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'{{Infobox Theatre |name =Sunderland Empire Theatre |image =Sunderland_Empire.jpg |caption =Shown here are the Main Doors, with the secondary Stalls entrance to the left. The Box Office is located 20&nbsp;yards down the street. |address = High Street West |city =[[Sunderland, Tyne and Wear|Sunderland]] |country =United Kingdom |designation = |latitude = 54.90638 |longitude = -1.3892 |architect = |owner =Leased by [[Ambassador Theatre Group]]<br />(City of Sunderland Council) |capacity =2200 |type = |opened =1 July 1907 |yearsactive = |rebuilt = |closed = |othernames = Empire Palace |currentuse = |website = [http://www.atgtickets.com/venues/sunderland-empire/ Sunderland Empire Theatre website at Ambassador Theatre Group] }} The '''Sunderland Empire Theatre''' is a large theatre venue located in High Street West in [[Sunderland, Tyne and Wear|Sunderland]], [[North East England]]. The theatre, which opened in 1907, is owned by City of Sunderland Council and operated by [[Ambassador Theatre Group]] Ltd, on behalf of Sunderland Empire Theatre Trust.<ref name="atg">{{cite news|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2009/nov/03/atg-buys-live-nation-british-theatres|accessdate=2010-03-22 |title=Ambassador Group buys up Live Nation's British theatres|author=Mark Brown| location=London | work=The Guardian | date=3 November 2009}}</ref> ==Background== The Sunderland E 1,860 seats and the capacity to accommodate 2,200 when all standing positions are occupied. <ref name="capacity">{{cite web|url=http://www.liverpoolempire.org.uk/content_venue.asp?CategoryID=8601|accessdate=2009-06-26 |title=Seating Plan|author=Liverpoolempire.org website|year=2007}}</ref> <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.visitsunderland.com/attraction-details.asp?venueid=7|accessdate=2009-06-26 |title=Sunderland Empire|author=Visit Sunderland website|year=2009}}</ref> <ref name="flagship">{{cite web|url= http://www.visitnortheastengland.com/site/what-to-see-and-do/entertainment/sunderland-empire-p21681|accessdate=2009-06-26 |title=Sunderland Empire|author=Visit North East England website|year=2009}}</ref> The auditorium is also one of the few remaining in the UK to have four tiers, namely the Orchestra Stalls, the Dress Circle, the Upper Circle and the Gallery. There are four private boxes on the Dress Circle level, as well as two [[proscenium]] boxes on the Upper Circle balcony.<ref name="theatre book">{{cite book |title=Sunderland Empire – A Centenary History |last=Robinson|first=Alistair |year=2007 |publisher=Tempus Publishing}}</ref> The Empire Palace, as it was originally called, was established independently by Richard Thornton after his partnership with theatre magnate [[Edward Moss]] was dissolved. It was opened on 1 July 1907 by variety and [[vaudeville]] star [[Vesta Tilley]], who had laid the foundation stone on 29 September 1906. The dome on the 90&nbsp;ft tower featured a revolving sphere bearing the statue of [[Terpsichore]], the Greek Muse of dance and choral song. These were removed during [[World War II]] for safety reasons, after a bomb which had fallen nearby rocked the building. The original statue is now located at the top of the main staircase, with a replica on the dome itself. The dome and tower have recently been refitted with a state-of-the-art LED and floodlight system that illuminates the main entrance in the evening. Until the mid-twenties, the Empire enjoyed much extended success from its variety performances. With the decline of touring theatre, a projection box was added in 1930 and for the first time, the theatre played host to motion pictures. On 5 November 1956 [[Tommy Steele]] made his stage debut heading the bill in a variety show. Steele, Britain's first rock 'n' roll singer, went on to become one of the world's leading song and dance men appearing at the Empire many times. Although audience figures were high during the 1940s and early 1950s, the theatre closed in May 1959 due to the growing popularity of television and cinema. It reopened in 1960, however, after Sunderland Council bought the theatre. [[The Beatles]] performed there during their first UK national tour. The actor [[Sid James]] suffered a [[Myocardial infarction|heart attack]] during a performance of ''[[The Mating Season (play)|The Mating Season]]'' on 26 April 1976 and died on the way to hospital. Later it was rumoured that his ghost was in the dressing room he occupied on the night of his death; after one experience during a gig there, the comedian [[Les Dawson]] refused to play the venue again.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.shieldsgazette.com/CustomPages/CustomPage.aspx?PageID=58275&sectionID=6150 |title=Theatre Stage An Old Haunt For Sid? |accessdate=2008-03-15 |format=newspaper |work=The Shields Gazette }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sunderlandecho.com/retro1980s/1989-Ghostly-tale.4331124.jp|title=Ghostly tale|date=2008-07-28|publisher=Sunderland Echo|accessdate=2009-05-03}}</ref> Whilst the ghost of James is said to haunt backstage, the spirits of [[Vesta Tilley]] and Molly Moselle are said to haunt the front-of-house areas. Molly Moselle was a stage manager for [[Ivor Novello|Ivor Novello's]] ''[[The Dancing Years]]'' in 1949. Leaving the theatre to purchase a birthday card, she disappeared down a nearby alley and was never seen again. The Empire was known as a 'comic graveyard' - rather unfortunately given the above points - because of the partisan reception of the audiences of the time [http://www.sunderland.gov.uk/Public/Editable/Themes/Visitors-Guide/History/did-you-know.asp]. Nowadays, the theatre regularly plays host to large-scale [[musicals]], [[opera]], [[ballet]], dance showcases, amateur productions and one-night shows. [[Academy Awards|Oscar]]-winning actress [[Helen Mirren]] made her stage debut at the Sunderland Empire. The theatre was the regular venue for the [[University of Sunderland]]'s [[graduation]] ceremonies until the theatre's refurbishment in 2004. Since this time, the graduation ceremonies have been held at [[Sunderland AFC]]'s [[Stadium of Light]]. [[Birmingham Royal Ballet]] frequently visits the Sunderland Empire, and BRB considers the theatre as its base in the North East of England. ==2004 refurbishment and subsequent shows== Following a nine month closure for a £4.5m redevelopment project to enable it to stage [[West End theatre|West End]] shows, the theatre reopened on 9 December 2004 with a performance of ''[[Starlight Express]]''. This refurbishment involved expanding the stage and the height of the [[fly tower]]. The refurbishment also allowed a new production of ''[[Miss Saigon]]'' to be staged at Sunderland in early 2005. On 9 December 2005, the Sunderland Empire staged a preview performance of the first ever touring production of ''[[Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (musical)|Chitty Chitty Bang Bang]]'', starring [[Tim Flavin]] and [[Robin Askwith]]. The official European premiere of this production took place there on the following Tuesday, 13 December. On 2 May 2006, a new touring production of ''[[My Fair Lady]]'' began its run, starring [[Christopher Cazenove]] and [[Amy Nuttall]]. [[Scrooge (musical)|Scrooge: The Musical]] played at the Sunderland Empire over the 2006 Christmas period, starring comedian and television personality [[Michael Barrymore]] in the title role. 2007 saw the Sunderland Empire celebrate its centenary and a massive line-up of big shows including ''Starlight Express'', ''[[The Producers (musical)|The Producers]]'', ''[[Footloose (musical)|Footloose]]'', ''[[South Pacific (musical)|South Pacific]]'' and the first pantomime since its refurbishment - ''Cinderella'' which starred [[Hollywood]] legend [[Mickey Rooney]]. == Live Nation Stage Experience == As part of their Education and Outreach scheme, the Sunderland Empire in conjunction with Live Nation Stage Experience presented a production of ''[[Thoroughly Modern Millie]]'' in August 2006. Live Nation Stage Experience is an opportunity for 9- to 25-year-olds to star in a professionally produced show. Over 140 young people attended the summer school, and managed to present the show from scratch in under two weeks. Due to the success of this project, another Stage Experience, ''[[We Will Rock You (musical)|We Will Rock You]]'', was produced in August 2007, and in August 2008, a production of ''[[West Side Story (musical)|West Side Story]]'' was presented, with the cast and crew complement expanded to 170 young people, with many of the cast and crew returning from the previous Stage Experience projects. ==References== {{reflist|2}} == External links == *[http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/Stagestruck-kids39-premiere-passions.4346081.jp Stagestruck kids' premiere passions] - Sunderland Echo's story on West Side Story *[http://www.LiveNation.co.uk/Sunderland OFFICIAL WEBSITE] *[http://www.tynewearpartnership.org.uk/twp/index.php?id=11&sid=6&nid=26 Tyne and Wear Partnership] Sunderland Empire reopens with Starlight Express *[http://www.sunderland.gov.uk/public/editable/themes/lifelong-learning/Local_studies_fact_sheets/Fact%20Sheet%2013.pdf City of Sunderland] Fact Sheet in [[Portable Document Format|PDF]] *[http://www.bbc.co.uk/wear/content/panoramas/sunderland_empire_360.shtml BBC Wear - 360° Interactive panorama image] showing the stage set up for ''Starlight Express'' *[http://www.bbc.co.uk/wear/content/image_galleries/sunderland_empire_scenes_gallery.shtml BBC Wear - In Pictures - A tour behind the scenes of the Empire] *[http://www.bbc.co.uk/wear/content/image_galleries/songs_of_praise_empire_gallery.shtml BBC Songs of Praise comes to the Sunderland Empire] {{City of sunderland}} {{Listed buildings in the City of Sunderland}} {{ATGVenues}} [[Category:Theatres in Tyne and Wear]] [[Category:Buildings and structures in the City of Sunderland]] [[Category:Grade II* listed buildings in Tyne and Wear]] [[Category:Performance art venues]]'