| Gaiety Theatre | |
|---|---|
| Address |
South King Street,
|
| City | |
| Architect | Charles J. Phipps |
| Opened | 1871 |
The Gaiety Theatre is a theatre on South King Street in Dublin, Ireland, off Grafton Street and close to St. Stephen's Green. It specialises in operatic and musical productions, with occasional dramatic shows.
Contents |
History
Designed by architect C.J. Phipps[1] and built in under 7 months, the Gaiety was opened on 27 November 1871[2] with the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland as guest of honour and a double bill of the comedy She Stoops to Conquer and the burlesque La Belle Sauvage.[2]
The Gaiety was extended by renowned theatre architect Frank Matcham in 1883,[2] and, despite several improvements to public spaces and stage changes, it retains its Victorian charm and remains Dublin's longest-established, continuously producing theatre.[citation needed]
Patrick Wall and Louis Elliman bought the theatre in the late 1930s and ran it during the war years with local actors and actresses. They sold it, and in the 1960s and the 1970s the theatre was run by Fred O'Donovan and the Eamonn Andrews Studios, until - in the 1980s - Joe Dowling (former Artistic Director of the Abbey Theatre) became Director of the Gaiety.[citation needed] In the 1990s Groundwork Productions took on the lease and the theatre was eventually bought by the Break for the Border Group. The Gaiety was purchased by music promotor Denis Desmond and his wife Caroline in the late 1990s, who have since undertaken a refit of the theatre, with further changes planned for 2007. The Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism have also contributed to this restoration fund.[citation needed]
Use
Productions
Recent and renowned performers and playwrights associated with the theatre (Maureen Potter, Twink, John B Keane, Anna Manahan and Niall Toibin) have been celebrated with hand-prints cast in bronze and set in the pavement beneath the theatre canopy.[3]
The theatre played host to the 1971 Eurovision Song Contest, the first to be staged in Ireland, during the Gaiety's centenary year.[2]
A nightclub is run every Friday and Saturday night in the Gaiety, with live bands on different floors, which is the latest-opening non-private members nightclub in the city.[citation needed]
Pantomime
The Gaiety is known for its annual Christmas pantomime - which is a Dublin institution with families attending generation after generation.[citation needed] The theatre has hosted a pantomime every year - without interruption - since the mid 1850's.[citation needed] Actor and director Alan Stanford directed both Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. The Musical Director for the past several shows has been Peter Beckett. Irish entertainer June Rodgers starred in the Gaiety pantomime for years, until she began to headline the equally established Olympia Theatre panto. The Gaiety shows have been inclined to include notable Irish performers that appeal to home grown audiences, including many Fair City actors.
Pantomimes in recent years have included:
- 2009 Jack And The Beanstalk
- 2008 Cinderella
- 2007 Beauty And The Beast
- 2006 Mother Goose
- 2005 Aladdin
- 2004 Jack And The Beanstalk
- 2003 Cinderella
- 2002 Sleeping Beauty
- 2001 Snow White
- 2000 Aladdin
- 1999 Jack And The Beanstalk
- 1998 Cinderella
- 1997 Mother Goose
- 1996 Sinbad the Sailor
It has been announced that the Gaiety Pantomime for 2010/2011 will be Aladdin.
References
- ^ Irish-Architecture.com - Gaiety Theatre, South King Street, Dublin
- ^ a b c d GaietyTheatre.ie - A brief history
- ^ "Tóibín joins hands with Gaiety greats". The Irish Post. 18 May 2005. http://archives.tcm.ie/irishpost/2005/05/18/story2168.asp. Retrieved 16 March 2009.
External links
| Preceded by RAI Congrescentrum Amsterdam |
Eurovision Venue 1971 |
Succeeded by Usher Hall Edinburgh |
Coordinates: 53°20′25″N 6°15′41″W / 53.34028°N 6.26139°W
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