Capitol Theatre, Manchester
Encyclopedia
The Capitol Theatre was a cinema in Didsbury
, Manchester
later used as television studios by ITV
contractor ABC
from 1956 to 1968.
The building opened as a cinema in 1931, but was badly damaged by fire in April 1932 and was closed for repairs until August 1933. The cinema was equipped for the production of live shows, and was used for occasional pantomimes and amateur theatrical performances. In 1956 it was converted into television studios for ABC Weekend Television
. Early episodes of The Avengers
and programmes such as Opportunity Knocks were made in the studios. After ABC ceased to exist in 1968 the studios were closed. In 1971 Manchester Polytechnic
acquired the building for its School of Theatre. Renamed the Horniman Theatre, it staged performances by students of the college, including early performances by Julie Walters
, Bernard Hill
, and David Threlfall
.
The theatre reverted to its original name in 1987, and the polytechnic was granted university status as "Manchester Metropolitan University" by the Privy Council on 15 September 1992 under the provisions of the Further and Higher Education Act, 1992.
As part of the university restructuring in 1997, the elderly building was sold to a development company and demolished to make way for blocks of flats. The School of Theatre moved its faculty and performance space to the All Saints campus on Oxford Road, where there is now a new Capitol Theatre; a 140-seat highly flexible studio space.
Didsbury
Didsbury is a suburban area of the City of Manchester, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Mersey, south of Manchester city centre, in the southern half of the Greater Manchester Urban Area...
, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
later used as television studios by ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
contractor ABC
Associated British Corporation
Associated British Corporation was one of a number of commercial television companies established in the United Kingdom during the 1950s by cinema chain companies in an attempt to safeguard their business by becoming involved with television which was taking away their cinema audiences.In this...
from 1956 to 1968.
The building opened as a cinema in 1931, but was badly damaged by fire in April 1932 and was closed for repairs until August 1933. The cinema was equipped for the production of live shows, and was used for occasional pantomimes and amateur theatrical performances. In 1956 it was converted into television studios for ABC Weekend Television
Associated British Corporation
Associated British Corporation was one of a number of commercial television companies established in the United Kingdom during the 1950s by cinema chain companies in an attempt to safeguard their business by becoming involved with television which was taking away their cinema audiences.In this...
. Early episodes of The Avengers
The Avengers (TV series)
The Avengers is a spy-fi British television series set in the 1960s Britain. The Avengers initially focused on Dr. David Keel and his assistant John Steed . Hendry left after the first series and Steed became the main character, partnered with a succession of assistants...
and programmes such as Opportunity Knocks were made in the studios. After ABC ceased to exist in 1968 the studios were closed. In 1971 Manchester Polytechnic
Manchester Metropolitan University
Manchester Metropolitan University is a university in North West England. Its headquarters and central campus is in the city of Manchester, but there are outlying facilities in the county of Cheshire. It is the third largest university in the United Kingdom in terms of student numbers, behind the...
acquired the building for its School of Theatre. Renamed the Horniman Theatre, it staged performances by students of the college, including early performances by Julie Walters
Julie Walters
Julie Walters, CBE is an English actress and novelist. She came to international prominence in 1983 for Educating Rita, performing in the title role opposite Michael Caine. It was a role she had created on the West End stage and it won her BAFTA and Golden Globe awards for Best Actress...
, Bernard Hill
Bernard Hill
Bernard Hill is a British actor of film, stage and television. In a career spanning thirty years, he is best known for playing Yosser Hughes, the troubled 'hard man' whose life is falling apart in Alan Bleasdale's groundbreaking 1980s TV drama, Boys from the Blackstuff...
, and David Threlfall
David Threlfall
David Threlfall is an English stage, film and television actor and director best known for playing Frank Gallagher in Channel 4's Manchester-based drama series Shameless. He has also directed several episodes of the show.-Early life:...
.
The theatre reverted to its original name in 1987, and the polytechnic was granted university status as "Manchester Metropolitan University" by the Privy Council on 15 September 1992 under the provisions of the Further and Higher Education Act, 1992.
As part of the university restructuring in 1997, the elderly building was sold to a development company and demolished to make way for blocks of flats. The School of Theatre moved its faculty and performance space to the All Saints campus on Oxford Road, where there is now a new Capitol Theatre; a 140-seat highly flexible studio space.