Spectacular opening for theatre
Dublin's Grand Canal Theatre
Thursday March 18 2010
Ireland's newest theatre opened its doors in style on Thursday night with a host of famous faces catching a stunning performance of Swan Lake.
The Russian State Ballet - featuring stars from the Bolshoi - was the first group to grace the stage of the Grand Canal Theatre in Dublin city centre.
Brendan Gleeson, Gay Byrne, Rebecca Miller, John and Odette Rocha and architect Daniel Libeskind were among the stars from the worlds of the arts, sport, music, film, politics and business at the performance.
General manager Stephen Faloon said staff were also thrilled to have President Mary McAleese as the guest of honour at the 2,111 seat venue.
"The capacity of the venue means that we will be able to ensure that the people of Ireland will be able to see world class productions at a reasonable ticket price," he said.
"Large scale productions like Whistle Down The Wind, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Hairspray -starring Michael Ball - and One Night In Istanbul are already on sale and the Scottish Opera will be bringing their first production, La Boheme, to Dublin in June."
Patrons were wowed by the remarkable design of the building which combined the trademark raked angles of Daniel Libeskind's design with the traditional layout and colour scheme of the stunning auditorium.
It also features seven bars, an exclusive Circle Club and a rooftop terrace bar with panoramic views over Dublin 4.
The Grand Canal Theatre is operated by Live Nation on behalf of the leaseholder, Harry Crosbie, and was constructed by Chartered Land.
Mr Crosbie added: "This was the first spectacular night of many here at the theatre and we are delighted to have opened our doors to welcome our very first audience."
