From variety, musicals and comedy giants to Shakespeare, ballet, drama and dance, Blackpool Grand Theatre caters for every age, pocket and personality. Take a look at what’s coming up and book your tickets today!

Blackpool Grand Theatre is BACK!

The Covid pandemic was an extremely difficult time for Blackpool Grand. The historic venue was closed for an unbelievable 536-days – with no live performances on its iconic stage nor local audiences in its beautiful auditorium.

But programming is returning to normal and there’s a fabulous selection of shows. The best way you can support Blackpool Grand Theatre to bounce back to full strength is to purchase a ticket and enjoy a great night out with family and friends!

Booking tickets has never been easier. Visit blackpoolgrand.co.uk. Call 01253 290 190 or pop-in to the Box Office to book.

Pantomime 2023 at Blackpool Grand Theatre!

Hot on the heels of a record breaking Sleeping Beauty is Aladdin – this years magical family pantomime. Once again starring Grand panto favourite Steve Royle as Wishee Washee. The Grand is also delighted to welcome back Tom Lister! For those of you that have seen Tom & Steve working in panto together, you’ll know it’s going to be a madcap panto this year with lots of fun, laughs and improvisation!

The fabulous family pantomime at Blackpool’s Grand Theatre is always a laugh-a-minute extravaganza! Enjoy stunning sets, top musical hits, fantastic costumes and exciting special effects to keep audiences both young and old entertained! And Grand Panto favourite Steve Royle (Britain’s Got Talent, Comic, Presenter) returns!

The Blackpool Grand Theatre pantomime will burst with great songs, stunning dance routines and plenty of laughter, this is a truly magical treat for all the family you won’t want to miss! Blackpool audiences are guaranteed a year of spectacular sets, dazzling costumes and side-splitting comedy.

Aladdin is at Blackpool Grand Theatre from Friday 1 December 2023 to Monday 1 January 2024. Including matinee and evening performances. Accessible performances are also available.

Please call the Box Office on 01253 290190 or visit www.BlackpoolGrand.co.uk for bookings and further information.

What’s On at Blackpool Grand Theatre – in 2023 & beyond

La Bamba! 21-25 Nov at 7.30pm + matinee

How can one decision alter her story for ever? La Bamba! tells the story of how the power of music can transform a generation and celebrate a community.

Cast Announcement! The Wanted Siva Kaneswaran joins Strictly Come Dancing champion Pasha Kovalev, and rising star Inês Fernandez in the pulsating dance musical, La Bamba!

Sofia, a 17-year-old from Los Angeles, has music in her blood. From the moment her father handed her a guitar, her dream was to become a superstar. Inspired by her musical heroes and with the help of her family, Sofia will discover that whilst talent makes you a star, it’s fate that can make you a legend. As she mixes the music from her roots with the music in her heart, Sofia will bring together a community that has never felt more divided.

La Bamba! is a jaw-dropping new musical that combines Latin, R&B, and timeless rock and pop to tell the ultimate feel-good story of a young girl with a big voice, big dreams, and an even bigger heart. It features breath-taking choreography from Strictly Come Dancing favourite and Italian-Latin champion Graziano Di Prima.

BOOK YOUR TICKETS – Call the Box Office on 01253 290 190 (please mention you saw it on Visit Fylde Coast!)  or visit the website

Aladdin Pantomime 2023/4, 1 Dec to 1 Jan

Various times – shows daily except 4, 11, 18, 25 & 31 December

Blackpool’s No.1 pantomime for 2023/4 has been confirmed as Aladdin and will once again be presented by Martin Dodd for UK Productions Ltd. in association with Blackpool Grand Theatre.

Blackpool Pantomime, Aladdin, sees the return of West End star and TV soap sensation Tom Lister (as Abanazar) joining comic and Britain’s Got Talent finalist Steve Royle (as Wishee Washee)! Many will remember the incredible duo in our 2019 smash-hit panto Peter Pan in 2019!

Join hero Aladdin, his mother Widow Twankey and his brother Wishee Washee as they embark on a magical adventure and try to defeat the evil Abanazar and his plan to become master of the world. With help from the Genie of The Lamp and the Spirit Of The Ring.

Will Aladdin save the day, will he marry the beautiful Princess Jasmine? Will the Genie be freed? There’s only one way to find out… come see Aladdin, Blackpool’s No.1 Pantomime!

An enchanting tale of magic, mayhem and misunderstandings live on the Grand Theatre’s famous stage. Blackpool Pantomime, Aladdin is a laugh-a-minute extravaganza with stunning sets, musical hits, fabulous costumes and amazing special effects to keep audiences both young and old entertained!

BOOK YOUR TICKETS – Call the Box Office on 01253 290 190 (please mention you saw it on Visit Fylde Coast!)  or visit the website

Darknet, 9 & 10 Dec at 2.30pm

Fylde Coast Youth Theatre Presents DarkNet. THIS SHOW WILL BE PERFORMED IN THE BLACKPOOL GRAND STUDIO

Welcome to Octopus Inc., the internet giant that allows users to exchange personal data for currency. But not everyone is prepared to sacrifice their privacy for an easier life.

A teenager subverts the system in an attempt to save her mother. A visionary tech exec takes shortcuts to get ahead. And a cybercriminal makes a choice between two kinds of freedom.

BOOK YOUR TICKETS – Call the Box Office on 01253 290 190 (please mention you saw it on Visit Fylde Coast!)  or visit the website

Grand Christmas Concert, Mon 11 Dec at 8pm

Poulton-le-Fylde Band returns to Blackpool’s Grand Theatre with the heart-warming Grand Christmas Concert hosted by Hayley Kay – a fabulous festive treat for all the family.

Poulton-le-Fylde Brass Band will celebrate the festive season in rousing style with the yearly Grand Christmas Concert.

Packed with all your favourite sing-along carols and festive melodies, this family-friendly concert is the perfect start to your Christmas.

BOOK YOUR TICKETS – Call the Box Office on 01253 290 190 (please mention you saw it on Visit Fylde Coast!)  or visit the website

Theatre Tour – Grand Opulence – Mon 18 December at 11am

There is no theatre quite like The Grand. The published descriptions in 1894 said so, and contemporary theatregoers agree. This is renowned architect Frank Matcham’s masterpiece theatre, with a long and lively history

With the Grand Opulence Tour you’ll uncover the theatres history, front-of-house Grandeur and Opulence. (Tour includes Stalls, Dress Circle, Walkway, Royal Box & Stage Door)

BOOK YOUR TICKETS – Call the Box Office on 01253 290 190 (please mention you saw it on Visit Fylde Coast!)  or visit the website

2024 AT BLACKPOOL GRAND THEATRE

Johnny Cash Roadshow – Thurs 11 Jan at 7.30pm

The Johnny Cash Roadshow is back with an all-new production of their much-loved show. This time set on a Folsom Prison style stage, award winning Clive John pays homage to Cash in his warming unique way, alongside his iconic wife June Carter (Meghan Thomas) and some of the best musicians in the world playing double bass, fender telecaster and acoustic guitars, drums, piano, trumpet and four-part vocal harmonies.

‘Clive captures my Grandfather JUST as he was’ – Caitlin Crowell, Granddaughter of Johnny Cash.

You’ll experience the versatility and depth of these timeless songs as all the hits are delivered such as Walk the Line, Ring of Fire, Jackson, Orange Blossom Special and Boy Named Sue. It’s an emotional roller-coaster through Cash’s career, packed together in one fantastic, unforgettable evening’s entertainment.

BOOK YOUR TICKETS – Call the Box Office on 01253 290 190 (please mention you saw it on Visit Fylde Coast!)  or visit the website

Sleeping Beauty – Fri 12 Jan at 7.30pm

Sleeping Beauty is every child’s favourite fairy tale, this is the classic story of love and innocence, mystery and magic set to Tchaikovsky’s sublime score.

Stunning choreography, sumptuous costumes and wonderful sets form the fantasy world in which the Lilac Fairy struggles against the evil Carabosse.

Founded in 1947, the critically acclaimed Varna International Ballet returns to the UK following a breathtaking debut tour. Renowned for its award-winning soloists and magnificent corps de ballet, the company has been delighting audiences for decades at home and abroad with its performances of the highest quality.

BOOK YOUR TICKETS – Call the Box Office on 01253 290 190 (please mention you saw it on Visit Fylde Coast!)  or visit the website

Swan Lake – Sat 13 Jan at 2.30/7.30pm

Swan Lake is the greatest romantic ballet of all time and is brought to life by Tchaikovsky’s haunting and unforgettable score.

From the impressive splendour of the Palace ballroom to the moon-lit lake where swans glide in perfect formation, this compelling tale of tragic romance has it all. From Odile, the temptress in black tulle as she seduces the Prince by spinning with captivating precision to the spellbound purity of the swan queen, Odette as she flutters with emotional intensity, the dual role of Odette/Odile is one of ballet’s most unmissable technical challenges.

BOOK YOUR TICKETS – Call the Box Office on 01253 290 190 (please mention you saw it on Visit Fylde Coast!)  or visit the website

The Nutcracker – Sun 14 Jan at 2.30/5.30pm

The Nutcracker is the most famous of fantasy ballets for all the family begins as night falls on Christmas Eve.

As snowflakes fall outside, the warm glow of the open fire sends flickering shadows across the boughs of the Christmas tree and all the presents beneath. When midnight strikes we are swept away to a fairy-tale world where nothing is quite as it seems, toy dolls spring to life, the Mouse-king and his mouse-army battle with the Nutcracker Prince and we travel through the Land of Snow to an enchanted place where the magic really begins…

BOOK YOUR TICKETS – Call the Box Office on 01253 290 190 (please mention you saw it on Visit Fylde Coast!)  or visit the website

Jason Fox Life At The Limit – Sun 21 Jan at 7.3pm

Ex-special forces soldier, star of TV’s SAS: Who Dares Wins, Inside The Real Narcos and author of The Number One Bestseller Battle Scars; Jason Fox Comes to Blackpool Grand Theatre with his Life At The Limits Tour.

Jason Fox will bring to the stage and on tour the remarkable story of his daring exploits in a distinguished career as an elite operator in the UK Special Forces (SBS).

From gunfights, hostage rescues, daring escapes and heroic endeavours that defined Jason Fox’s service, to a very different battle that awaited him at home. ‘Life At The Limit’ is a breath-taking story of Special Forces soldiering; a chronicle of operational bravery, adventure and courage on and off the battlefield.

BOOK YOUR TICKETS – Call the Box Office on 01253 290 190 (please mention you saw it on Visit Fylde Coast!)  or visit the website

Bowie Experience – Thu 1 Feb at 7.30pm

Direct from London’s West End, Bowie Experience is a spectacular concert celebrating the sound and vision of David Bowie. A must-see for all Bowie fans, the latest production features all the hits from A to Ziggy.

Bowie Experience continues to amaze audiences with astounding attention to detail, bringing the golden years of David Bowie to the stage. So, put on your red shoes and Let’s Dance!

BOOK YOUR TICKETS – Call the Box Office on 01253 290 190 (please mention you saw it on Visit Fylde Coast!)  or visit the website

Back Into Hell – A Tribute to Meat Loaf and Jim Steinman – Fri 2 Feb at 7.30pm

Let us take you Back Into Hell, where Rock and Roll’s dreams come true, with this 2-hour extravaganza celebrating the iconic music of Meat Loaf and Jim Steinman.

Join our world-class musicians as they recreate such legendary anthems as Bat Out Of Hell, I’d do Anything For Love, Paradise By The Dashboard Light, Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth, Two Out Of Three Ain’t Bad, Dead Ringer For Love and many more.

BOOK YOUR TICKETS – Call the Box Office on 01253 290 190 (please mention you saw it on Visit Fylde Coast!)  or visit the website

Believe – The Cher Songbook – Sat 3 Feb at 7.30pm

An essential night out for all Cher fans, Believe – The Cher Songbook takes you on a memorable journey that turns back time to celebrate the Goddess of pop. ‘Believe – The Cher Songbook’ is an exhilarating show sensationally recreating all the hits, the hair, and the costumes from Cher’s breathtaking career, spanning six decades.

You’ll be dancing in the isles as they experience the ultimate tribute to Cher – an unforgettable night full of dazzling costume changes, outstanding musicianship and classic songs which all combine to create this spectacular production.

BOOK YOUR TICKETS – Call the Box Office on 01253 290 190 (please mention you saw it on Visit Fylde Coast!)  or visit the website

La bohème – Sun 4 Feb at 7.30pm

Ukrainian National Opera® Presents La Bohème – The most passionate love story. Music by G. Puccini. Sung in Italian with English Surtitles. Performed by the Dnipro Opera, from Ukraine Featuring an impressive cast and accompanied by a live Orchestra numbering over 30 musicians.

After last season’s premier in the UK, we are delighted to bring back Dnipro Opera Theatre from Ukraine. This opera and ballet theatre has a long-standing heritage of top-quality opera productions, and we are excited to bring it back to the UK in our 2024 Opera Season.

La Bohème, is Puccini’s passionate story of love at first sight set in 19th century Paris, in Bohemian district where students and upcoming artists live.

BOOK YOUR TICKETS – Call the Box Office on 01253 290 190 (please mention you saw it on Visit Fylde Coast!)  or visit the website

LORE – James Wilton Dance – Thurs 8 Feb at 7.30pm

LORE is the new production from award-winning dance company James Wilton Dance. It’s a folklore-inspired journey into a pagan world of gods, demons and humans, all embodied through otherworldly athleticism. LORE is about connection to nature, making you feel the energy that flows from the ground, through our bodies and back into the earth.

The specially composed soundtrack by Michal Wojtas, who draws influence from Viking, Celtic and Slavic folk music, is like listening to the tales our ancestors told while sat in a clearing in the woods, and hearing the ancient stories that bind humanity together.

BOOK YOUR TICKETS – Call the Box Office on 01253 290 190 (please mention you saw it on Visit Fylde Coast!)  or visit the website

Coleen Nolan – Naked – Fri 9 Feb at 7.30pm

From a child star, as the youngest of the ‘Nolan Sisters’ to TV Personality/Presenter, best-selling author and Agony Aunt, Coleen Nolan has done it all, or so it would seem. However, there is still one thing that needs to be ticked off the showbiz bucket list. So, for the very first time, Coleen takes to the stage with her first-ever solo show… Naked! (Not literally!)

Coleen will be taking us back to her first love of performing, by singing a selection of her favourite songs which have become the soundtrack to her life. Coleen’s life will be laid bare as she openly discusses her love life, lessons learned as well as challenging views on age-appropriate behaviour. Empowering women of any age to rediscover their passions and enjoy life to the max!

BOOK YOUR TICKETS – Call the Box Office on 01253 290 190 (please mention you saw it on Visit Fylde Coast!)  or visit the website

Steve Steinman’s Vampires Rock – Ghost Train – Sat 10 Feb at 7.30pm

Brace yourself for an unforgettable encounter with the magic that is Steve Steinman, a No.1 recording artist and show producer brings you his hit show Vampires Rock now in its 21st year.

Lorraine Crosby stars as the Vampire Queen, known for her duet with Meat Loaf on the No.1 song the world over “I Would do Anything for Love”.

Featuring hits from Steve’s very own original No.1 Album Take A Leap Of Faith and including his latest No.1 single “I Will Wear Your Like A Crown” and over 20 of the greatest classic rock anthems of all time.

BOOK YOUR TICKETS – Call the Box Office on 01253 290 190 (please mention you saw it on Visit Fylde Coast!)  or visit the website

Frankie Boyle – Sun 11 Feb at 7pm

Lisa Richards Presents Frankie Boyle: Lap of Shame

Frankie Boyle’s on tour. Buy a ticket, because by the time he arrives, the currency will be worthless and you and your neighbours part of a struggling militia that could probably use a few laughs.

BOOK YOUR TICKETS – Call the Box Office on 01253 290 190 (please mention you saw it on Visit Fylde Coast!)  or visit the website

School of Rock – 14-17 Feb at 7.30pm

School of Rock is Andrew Lloyd Webber’s award-winning smash hit musical premiered on Broadway in 2015, and has since been seen on stages around the globe! Based on the hilarious hit movie starring Jack Black.

The show follows Dewey Finn, a failed, wannabe rock star who decides to earn an extra bit of cash by posing as a substitute teacher at a prestigious prep school. There, he turns a class of straight-A–Pupils into a guitar-shredding, bass-slapping, mind-blowing rock band. But can he get them to the Battle of the Bands without their parents and the school’s headmistress finding out?

BOOK YOUR TICKETS – Call the Box Office on 01253 290 190 (please mention you saw it on Visit Fylde Coast!)  or visit the website

The Bench: A Tale from Paradise Heights – 17-19 Feb at 7.30pm

The Bench from the award winning writer and director of The Haunting of Blaine Manor, written & directed by Joe O’Byrne.

It’s just a bench in the park, the one by the war memorial. A thief, a fake clairvoyant, a homeless man, two burglars, a street sweeper, two war veterans, an artist, a widow, a drug dealer, a real clairvoyant, a loan shark, an angel and a ghost. They’ve all sat here at least once this year. Before the end of the year one of them will be murdered here… A comedy of love, life and loss.

BOOK YOUR TICKETS – Call the Box Office on 01253 290 190 (please mention you saw it on Visit Fylde Coast!)  or visit the website

Jurassic Earth Live – Sun 18 Feb at 1 & 4pm

Meet intrepid EXPLORERS & the bravest of RANGERS as they take you on a journey through Jurassic Earth, introducing their herd of the most incredible Dinosaur species to have ever lived! With audience participation and fun at the forefront of every performance, families will be captivated by astonishing, HUGE, life-size walking Dinosaurs, and their individual, jaw-dropping features.

Bring your biggest ROOAR and your fastest feet as you take Rangers Danger’s masterclass to become an Official Dinosaur Ranger – gaining the skills you need to come face-to-face with the World’s largest walking T Rex, a big-hearted Brontosaurus, tricky Triceratops, uncontrollable Carnotaurus, vicious Velociraptors & sneaky Spinosaurus.

BOOK YOUR TICKETS – Call the Box Office on 01253 290 190 (please mention you saw it on Visit Fylde Coast!)  or visit the website

Peak Stuff – Mon 19 Feb at 7.30pm

One performer and three stories about young people’s relationship with stuff…

Alice is done with fast fashion. Ben can’t stop buying trainers. And Charlie just wants to sell out…One organ at a time. Peak Stuff presents three fast-paced, funny, f***ed-up stories, taking a deep-dive into consumer culture. In an age of thrifting, retail therapy, climate crisis and click and collect – how does ‘stuff’ define us? And do we know when to stop?

Underscored by live drumming, and spectacular video design, one actor performs multiple stories to chip away at the role consumer culture plays in shaping our identity. Directed by ThickSkin’s Neil Bettles (How Not To Drown, The Unreturning), Peak Stuff is a tale for modern times.

BOOK YOUR TICKETS – Call the Box Office on 01253 290 190 (please mention you saw it on Visit Fylde Coast!)  or visit the website

Bouncers – 21-24 Feb at 7.30pm

Join Les, Ralph, Judd and Lucky Eric as they relive a night in a Yorkshire disco in the 80s. Like a hideously funny Saturday Night Fever, the original Bouncers is back in town. Everyone will be there: the DJ, the girls, the boys and the fish and chip van.

Originally premiering at the Edinburgh Festival in 1977, Bouncers is still one of the most performed plays in the UK today and is named as one of The National Theatre’s ‘Plays of the Century’. Don’t miss the classic comedy and northern favourite.

Hilarious, vulgar, frenetic and highly physical, the play has become an international sensation, gathering awards from around the world. Often imitated but never beaten, the original Bouncers is eye- wateringly funny, celebratory and as relevant today as it ever was. With a pumping 80’s soundtrack, this new production takes us back to the glorious highs when disco was king, and everyone lived for the weekend.

BOOK YOUR TICKETS – Call the Box Office on 01253 290 190 (please mention you saw it on Visit Fylde Coast!)  or visit the website

Bizet’s Carmen – Thurs 29 Feb at 7.30pm

Senbla presents Opera International’s award-winning Ellen Kent production featuring the Ukrainian Opera & Ballet Theatre Kyiv with international soloists, highly-praised chorus and full orchestra. An evening of passion, sexual jealousy, death and unforgettable arias.

This dazzling production with orchestra features Bizet’s unforgettable melodies including ‘The Toreador’s Song’, Carmen’s enticing ‘Habanera’, and Don José’s lyrical ‘Flower Song’ in a setting evoking the stunning architecture of Seville and its main square with Roman and Moorish influences. Sung in French with English surtitles.

BOOK YOUR TICKETS – Call the Box Office on 01253 290 190 (please mention you saw it on Visit Fylde Coast!)  or visit the website

Oh What A Lovely War – 1 & 2 March at 7.30pm

A cornerstone of modern musical theatre and one of the very greatest stage satires, Oh What A Lovely War is an extraordinary theatrical journey bringing to life the folly, farce and tragedy of the First World War.

Roll up, Roll up! And take your seat for the ever-popular ‘War Game’!

Wildly satirical, visually stunning and deeply moving, it’s the musical that revolutionised modern theatre; an exhilarating, no-holds-barred assault on the military incompetence and inconceivable disregard for human life the First World War has come to represent.

BOOK YOUR TICKETS – Call the Box Office on 01253 290 190 (please mention you saw it on Visit Fylde Coast!)  or visit the website

Buffy Revamped, Mon 11 Mar at 7.30pm

Buffy Revamped, the fast-paced gem that brings you the entire 144 episodes of the hit 90s TV show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as told through the eyes of the one person who knows it inside out… Spike.

Buffy Revamped tours the UK this Autumn following its award-winning Edinburgh Fringe premiere in 2022 and two sold-out national tours.

Funny, satirical and bursting with 90s pop-culture references, it’s the perfect parody for Buffy aficionados and those who never enrolled at Sunnydale High alike. Created by comedian Brendan Murphy whose last show, FRIEND (The One with Gunther), won Best Play at the World Wide Comedy Awards.

BOOK YOUR TICKETS – Call the Box Office on 01253 290 190 (please mention you saw it on Visit Fylde Coast!)  or visit the website

Jurassic Live – 30 May – 1 June at 3 & 5pm

The Jurassic Live World Tour arrives in Blackpool! See our life-sized, monstrous beasts up close in this award-winning spectacular.

Exclusively featuring the world’s only Mosasaur, the world’s last flying Pterodactyl and more dinosaur species than any other show on Earth! Jurassic Live is the UK’s most interactive theatre show where audiences become part of the dinosaur adventure.

Jurassic Live takes you on a musical journey as you join little Amber, Ranger Joe, Ranger Nora & the rest of the Jurassic Live rangers to help save the day from an evil man who is trying to shut down the Jurassic facility. With lots of audience participation and fun with your favourite comedic rangers on stage alongside dinosaur favourites such as Trixie the Triceratops, Herbie the Stegosaurus, Nessie the Apatosaurus, Rocky the Velociraptor, Bash the Stigimoloch and Suzie.. the world’s largest Tyrannosaurus Rex and many more!

BOOK YOUR TICKETS – Call the Box Office on 01253 290 190 (please mention you saw it on Visit Fylde Coast!)  or visit the website

Blackpool is the home of entertainment

Presiding over it is the ‘Grand’ Old Lady. From opera, ballet and Shakespeare to variety, musicals and comedy giants. The Grand Theatre caters for every age, pocket and personality.

Go into the Victorian auditorium of the Blackpool Grand Theatre and you’ll understand what ‘the glorious Grand’ means. This Frank Matcham designed masterpiece offers ornate, gilded plasterwork, baroque ceiling and cavorting cherubs. The cantilevered balconies give every seat a clear view of the stage.

125 Glorious Years!

The Grade II* listed Grand Theatre celebrated its 125th Birthday in 2019. The doors opened on 23 July 1894 – now one of the few surviving examples of the work of Frank Matcham.

The Grand Theatre has hosted a multitude of stars since its opening. From Lily Langtree to Michael Macintyre, Gracie Fields to Ken Dodd, Arthur Askey to Lee Evans…and the list goes on!

Photo: Sean Conboy

It attracts the very best in award-winning touring companies. Including The National Theatre, English Touring Theatre, The Royal Shakespeare Company, Opera and Ballet International and the Russian State Ballet.

A varied programme

It’s a programme of quality drama, comedy, dance and children’s theatre at The Grand Theatre. They also play host to the outstanding talents of local performers from groups across Blackpool, Wyre and Fylde.

By the early 1960s theatres across Britain were closing due to loss of audience to television. In July 1972 the then owners, the Tower Company, applied for permission to demolish it. In its place they proposed to build a department store. By then, the theatre is listed as a Grade II* building. So there had to be a full public enquiry.

Early in 1973 the Friends of the Grand Theatre was formed. After legal and financial wrangling, together with EMI and the local council, put together a deal. It involved leasing the theatre for £10,000 per annum and final purchase for £250,000.

• Find out more about the history of this amazing building here

Grand Returns to its Original Footprint – for the first time in more than 40 years

The Friends of The Grand, after thirty-five years of fundraising, have, at last, achieved their long-held ambition to return the Grand Theatre to its original architectural footprint.

When Frank Matcham, the famous Victorian theatre designer, was commissioned to create the Grand Theatre in 1893 its owner, Thomas Sergenson, briefed him to incorporate a number of small shops on Church Street into the design.

However, back in 1981, when the Friends purchased the Grade II* listed building from the then owners, EMI, these units were not included in the sale. Ever since, the Friends have been saving in a special fund for the day when it might be possible to buy them.

Well, that day has come and John Buck, Chairman of the Friends of the Grand said “it’s like a dream come true. We’ve been saving for this day for years; selling raffle tickets, lapel badges, holding coffee mornings and, even as recently as April we received a bequest from our long-serving Treasurer, Alan Sears, who sadly died earlier this year. It came with the specific instruction that it should only be spent of the purchase of the shops. Alan will be smiling down on us this day”.

Reopening The Grand

John, who is now in his seventies, was one of the original group who raised the money to save the theatre from demolition in 1973.  He, along with other passionate and dedicated Friends, cleaned, repaired and painted in their spare time to get the building back on its feet ready for its reopening and dedication from HRH The Prince of Wales in 1981.

“We were invited to buy the shops back in the 1990’s” remembers John, “but, back then, the owners wanted more than a million pounds for them and we thought we’d never be able to raise that much. And we were right! Obviously, times have changed, and, thankfully, we’ve been able raise enough to buy them for less than half that price”.

When the purchase is complete, the deeds of the properties will be donated to the Grand Theatre Trust, the heritage conservation charity which owns and cares for this beautiful historic building.

Roger Lloyd Jones, Chairman of the Trust said “there are many, many people who have made this wonderful purchase possible and I would like to thank everyone who has helped. The theatre is now 122 years old and, as you can imagine, needs constant care and attention. We hope the shops will prove an asset to the theatre, providing a small but much-needed rental income to be re-invested in the upkeep of this precious architectural gem”.

The Friends of the Grand is a registered Charity.

The Friends of the Grand now volunteer their services as Front of House staff, envelope-stuffers and runners of the theatre’s coffee stall. Last year, they provided 13,174 hours of voluntary service for the theatre at a value of £88,000.

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