The Opera House, Quay Street, Manchester

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.

Financial difficulties returned in the 1960s and 1970s leaving the Opera House battling against the Palace Theatre for essential funding from the Arts Council and the Greater Manchester Council. The funding went to the Palace Theatre and the Opera House was sold to Mecca, destined to be turned into a bingo hall - what many thought was to be the last theatrical performance at the Opera House took place in April 1979. However, the Palace Theatre, boosted by enormous success, decided to buy the Opera House and re-open it as a venue for long runs of musicals. The newly-refurbished Opera House opened in October 1984 with a record-breaking production of 'Barnum'.