About
Newsflash
As Chairman of the Grand, I want to say a big thank you to all those people supporting us and would like to update you on the present position. As you may be aware there have been several changes of ownership of the Grand over the years and everytime we have had meetings with various Boards of Directors, all of whom promised that we would get our theatre, alas non of these promises came to fruition. The Theatre is at present owned by an unknown man and some weeks ago the Chair of our Trustees sent a letter to all the Directors of BTW Shiells in Belfast, the outcome of which was a letter from one of the Directors, stating that they do not own the Frenchgate Centre, including the Grand Theatre, but merely act as Managing Agents of the Frenchgate Shopping Centre Doncaster on behalf of the Owner of Frenchgate, Frenchgate Limited Partnership.
The group and what we hope to achieve.
Some years ago the Friends of the Grand Theatre were the people responsible for saving the Grand Theatre from demolition with some 60,000 signatures and the help of Doncaster Civic Trust we succeeded in obtaining a Grade II listing order on this lovely old theatre.
The Grand was opened on the 27th March 1899. It started its life as a Circus Hall and then became the home of the Salvation Army, it was used for Political Speakers and eventually it was bought and turned into a theatre by a Mr J W Chapman, who at that time was the Lessee of the Old Theatre which stood in the Market Place alongside the Town Hall. It was designed by J P Briggs, who for many years had worked with Frank M
atcham. It was built by a local firm of builders, namely Arnold & Sons, who incidently, were in business up until a few years ago. It was one of the first theatres in the country to have electric lights and also a sprinkler system installed by Dawson & Taylor of Leeds. All staircases in the building are in stone as fire was a great hazard in those days.
Many famous names ‘trod the boards’ at the Grand including Charlie Chaplin, Sandy Powell, Nellie Wallace, Albert Modley, Max Miller, Henry Hall and his band with Betty Driver (who went on to play Betty Williams in Coronation Street, Tommy Handley, Frank Randle, Elsie & Doris Waters (Gert & Daisy), their Brother Jack Warner, Julie Andrews, Wilfred Pickles, Norman Evans and Morecambe & Wise to name but a few. Julie Andrews’ mother and father, Ted and Barbara Andrews appeared in Pantomime in December 1935, Julie was born in October 1935 and she was carried onto the stage as a baby and then appeared there again when she was 16 years old.
So close to the interchange, beneficial?
There are now 1,400 new car parking spaces adjoining the Frenchgate Centre with excellent security and all the buses leave from the new bus station in the interchange. There are also Lift’s and escalators connecting to the Railway Station Platforms and the existing Station building is now a travel centre. This means that people can come out of the Theatre and either use the car park or get on a bus or train all under cover with excellent security.
The Future
It is our intention not only to use the building for theatrical productions but also for Seminars, Conferences and Exhibitions. We have already had requests from various large theatrical companies throughout the country, wishing to perform when we are open, including Ballet and Opera companies. At present, to see any of the big shows we either have to go to Leeds, Sheffield or Bradford and only a few of the children in the town have ever been to a proper theatre, let alone had the chance to perform in one, this will encourage visitors to buy meals and to shop in our town. We also intend to open an up-market coffee shop, which would be open all day and would generate continual income and double-up as a Licensed Bar in the evenings. We have also had requests for it to be used as a Concert Hall as we do not have anything like that in Doncaster town centre and we have a wealth of talent in and around the town. These include Bands, Orchestras, Choirs, Amateur Dramatic Societies, Jazz and Swing Orchestras all of which want to see the theatre restored and back to its former glory. Our aim is to bring art, music and culture back into the town with Ballet, Light Opera, Variety Shows and Touring Companies etc.
Support
Despite the more obvious support that we have gained from Doncaster folk, we also have the backing of many of the stars and have recieved letters from Prince Edward, Prince Charles, Roy Hudd OBE (who is also a long standing member), Ken Dodd, Lesley Garrett, Paul Daniels, Jean Ferguson, Dougie Brown and Keith Barron to name but a few. It is YOUR support that means the most however, so to register your interest and lodge your support, go to our contact page and get in touch.
