STAFF and players at York's Grand Opera House are this week celebrating the theatre's centenary.
The venue opened on January 20, 1902, with Little Red Riding Hood topping the bill.
Noted local star Miss Florrie Forde was in the lead role, while Mr JW Brighten assumed the villain's duties as The Wicked Wolf, and all were under the watchful eye of director Charles Baldwin.
To celebrate notching up the century, staff at the Grand Opera House are planning a special celebration performance later in the year - but the details are strictly hush-hush.
General manager Lizzie Richards told the Evening Press: "To reach your 100th birthday is a landmark in any theatre's history, especially so these days, when it is so important for theatres and performance areas to maintain a high profile.
"The Grand Opera House has had a chequered history; it has been a bingo hall, a wrestling venue, and of course a place for shows and music, so we wanted to celebrate all that."
To help the celebrations, students at York College baked a fabulous cake in the shape of the number 100, with a ton of candles to top it off. The Grand Opera House is currently resting between shows, but keep reading the Evening Press for the most up-to-date details of its programme throughout the year.
Updated: 10:26 Wednesday, January 23, 2002
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