City Guides
Wakefield
Theatres
Wakefield is home to one permanent theatre, the Wakefield Theatre Royal and Opera House, and a number of smaller venues, and hosts numerous infrequent theatre events.
The Wakefield Theatre Royal and Opera House, on Drury Lane in sight of the train station, was built in 1894 and holds Grade II listed status. The theatre seats just under five hundred people in its three levels: the gallery, the dress circle and the balcony. The building retains much of its Victorian ambience, with dramatic acoustics provided by the original, ornately decorated ceiling. Having temporarily been used as a cinema, the theatre has retained the cinema seating, refurbished to complement the rest of the décor.
The theatre makes somewhere in the region of £1 million each year, from its program of dance and musicals, drama, comedy, youth arts and public lectures. As with many theatres, its most commercially successful productions are its Christmas pantomimes, here attracting around 25,000 visitors each year.
Funding has been earmarked for further renovation of the property, including the building of a split-level foyer, bar and café area, lifts and a cutting edge art studio space.
Free parking is available at the Wakefield Arts Centre, and pay-and-display parking across the road at the Westgate/Smyth Street crossroads. Ticket prices for performances start at £10, and can be ordered by calling the box office on 01924 211 311.
The Wakefield Cycle is the continuation of an ancient British tradition, but one of only four of its kind remaining in the country. The Cycle is the performance of a collection of thirty-two plays, based loosely on Bible stories and folk traditions, and performed in various locations around the city.
The fifteenth century manuscript is now housed in a California library, and is clearly the work of a number of authors. However, most of the more renowned of the plays were written by a writer known as ‘the Wakefield Master’, and his works also form parts of the York Cycle.
Unfortunately, the Wakefield Cycle takes place sporadically and no dates have yet been set for performances in 2007.
Wakefield is home to the Stagecoach Theatre Arts School, on Barnsley Road. Here small classes of up to fifteen students have three hours of lessons each week on jazz and modern dance, drama and singing, taught by professionals in their respective fields. There are performances by the students twice a year, and third year students are invited to audition for an annual production in London.
There are a number of other, small theatres in and around Wakefield; including the Powerhouse 1 Showcase Theatre on Smyth Street, that also hosts live music events.
The Wakefield Theatre Royal and Opera House, on Drury Lane in sight of the train station, was built in 1894 and holds Grade II listed status. The theatre seats just under five hundred people in its three levels: the gallery, the dress circle and the balcony. The building retains much of its Victorian ambience, with dramatic acoustics provided by the original, ornately decorated ceiling. Having temporarily been used as a cinema, the theatre has retained the cinema seating, refurbished to complement the rest of the décor.
The theatre makes somewhere in the region of £1 million each year, from its program of dance and musicals, drama, comedy, youth arts and public lectures. As with many theatres, its most commercially successful productions are its Christmas pantomimes, here attracting around 25,000 visitors each year.
Funding has been earmarked for further renovation of the property, including the building of a split-level foyer, bar and café area, lifts and a cutting edge art studio space.
Free parking is available at the Wakefield Arts Centre, and pay-and-display parking across the road at the Westgate/Smyth Street crossroads. Ticket prices for performances start at £10, and can be ordered by calling the box office on 01924 211 311.
The Wakefield Cycle is the continuation of an ancient British tradition, but one of only four of its kind remaining in the country. The Cycle is the performance of a collection of thirty-two plays, based loosely on Bible stories and folk traditions, and performed in various locations around the city.
The fifteenth century manuscript is now housed in a California library, and is clearly the work of a number of authors. However, most of the more renowned of the plays were written by a writer known as ‘the Wakefield Master’, and his works also form parts of the York Cycle.
Unfortunately, the Wakefield Cycle takes place sporadically and no dates have yet been set for performances in 2007.
Wakefield is home to the Stagecoach Theatre Arts School, on Barnsley Road. Here small classes of up to fifteen students have three hours of lessons each week on jazz and modern dance, drama and singing, taught by professionals in their respective fields. There are performances by the students twice a year, and third year students are invited to audition for an annual production in London.
There are a number of other, small theatres in and around Wakefield; including the Powerhouse 1 Showcase Theatre on Smyth Street, that also hosts live music events.
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