George's Theatre Dreams Come True

It’s a measure of George Priestly’s commitment to the cause that the retired food industry entrepreneur has spent close to 16 years as Chairman of the body which runs Belfast’s landmark Grand Opera House.

Priestly has been around during the theatre's many tough times, not least a couple of terrorist bombings which ripped the heart out of the historic building. And he's long been left with the often thankless task of raising funds.

But, come this summer, he'll be able to enjoy a major moment for one of the city's most famous buildings. A new £10 million plus extension project to bring the Opera House into the 21^{st century is due for completion.}

^{It's something of an understatement to say that it has been a long time coming," George Priestly smiles. "Let's just say that we've had a few hurdles to jump along the way."}

^{The story begins in the 1980's when the old Hippodrome (latterly known as the New Vic) closed down as a cinema/theatre, briefly became a bingo hall and then went up for sale.}

^{"At that time, the Opera House was run by the Arts Council and I chaired the committee looking after it. We tried to buy it, but our bid of £675,000 fell well short of the £1 million which Dunloe Ewart was prepared to pay. In retrospect, it would have been much better to have spent the million there and then….bearing in mind what happened later. But that's the benefit of hindsight."}

^{The site, in a nutshell, went on to become a car park and later changed hands from Dunloe Ewart to another property developer, Michael Herbert.}

^{It wasn't until a third local developer, Jim Burgess, joined the board that the logjam was broken….largely thanks to his contacts in the world of property and to his foresight.}

^{"We talked around the problem for a while. The bottom line for us was always that we were landlocked. We could only develop in one direction and that's why we needed the site….or part of it.}

^{"In the end, Jim Burgess bought the site, for a heck of a lot more than the £1 millon Dunloe Ewart had paid for it, and we were able to get one third of it for what we needed. The land problem was solved….and all we had to do was draw up our wish list and then start looking for the money to pay for what we wanted."}

^{The wish list he mentions turned out to be a lengthy one. Charming and evocative it might be, but the original Grand Opera House was built in 1895 and doesn't lend itself too well to today's entertainment venue needs.}

^{"Starting at the front, we needed a new entrance. The existing one is far too small, and we end up with queues outside at peak times before productions. We also wanted to bring out ticket office back from its site across Great Victoria Street.}

^{"But what we also needed was space for a variety of other uses. Corporate entertainment has always been difficult in the Opera House as it is, and that meant we were losing business to other venues in the city with better facilities for wining and dining customers.}

^{"And we also have a strong educational role. Most touring productions these days come with an educational officer and we want to be able to bring kids in to be a part of the whole experience."}

^{George Priestly goes on to add that the very name, Grand Opera House, can send out the wrong messages.}

^{"I remember the first time I was introduced to the late Mo Mowlam. When she heard that it was Chairman of the Grand Opera House Trust, she told me in no uncertain terms that she didn't like opera. She's not the only person to jump to the wrong artistic conclusion!"}

^{Central to the new ultra-modern extension - which is almost certain to have its critics given its proximity to the historic façade - is a large multi-purpose space. This will be able to act as a mini-theatre, as a dining venue, lecture space or even business facility.}

^{Moving on to the nuts and bolts of the extension, which was officially topped out earlier this month (March), the Opera House Chairman adds that there will be modern facilities for disabled visitors, new bars on every level to make the old Opera House crush a thing of the past, full air conditioning and much improved catering facilities.}

^{At the back of the house, meanwhile, a second building project will mean an extension to the wings to each side of the stage, and vastly improved dressing rooms….including a couple of high-spec ones for visiting 'stars'.}

^{"When we hosted the Royal Ballet some time ago, it was acutely embarrassing for all of us here that members of the company had to dress in portakabins which we had behind the theatre….dashing out in the elements to get there."}

^{Purists might not like it, but the decision has also been taken to 'de-rake' the famous old stage….which has always sloped towards the audience.}

^{"It makes for better viewing but it's entirely impractical. It is difficult and dangerous for sets to be built and secured. And we've had more than one dancer hurt over the years because of the rake.}

^{"Sir Cameron Mackintosh was delighted with the success of Miss Saigon's run here at the end of last year, and he told us that he would bring more shows here providing we de-rake the stage. That was a good enough reason for us to make the decision to do it."}

^{There are a variety of funders behind what is known as Act 2 at the Grand Opera House - among them the government through DCAL, the National Lottery and the Lloyds TSB Foundation.}

^{George Priestly still has a million and a half or so to drum up, with some of that coming from a benefactors prepared to shell out £1,000 for a named glass brick to be placed permanently in a feature wall in the new building.}

^{But the Chairman doesn't seem too concerned about the remaining financial challenge. He's been through too many of those……}

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