Grand Theatre (London, Ontario) facts for kids
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| Address | 471 Richmond Street London, Ontario N6A 3E4 |
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| Coordinates | 42°59′09″N 81°15′04″W / 42.98592°N 81.251063°W |
| Type | Proscenium Arch theatre |
| Capacity | main auditorium (839); The McManus Theatre (150) |
| Current use | Professional and amateur theatre |
| Opened | September 9, 1901 |
| Years active | 1901- |
The Grand Theatre is a famous theatre located in London, Ontario, Canada. It's a special place where you can watch amazing live plays and musicals. The theatre has a big stage called the Spriet Stage with seats for 839 people. There's also a smaller stage downstairs, called The Auburn Theatre, which can hold 150 people. The Grand Theatre has been open for over 120 years!
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The Grand Theatre's Exciting History
The Grand Theatre first opened its doors on September 9, 1901. It was owned by a theatre boss named Ambrose Small. He loved this theatre the most out of all the ones he owned.
Ambrose Small mysteriously disappeared on December 2, 1919. He had just put a lot of money in the bank. Weeks later, a night watchman said he saw Mr. Small enter The Grand Theatre. Even with this clue, the police could never find him. Some people say his ghost still haunts the building today! This mystery was even explored on a TV show called The Girly Ghosthunters in 2005.
Later, movies became very popular. So, in 1924, the theatre was updated to show films when it was sold to Famous Players. In 1945, the theatre was sold again to a group called the London Little Theatre company. It became a place for amateur actors to perform. This group was one of the best amateur theatre companies in Canada.
In 1971, the theatre started to become a professional theatre. By 1975, the building needed a big update. A huge renovation costing five million dollars was finished in 1978. During this time, they made the main stage's arch stronger. They also added the McManus Studio, which is now The Auburn Theatre. The architects who redesigned The Grand even won a special award for their work!
The Grand is a great example of a Proscenium Arch Theatre. This is a traditional theatre design. It helps send the sound and music from the stage out to the audience.
Many famous actors have performed at The Grand over the years. Some of them include W.C. Fields, Sarah Bernhardt, Michael Redgrave, Donald O'Connor, Sidney Poitier, Jessica Tandy, Hume Cronyn, Maggie Smith, Michael Burgess, William Hutt, Martha Henry, Karen Kain, Victor Garber, Sandra Oh, and Leonard Nimoy.
How COVID-19 Affected the Theatre
In March 2020, the Grand Theatre had to stop its shows because of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Then, in June 2020, they announced that all shows for the 2020/2021 season were cancelled.
The High School Project
The Grand Theatre has a very special program called The High School Project. It's unique in North America! This project gives high school students from London and nearby areas a chance to work with professional theatre experts. They get to learn from directors, choreographers, musical directors, and stage managers.
Every year since 1998, a full musical is performed on the main stage. The cast is made up entirely of high school students. At first, they planned to switch between musicals, Shakespeare plays, and Canadian plays. But after the success of West Side Story in 1998, they mostly stuck to Broadway musicals from 2000 onwards.
Students also help behind the scenes. They assist with stage management, painting the set, and building costumes and props.
In 2006, they added a Shakespeare play to the project. This play is performed in the spring in The Auburn Theatre. The musical part of the project is still performed in the fall on the MainStage.
Here is a list of the High School Project shows 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)
- Romeo and Juliet (Spring 2007; McManus Studio)
- Les Misérables: School Edition (Fall 2007)
- Listen to the Wind (Spring 2008; McManus Studio)
- The Pirates of Penzance (Fall 2008)
- As You Like It (Spring 2009; McManus Studio)
- Grease (Fall 2009)
- Macbeth (Spring 2010; McManus Studio)
- Anything Goes (Fall 2010)
- The Odyssey (Spring 2011; McManus Studio)
- Footloose (Fall 2011)
- A Midsummer Night's Dream (Spring 2012)
- My Fair Lady (Fall 2012)
- Taming of the Shrew (Spring 2013)
- Legally Blonde (Fall 2013)
- The Importance of Being Earnest (Spring 2014)
- The Addams Family: A New Musical (Fall 2014)
- Much Ado About Nothing (Spring 2015)
- Hello Dolly! (Fall 2015)
- Les Misérables: School Edition (Fall 2016)
- Evita (Fall 2017)
- Prom Queen (Fall 2018)
- Titanic The Musical (Fall 2019)
- The High School Project Online (Fall 2020)
- The Great Grand Road Trip (Fall 2021)
- Into the Woods (Fall 2022)
- The Phantom of the Opera (Fall 2023)
Other Shows and Programs
The Grand Theatre also has other cool programs in The Auburn Theatre. One is called The UnderGrand series, which features more unique shows. There's also the Playwright's Cabaret. Here, local writers can share short plays for people to hear. The Auburn Theatre also hosts shows for young audiences, known as Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA).
Artistic Directors
The Artistic Director is like the main creative leader of the theatre. Here are the people who have held this important role:
- Peter Dearing (1957-1968)
- Heinar Pillar (1971–1976)
- William Hutt (1976–1980)
- Bernard Hopkins (1980–1983)
- Robin Phillips (1983-1984)
- Don Shipley (1984-1986)
- Larry Lillo (1986-1988)
- Martha Henry (1988–1995)
- Michael Shamata (1995–1999)
- Kelly Handerek (1999–2001)
- Susan Ferley (2001-2016)
- Dennis Garnhum (2016–2023)
- Rachel Peake (2023–Present)
