Copyright © 2023 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett
On Sept. 12, 2023, Mike Hume, Rick Boychuk, and I visited two theaters in York, Yorkshire, England. Today’s post is about our first stop and tour at the Grand Opera House York. Hume had arranged a tour with Technical and Buildings Manager, Joe Strange (pictured below).
Wendy Waszut-Barrett, Mike Hume, Joe Strange, and Rick Boychuk at the Grand Opera House York.
For geographical context, York is located north of London, at the confluence where the Foss and Ouse Rivers. Founded in 71 AD when Roman General Quintus Petillius Cerialis and the Ninth Legion constructed a military fortress. Roman origins remain quite visible throughout the city, forming the basis for later medieval structures.
Our walk to the Grand Opera House and Theatre Royal provided a wonderful opportunity to explore York. On a grey damp day, we passed by “The Shambles” (a medieval street), Sir Thomas Herbert’s House (Tudor), the Cathedral and Metropolitan Church of Saint Peter (York Minster), and the Assembly Rooms.
Walking through the Shambles section of York.
Sir Thomas Herbert’s House.
York Minster.
Another view of York Minster.
The Assembly Rooms. The building was erected by public subscription 1730-1736 to the design of Richard Boyle, Earl of Burlington.
The Assembly Rooms are now home to a cafe.
Another view of the interior.
Here is link to an interactive map of York if you want to do a little more exploring: https://www.york360.co.uk/map-of-york.htm
Our First Stop in York – The Grand Opera House
The Grand Opera House York.
Front entrance, Grand Opera House York
The theater emerged from a previous building, dating from 1868. It was architect John P. Briggs who drew plans that converted a corn exchange and warehouse to a performance space. This 1902 venue recently underwent a major refurbishment.
Hume arranged a tour with Joe Strange, Technical and Building Manager of the Grand Opera House York.
Stage door and loading doors, Grand Opera House York. Joe is in the red shirt waiting at the stage door.
The exterior of the building still boasts tall doors; doors that provided necessary access for touring wings and other large flats. Here are several photos from our tour
A view of the auditorium from the stage.
Metal safety curtain at the Grand Opera House York.
Detail of safety curtain.
Backside of the safety curtain.
Ben Hur mural above the proscenium.
The Ben Hur mural above the proscenium arch.
Detail of the mural.
Detail of the mural.
Joe Strange in the upper gallery at the Grand Opera House York.
Auditorium Grand Opera House York. View of the opera boxes.
Opera Box detail.
More ornamental decor.
View of the stage and auditorium.
Looking up at the gridiron.
Rick Boychuk and Joe Strange discussing the grid.
The grid.
The grid.
The Fly floor looking upstage.
The fly floor.
This may be the most cozy fly floor that I have encountered to date.
My favorite backstage sign…“make it epic…”
The bridge (upstage/exterior wall). View from stage left.
I greatly appreciate the time that Joe spent giving us a tour of the building and sharing the history of this beautiful theater.
Here is is a link to the Grand Opera House York website if you happen to be in the region: https://www.atgtickets.com/venues/grand-opera-house-york/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=gmb
To be continued…
Great reporting: splendid concise historical setup; stunning captioned cover shots; tiny details; hidden details; and, the backside of everything!! Cheers– the York Tourist Bureau should get a copy of this piece!! All the best!! J