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Open Air Theatre Gets Royal Seal of Approval
Story published: Thursday, 20 May 2010
The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh performed the official opening duties before being given an exclusive tour of the newly restored £3.5 million 6,500 seat theatre and a Royal Variety Performance, Yorkshire style.
In a major boost for the region, Scarborough Borough Council announced too that Welcome to Yorkshire would be the official sponsor of the Open Air Theatre, the largest of its type in Europe.
Gary Verity, Chief Executive of Welcome to Yorkshire said: “We are extremely proud to have been given this prestigious opportunity to extend a warm Yorkshire welcome to Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh.
“Yorkshire has a multitude of incredibly exciting new tourism projects underway and we are delighted to be sponsoring the latest, which is now the ‘Welcome to Yorkshire Open Air Theatre – Scarborough’. The theatre is a gem in Scarborough’s entertainment crown and as the largest open air theatre of its kind in Europe it is a fantastic asset for both Yorkshire and the UK.
“We are very much looking forward to seeing the theatre open to the general public in July and if the crowds are as large during the summer opening as they have been today we will be very happy indeed.”
Thousands of well wishers lined Scarborough’s streets, all trying to catch a glimpse of The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh during the royal visit.
The ‘Royal Variety Performance’ opened with stars from Tony Peers Summer Show Spectacular with performances from Linda Newport, Alex Weatherhill, Victoria Yellop and youngsters from Hatton School of Performing Arts.
Stephen Joseph Theatre Outreach, a dedicated group of more than 200 amateur community performers, presented their play, Grains of Sand, specially written for the official opening of the open air theatre, taking the audience through a potted history of Scarborough, from Romans and Vikings to Scarborough Fair and seaside spas.
Following the performances, Cllr Tom Fox, leader of Scarborough Borough Council introduced the Freemen of the Borough to The Queen.
The formal welcome was given by the Mayor of the Borough of Scarborough, Cllr Bill Chatt, after which he invited The Queen to perform the official opening of the Welcome to Yorkshire Open Air Theatre - Scarborough.
Shortly afterwards the Royal party departed from the theatre to make their way to their next engagement in The Duchy of Lancaster’s North Yorkshire Estate.
Jim Dillon, chief executive of Scarborough Borough Council, said:
“We are deeply honoured to have Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh here to perform the opening ceremony of the open air theatre. This truly is an historic event of the highest magnitude for a borough that has a tradition of entertainment and attracting many generations of visitors and I am sure it will be a very memorable day for everyone involved. The theatre will enhance the area’s reputation as one of the best places to live or visit in the country and as an international destination for high quality entertainment.”
The Welcome to Yorkshire Open Air Theatre - Scarborough hosts its first public performance on Friday 23rd July with a spectacular concert by two of the world’s biggest opera stars; José Carreras and Dame Kiri Te Kanawa. The evening will be hosted by Brian Blessed, with music from the Opera North Orchestra and the Huddersfield Choral Society. This not to be missed opening gala show will be one of only two concert dates in the UK for José Carreras this year and will also be the first time that he & Dame Kiri have performed in concert together in the UK.
- ENDS -
Editors’ Notes:
• Welcome to Yorkshire is the official tourism body for Yorkshire, working to grow the region’s visitor economy.
• Welcome to Yorkshire is funded by Yorkshire Forward, the Regional Development Agency charged with improving the Yorkshire and Humber economy.
• Key facts include:
• Tourism in Yorkshire is worth £6.5 billion annually
• The region’s industry employs a quarter of a million people
• There are 209 million visits to Yorkshire each year
For further information please contact:
Dee Marshall - Head of Communications
Email: dmarshall@yorkshire.com
Direct Line: 0113 3223505
Mobile: 07950 325 901
Beverley Richmond - Press Officer
Email: brichmond@yorkshire.com
Direct Line: 0113 322 3507
Mobile: 07769 257380
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