Opera House

Buxton Opera House is a superb example of grand Edwardian architectural design, and one of only about 20 surviving Frank Matcham theatres today.

It is part of the extravagant and inspiring Pavilion Garden structures, and stands in the centre of Buxton's most historic and beautiful area. Its nearest neighbours are the Old Hall Hotel, the Crescent, The Slopes, the Pavilion Gardens themselves and St. Anne's Well.

On 1st June 1903 Buxton Opera House opened to a full house. It had cost the grand total of £25,000 and had a seating capacity of 1,200. For the next 24 years the Opera House dedicated itself to the performing arts. Ballets, Shakespeare, concerts and musicals from the West End graced the stage. Stars and celebrities of the time were regular visitors to Buxton and included Anna Pavlova who performed the Dance of the Dying Swan.

Perhaps as a sign of the times, in 1927 Buxton Opera House became a cinema. Silent Movies were all the rage and were shown for 5 years. In 1932 the miracle of sound arrived and the Opera House was duly upgraded and 'wired for sound'. With the advent of the 'talkies', cinema popularity exploded and the success of the Opera House continued.

Despite the popularity of cinema, however, the demand for live performances continued and so in 1937 and 1939 summer festivals were staged and starred high calibre names such as Alec Guinness and Sybil Thorndike.

Operated by High Peak Entertainments Ltd, the Opera House continued as a cinema until the 1970s. By this time it was in need of extensive, costly refurbishment and High Peak Entertainments Ltd relinquished their lease of the building. It was restored by Arup Associates, which included the installation of an orchestra pit, and reopened as a theatre in 1979 with the first Buxton International Festival.

Further extensive refurbishment and restoration both internally and externally was carried out between October 1999 and June 2001, and again in February 2007. This latest round of work saw air conditioning installed in the gallery and backstage areas, new seating in the gallery and the upper circle as well as re-wiring and painting both backstage and in the dressing rooms.

As well as hosting the Buxton Festival, the Opera House also hosts the International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival (since 1994), and more recently with Pavilion Gardens the Four-Four Time Music Festival (since 2004).

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