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____________________________________________________________________________________________ The Opera House, Quay Street, Manchester Formerly - The New Theatre / New Queen's Theatre
Above - The Opera House, Manchester during the run of Can-Can on the 9th of April 1956 - Courtesy Gerry Atkins
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| The Opera House on Quay Street, Manchester was built in 1912 by Farquharson, Richardson & Gill and originally opened as the New Theatre. The Theatre became the New Queen’s Theatre in 1915, and didn't actually become the Opera House until 1920. | ||
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Above - Detail of the auditorium and procenium arch
of the Opera House, Manchester in 1980
Left - Programme for 'Murder in Mayfair' by Ivor Novello, and staring Novello, Fay Compton, and Edna Best, at the Opera House, Manchester in August 1934. Right - Programme for Prince Littler's 'Glamorous Nights' by Ivor Novello, a transfer from London's Theatre Royal Drury Lane, at the Opera House, Manchester in February 1936. |
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Above - The Opera House, Manchester in 1988 - Courtesy
Alan Ashton who says: 'When I was working for Granada TV in Manchester,
right across the road was, of course, the Opera House, and I took this
shot after the frontage had all been painted and restored.'
Above - The auditorium of the Opera House, Manchester
in 1980
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Left - The Opera House, Manchester - From a Programme 1934. Right - Wartime Programme for 'The Love Racket' with Arthur Askey at the Opera House, Manchester in September 1943. |
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The Theatre was bought by the Ambassador Theatre Group in November 2009 and you may like to visit their own Website for the Theatre here. |
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The
Theatre was Manchester's main Touring House until 1979 when it closed
and was converted for Bingo use but this lasted for only five years
and in 1984 it was bought by the Palace Theatre Trust who had previously
saved the 
The
Opera House has a very large auditorium with two cantilevered balconies,
each with a capacity of around 500, but because of their size they have
rather restricted sight-lines to the rear. The Theatre's current capacity
is 1,920.