The Grand (Calgary)

Infobox Theatre
name =The GRAND


caption =
address = 608 1st Street SW
city = Calgary
country = Canada
designation =
latitude =
longitude =
architect = L. R. Wardrop
owner = Theatre Junction
capacity = 2006: 440
(1912: 1350)
type =
opened = 1912; reopened 2006
yearsactive =
rebuilt =
closed =
othernames = Sherman Grand Theatre
Sherman Grand Opera House
The Grand Theatre
production =
currentuse =
website = www.theatrejunction.com

The GRAND "(note: upper case always used)" is a "culturehouse" in Calgary, Canada, offering contemporary performing arts in a historic theatre building.

History

The GRAND is part of the Lougheed Block, which was built in 1912, when Calgary had a population of only 50,000. [cite web | url=http://www.calgarypubliclibrary.com/calgary/historic_tours/corner/grthea.htm | author=Calgary Public Library |authorlink=Calgary Public Library| title=Grand Theatre (Lougheed Building) | accessdate=2008-01-10] The architect was L. R. Wardrop, and it was owned by Lougheed and Taylor, a firm established by Senator James Alexander Lougheed. It was built as a multi-purpose commercial building, accommodating retail stores, offices, living quarters and on the ground floor, the Sherman Grand Theatre. The GRAND was the biggest and best theatre in the Pacific Northwest attracting stars like Sarah Bernhardt, Fred Astaire, Ethel Barrymore, the Marx Brothers, George Burns, Arthur Rubinstein, and Paul Robeson, among others. It was also known as The Sherman Grand Opera House.

The GRAND was also the centre of Calgary's social and political life and the venue for political rallies, debates and speaking engagements. Both the Liberal and Conservative Parties held rallies here, as well as speakers such as Nellie McClung of the "Famous Five", Prime Minister Robert Borden, and Premier William Aberhart.

The original theatre had 1,350 seats upholstered in green leather with 810 on the main floor and 540 in the gallery. The theatre was very modern for its time - all fifteen of the changing rooms below the stage had hot and cold water as well as electric lighting. The theatre was even equipped with an automatic sprinkler system. In 1957 with the opening of The Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium, The GRAND became primarily a movie house, an incarnation that lasted for almost 50 years.

The GRAND Now...

In 2005, Theatre Junction Society raised $12 million to purchase The GRAND and turn it into Calgary's culturehouse for contemporary live arts. Now, after nearly 50 years and several incarnations, Western Canada's oldest theatre, is once again home to the very best in contemporary theatre, dance, music, film and more.

The state of the art Flanagan Theatre is a multi-form space that can be configured into eight different seating layouts with a capacity of up to 440 people. To build on the idea of a culturehouse, Theatre Junction teamed up with Canadian Rocky Mountain Resorts to open the Velvet Restaurant and Lounge in the lobby of The GRAND. [Canadian Rocky Mountain Resorts. [http://www.crmr.com/velvet/ Velvet at The GRAND] ] Velvet and the theatre can be used for a multitude of corporate and private events, all of which contribute to the financial sustainability of Theatre Junction at The GRAND.

References

Further reading

*cite web | url=http://www.calgarypubliclibrary.com/calgary/historic_tours/corner/grthea.htm | author=Calgary Public Library |authorlink=Calgary Public Library| title=Grand Theatre (Lougheed Building) | accessdate=2008-01-10

External links

* Theatre Junction. [http://atthegrand.ca at The GRAND]