The Passing Of A Grand Old Theatre

A Memory of Newcastle upon Tyne.

The old Grand Theatre at Byker, Newcastle upon Tyne was one of well over 65 theatres and cinemas in the city in the heyday of entertainment.

Kenneth More in repertory, Winifred Atwell playing her first date in England, Bobby Thompson and the Merry Magpies, The Tattler Girls, many many Pantomimes, Revues and Variety Shows, Musical Comedy, the list could go on for ever of those who tread the boards of the Grand!

I grew up in the place! I was often told that I caused many BAD moments as a child! (Read my blog!) My dad ran the place and I was there at the end of its days as a very young House Manager together with my cousin Steve and Babs Davidson with Patrick Dowling’s Repertory Company's production of ‘Night Must Fall’.

Having signed a great many ‘last tickets’ the evening came to an end and we stood at the footlights and said farewell to the audience of 62 old folk, three of them having helped to build the theatre all those years ago. Smoky the theatre cat came down to the footlights and gazed up at the rows of dark empty seats for the last time ... as Patrick Dowling said to the audience “As night must fall on our play so it must also fall on this wonderful old theatre” and looking at Smoky sitting on a footlight and gazing at the rows of seats he muttered that “Even the cat knows it is the end”. By now there was not a dry eye in the house and it had to be the worst night of my life. If you have never had to close a living theatre you could never imagine how it hurts. The following morning I stood on the empty stage with only the cleaner’s lights on and watched the seats being stripped out to go to yet another Bingo Hall. I stayed for a long time just listening to the ghosts stirring in the cold shadows.

NB. As there was the Viaduct Pub over the road and a fishcake factory behind the theatre I would like to think that Smoky lived well after we had all gone. (No, she was not prepared to be caught, try as we did!).

Has anyone got a good photo of the theatre?

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