The theatre was opened in Quay Street in 1912 and was originally called The New Theatre, designed to be a new Shakespearean theatre and grand opera house for the people of Manchester. It was purchased by the United Theatres Company in 1915 and re-named The New Queen's Theatre, then, in 1917, The New Queen's and Opera House. In August 1920 it became simply The Opera House, opening with the 'Rose of Araby'. Howard and Wyndham became the new owners in 1931 and a financially-difficult decade was followed by more prosperous years. The 1940s and 1950s saw the Opera House established at the centre of the Manchester's theatre world, enjoying particular success staging new American musicals such as 'Oklahoma' and 'West Side Story' and also hosting regular visits from the Sadlers Wells and D'Oyle Carte companies.
