Sunderland Empire
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The Sunderland Empire Theatre is located in High Street West in Sunderland, North East England. It is owned by the City of Sunderland Council and operated by Live Nation UK Ltd, on behalf of the Sunderland Empire Theatre Trust. It is one of the largest capacity venues in the North, that of 1860 fully seated, and approximately 2000 when all standing positions are occupied, and is the only theatre between Manchester and Edinburgh that is large enough to house today's large-scale West End theatrical productions. The auditorium is also one of the few remaining in the UK to have four tiers, namely the Orchestra Stalls, the Dress Circle, the Upper Circle and the Gallery. There are four private boxes on the Dress Circle level, as well as two proscenium boxes on the Upper Circle balcony.
The Empire Palace, as it was originally called, was established independently by Richard Thornton after his partnership with theatre magnate Edward Moss was dissolved. It was opened on 1 July 1907 by variety and vaudeville star Vesta Tilley, who had laid the foundation stone on 29 September 1906.
The dome on the 90ft tower featured a revolving sphere bearing the statue of Terpsichore, the Greek Muse of dance and choral song. These were removed during World War II for safety reasons, after a bomb which had fallen nearby rocked the building. The original statue is now located at the top of the main staircase, with a replica on the dome itself. The dome and tower have recently been refitted with a state-of-the-art LED and floodlight system that illuminates the main entrance in the evening.
Until the mid-twenties, the Empire enjoyed much extended success from its variety performances. With the decline of touring theatre, a projection box was added in 1930 and for the first time, the theatre played host to motion pictures. Although audience figures were high during the 1940's and early 1950's, the theatre closed in May 1959 due to the growing popularity of television and cinema. It reopened in 1960, however, after Sunderland Council bought the theatre. The Beatles performed there during their first UK national tour.
Sid James famously suffered a heart attack during a performance on the opening night of The Mating Season on 26 April 1976 and died on the way to hospital. Later it was rumoured that his ghost was in the dressing room he occupied on the night of his death; after one experience during a gig there, the comedian Les Dawson refused to play the venue again. Whilst the ghost of James is said to haunt backstage, the spirits of Vesta Tilley and Molly Moselle are said to haunt the front-of-house areas. Molly Moselle was a stage manager for Ivor Novello's The Dancing Years in 1949. Leaving the theatre to purchase a birthday card, she disappeared down a nearby alley and was never seen again. The Empire was known as a 'comic graveyard' - rather unfortunately given the above points - because of the partisan reception of the audiences of the time [1]. This is not the case in these more enlightened, modern times. Nowadays, the theatre regularly plays host to large-scale musicals, dance showcases, ballet, opera, amateur productions and one-night shows.
The theatre was the regular venue for the University of Sunderland's graduation ceremonies until the theatre's refurbishment in 2004. Since this time, the graduation ceremonies have been held at the Sunderland AFC Stadium of Light.
Birmingham Royal Ballet frequently visits the Sunderland Empire, and BRB considers the theatre as its base in the North East of England.
[edit] 2004 refurbishment and subsequent shows
Following a nine month closure for a £4.5m redevelopment project to enable it to stage West End shows, the theatre reopened on 9 December 2004 with a performance of Starlight Express. This refurbishment involved expanding the stage and the height of the fly tower. The refurbishment also allowed a new production of Miss Saigon to be staged at Sunderland in early 2005. On 9 December 2005, the Sunderland Empire staged a preview performance of the first ever touring production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, starring Tim Flavin and Robin Askwith. The official European premiere of this production took place here on the following Tuesday, 13 December. On 2nd May 2006, a new touring production of My Fair Lady began its run, starring Christopher Cazenove and Amy Nuttall.
Recently, it has been announced that Scrooge - The Musical will play at the Sunderland Empire over the 2006 Christmas period, starring comedian and television personality Michael Barrymore in the title role.
[edit] Live Nation Stage Experience
As part of their Education and Outreach scheme, the Sunderland Empire in conjunction with Live Nation Stage Experience presented a production of Thoroughly Modern Millie in August 2006. Live Nation Stage Experience is an opportunity for 9-25 year olds to star in a professionally produced show. Over 140 young people attended the summer school, and managed to present the show from scratch in under two weeks.
[edit] External links
- City of Sunderland Fact Sheet in PDF
- [2] Live Nation UK - Official Sunderland Empire information and history
- Tyne and Wear Partnership Sunderland Empire reopens with Starlight Express
- bbc.co.uk - 360° views - Empire Theatre, Sunderland showing the stage set up for Starlight Express
