theatre, Dublin: Dolmen Press

Lords Hansard 1998. Provincial Repertory Theatres http://www.publications.parliamnet.uk/pa/ld199798/ldhansrd/vo980714-16.htm

National Museum for the Performing Arts 2007. Drama Tour: 1900-1945 http://www.peopleplayuk.org.uk/guided_tours/drama_tour/1900_1945/repertory.php

The Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch 2007. The Queen’s Theatre (1975-present day)

http://www.queens-theatre.co.uk/aboutus/billetlane.htm

Scottish Green Party 2003. Green MSP Challenges Executive Over Theatre Funding

http://www.scottishgreens.org.uk/site/id/3736/title/Green_MSP_Challenges_Executive_Over_Theatre_Funding.html

Wikipedia 2007. Repertory

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Repertory

When the theatre first opened on Oct. 15, 1930, the super-cinema was called the New Victoria Cinema and played a George Arils film in Old English, which was based on a John Galsworthy stage play. The Apollo Victoria was equipped with a theatre organ, which was played opening night by Reginald Foort. Aside from the films shown, the theatre also offered variety shows to the public. Soon after the theatre’s opening, the management diminished the number of variety shows and began to specialize in film showings and the occasional performance by big bands. In June 1939, the cinema became one of three sites in London used to present The Epsom Derby in live, experimental transmissions.

The theatre closed temporarily, due to World War II, from September 1940 to May 1941, but did not suffer any serious damage and reopened quickly thereafter. In the 1950’s, plans were made to demolish the theatre, but these plans fell through the venue was used for a combination of live shows, films, and ballet.
Live at the Orange Peel and Tennessee Theatre
In November 1975, the cinema played its final show, a double showing of “Legend of the Werewolf,” starring Peter Cushing, and “Vampire Circus,” starring Adrienne Corri. The theatre was closed after this showing, and underwent extensive renovations. It reopened in 1981, renamed the Apollo Victoria Theatre, and specialized in presenting concerts, the first of which was performed by Shirley Bassey. Other musical acts shown during the early 1980’s include Bucks Fizz, Dean Martin and Liza Minelli. During this time, the theatre also began staging musical theatre performances.

Theatrical performances in the last two-and-a-half decades or so include “The Sound of Music,” which ran from Aug. 17, 1981, to Sept. 18, 1982; “Camelot,” running from November 1982 to February 1983; “Fiddler on the Roof,” which ran from June to October 1983; 1984’s “Starlight Express,” a show which required the theatre to undergo interior modification to allow roller-skating performers to skate through the audience, running for an extremely successful 18 years; Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Bombay Dreams” in 2002; “Saturday Night Fever,” shown in 2004, “Movin’ Out,” a musical based on the songs of Billy Joel, in 2006; and Stephen Schwartz’s “Wicked,” which is playing currently and which began its run Sept. 27, 2006. “Wicked,” has proven to be exceptionally successful for the theatre, as it pulled in £761,000, a record-breaking amount, during the first eight performances of the show and has, to date, grossed more than £50 million in London.

Author:
If you fancy visiting the Apollo Victoria Theatre or buying London Theatre Tickets visit the website.

Terms: Articles may be reprinted provided content is not edited and links are kept live

Source: www.articledepot.co.uk

The first incarnation of the theatre came to light after the Puritan Interregnum, which was an 11-year ban on “frivolous” pastimes, including theatre. It opened May 7, 1663, and was known as the “King’s Playhouse” by many. The original building was a wooden structure made of three tiers, 112 feet long and 59 feet wide. At maximum capacity, it could hold 700 patrons. The performances during this time typically took place around 3 p.m. in order to make use of the daylight. There was no roof over the audience pit, which oftentimes left those attending plays at the mercy of the elements.
Live at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane
When the first theatre was destroyed by fire in 1672, the second theatre, named the “Theatre Royale in Drury Lane,” opened in 1794. This theatre lasted almost 120 years but was demolished in 1791 to make room for a bigger theatre, which opened in 1794. This theatre only lasted 15 years, as it also burned down in 1809.

The theatre building still existing today opened on Oct. 10, 1812. It seats about 2,237 people which, despite still being considered a large theatre, makes it approximately 550 seats smaller than the previous building.

Since its opening, it has been visited by Shakespearean actors, comedians, musical composer and performers and even the Monty Python comedy troupe, who recorded a concert album there. World War II forced the theatre to temporarily close and during the war, the theatre was used as headquarters for the Entertainments National Service Association. Although the theatre suffered minor bomb damage, it reopened in 1946 with Noel Coward’s “Pacific 1860.”

Since the war, it has produced mainly musical theatre, including several Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals including “Oklahoma!” In 1946, “South Pacific” in 1951 and “The King and I” in 1953. Other productions have included “My Fair Lady,” which had a five-year run beginning in 1958; “42nd Street” from 1984 to 1989; Miss Saigon from 1989 to 1999; and, more recently, “The Producers,” which closed in January 2007; a musical adaptation of “The Lord of the Rings,” which closed July 19, 2008; and “Oliver!” which began directly after the closing of “The Lord of the Rings.” The Drury Lane theatre is currently owned by Andrew Lloyd Webber.

It is often referred to as one of the world’s most haunted theatres. One of the most famous spirits alleged to haunt the theatre is that of the “Man in Grey,” a man whose skeleton was found in a walled-up room in 1848. Other supposed ghosts within the theatre include the spirits of comedian Joe Grimaldi and actor Charles Macklin.

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Since it would have been impossible to use cranes from within the O2 dome structure, the roof of the arena was actually constructed on the ground of the venue and lifted upon completion, allowing the rest of the arena to be built around the already completed roof. The O2 arena, despite having only been open since 2007, has already played host to several music and sporting events.

The arena is comprised of three seating areas, the upper and lower tiers, built in the same manner as an amphitheatre, and the floor. Arena management claims there is a clear view to be had from any seat in the arena. The arena is also located in a low emission zone in London and, as such, was designed to be environmentally friendly. Within the venue, steps are taken to reduce carbon emissions. Some of these steps include recycling used cooking oil from the food vendors and composting waste food.

The first performance in the O2 arena, which took place June 23, 2007, was an event strictly for the O2 staff. The “O2 Premiere” private event consisted of performances by Peter Kay, Tom Jones, Kaiser Chiefs and Basement Jaxx. The venue opened to the public June 24, 2007, with a concert performed by Bon Jovi.
KEANE O2 Arena 21st July 2007 – Custom Framed Original Concert Ad – Framed Music Poster/Print
On Dec. 10, 2007, Led Zepplin played their first show in 25 years at the arena. Five days later, on Dec. 25, the Spice Girls played their first British concert in almost 10 years in their original five-piece group form at the arena.

In April of the next year, the Olympic torch passed the site during its relay in London and the arena hosted WWE tapings for ECW, SmackDown, and Raw; and in August, Tiësto became the first DJ to entirely sell out the venue in advance of the actual show.

The arena has hosted, aside from sporting events including ice skating, wrestling and boxing, several musical acts, including The Eagles, Prince, Smashing Pumpkins, and Justin Timberlake.

Since its opening, the entire O2 structure has been shown at several times in several different movie and television presentations. In the 2005 film “Green Street,” the O2 can be seen during the final fight scene. In 2006’s “The Da Vinci Code,” the O2 is featured prominently in the background during one sequence. In the James Bond film “The World is Not Enough,” the O2 was the structure that aided James Bond in reaching his hot air balloon destination. In season seven of “The Amazing Race,” the O2 was the location of a roadblock for the contestants, during which they had to properly drive a double-decker bus.

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The theatre was, for many years, home to the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company and the Carte family ran it for more than a century. D’Oyly Carte’s son, Rupert, modernized and rebuilt the theatre in 1929 and in 1993, following a fire, it was rebuilt again. The original design for the theatre was came from C.J. Phipps.

It closed in 1903 and reopened in February 1904 with John Leigh and Edward Laurillard acting as managers. They remained in the managerial positions until December 1906, when the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company returned to the site for repertory seasons between 1906 and 1909. At this point, C.H. Workman took over the manager position until 1911.

The theatre was managed by George Augustus Richardson from November 1911 to Feburary 1915, at which point D’Oyly Carte’s son, Rupert D’Oyly Carte, took over. Rupert decided to bring the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company back to the theatre at this time and he also hired Malcolm Sargent and Geoffrey Toye as guest conductors and Isidore Godfrey and Harry Norris as musical directors.
Savoy Theatre was closed June 3, 1929, and the interior of the building was rebuilt completely. The original capacity of the theatre was 1,292, but was reduced to 986 by 1912. The new theatre designed allowed for 1,200 people. The theatre was reopened Oct. 21, 1929, and presented a production of “The Gondoliers.”
Historic Print (M): [Savoy Theatre and Hotel Dunlop, Boardwalk and Ocean Ave., Atlantic City, New Jersey] /
Gilbert and Sullivan seasons ran at the Savoy Theatre on and off from 1929 to 2003. The theatre also featured “Blithe Spirit” in 1941, which ran for 1,997 consecutive performances.
Management of the theatre went to Sir Hugh Wotner in 1948. The D’Oyly Carte Opera Company ceased operations in 1982 and the last heir of the D’Oyly Carte family died in 1985, effectively ending the family line.

During renovations in 1990, a fire destroyed the building, sans the stage and backstage area. It reopened July 19, 1993, and the newly rebuilt theatre currently seats 1,158. During the renovations, a swimming pool was added above the stage and another story was added about the theatre.

Since 1993, some shows at the theatre have included “Relative Values,” “Travesties,” the musical “She Loves Me,” “Dead Funny,” and “Coward’s Hay Fever.” In 2000, the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company was shortly reconstituted and produced “H.M.S. Pinafore” and “Pirates of Penzance.” The company followed these with “The Barber Seville” in 2004.

Currently, the theatre (located at The Strand, Westminster, London, WC2R 0ET), is showing Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Carousel,” a show which debuted Nov. 29, 2008.

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