Tyne Theatre and Opera House will hold an international conference in September at the end of a year-long heritage project, funded by National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Victorian & Edwardian Theatre in Performance: Music & Machinery—Stagecraft & Spectacle will take place September 13–15 in the Grade I listed building, itself an example of Victorian theatre.
Speakers from USA and Europe will join those from the UK to examine the inter-relationships between the stage, the orchestra pit, the performer and the audience during the periods. A wide variety of subjects are expected including papers on silent film, the role of dance, Victorian transformation scenes and theatre fires!
The conference will culminate in a demonstration of the theatre’s Victorian stage machinery, currently being restored.