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The Britten Theatre Opening Galas

The Britten Theatre was designed by Sir Hugh Casson RA to meet West End standards as the replacement for the outdated Parry Theatre. 

The opening in November 1986 was marked by three magnificent Royal Galas in the presence of Her Majesty the Queen, the Prince of Wales and Her Majesty the Queen Mother. It is exciting to read the cast lists, which included such distinguished alumni as Dame Anne Evans, Roderick Earle and Sarah Walker, along with current students now household names, including Gerald Finley and Sarah Connolly.

The programme consisted of various pieces sung by RCM alumni in the first half, while for the second half, the Opera School performed the third act of Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream conducted by James Lockhart. It was produced by Anthony Besch, designed by Peter Rice and lit by Neville Currier.

The whole evening on the first night was filmed by the BBC as the culmination of a programme that Kenneth Corder was making entitled 'The Birth of an Opera House', following the various stages of the project from the beginning.