Grand Theatre, Ontario
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The Grand Theatre is a professional theatre located on Richmond Street just south of Dufferin Avenue in London, Ontario, Canada.
Its main auditorium has a seating capacity of more than 800 with a regular play season running from roughly September to April. In addition, it has a secondary venue called The McManus Studio, located in the lower floor for smaller scale productions.
[edit] History
The theatre opened on September 9, 1901 under the ownership of the theatre magnate, Ambrose Small who reportedly considered this theatre his favourite of his numerous similar holdings. When he disappeared in 1919, it is rumoured that he haunts the building to this day.
With the rise of film entertainment, the theatre was equipped for film presentation when it was sold to Famous Players in 1924. In 1945, the theatre chain sold the building to the London Little Theatre company for a relatively modest price and the theatre became an amateur stage venue.
In 1971, the theatre company became a professional organization. In 1975, the governing board decided to react to the deteriorating state of the building with a major reconstruction that was completed in 1978. The reconstruction including reinforcing the main stage's proscenium arch as the sole major component of the building's original design and the addition of the McManus Studio as a secondary venue.
[edit] The High School Project
The Grand Theatre's High School Project is unique in North America. It gives high school students from London and surrounding area the chance to work with professional directors, choreographers, and stage managers.
Annually (since 1998), a full-length musical is performed on the main stage featuring a full cast of high school students. Students also assist in stage management, and in the building of set, costume, and props. In lieu of the 10th anniversary of the Highschool Project, a video component was intergrated into the program. The objective of this is to document the progress of the students in each department and of the show, overall.
Recently, the High School Project added a Shakespeare component, to be performed in the spring, leaving the Musical component to be performed in the fall.
The following is a list of High School Project stage productions that have been performed on the Grand Theatre's main stage:
- West Side Story (1998)
- A Midsummer Night's Dream (1999)
- Guys and Dolls (2000)
- Hello, Dolly! (2001)
- Oliver! (2002)
- The Music Man (2003)
- Fiddler on the Roof (2004)
- Oklahoma! (2005)
- The Sound of Music (Fall 2005)
- Twelfth Night (Spring 2006, McManus Studio)
- West Side Story (Fall 2006)
