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 Theatres & Box Offices |
| London, Royal Opera House |
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Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Bow Street, London WC2E 9DD {The Box office itself is situated in Floral Street} Box Office: 020 7304 4000 General: 020 7240 1200 Friends 020 7212 9267 |
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We have a separate page about the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden. In summary, the Opera House is closed for refurbishment and should reopen around the end of the century. {top}
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| London, Coliseum |
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Address: St Martins Lane, London WC2N 4ES Box Office: 0171 632 8300 |
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Reputed to be the best dance theatre in London, so it's a bit of shame that it is not used 100% for ballet (unfortunately ENO insist on having it as a home). The architecture is wonderful and to sit in the stalls is a real treat for anybody who has suffered the stalls at the Opera House. However like the Opera House the cheap tickets at the top of the house demand that you enter at the side ( or tradesmen's!) entrance.
Nirvana is seeing the Kirov from the middle of the stalls (or even one of the charming little boxes at the back of them). Prices vary according to who is playing; broadly comparable with the Opera House. {top}
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| London, Sadler's Wells |
| Box Office: 0171 863 8000 |
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Sadler's Wells is now reopened following its total rebuilding. It's a modern theatre with a no frills, working feel and not at all stuffy or pretentious. What's more the original promise is being fulfilled and Sadler's is now regularly hosting visits by foreign companies we have been starved of for a while now.
Views of the stage are generally good from wherever you are, though the back of the stalls feels a bit claustrophobic. The seats/stools at the side can be a great bargain. Drinks in the bar are wickedly expensive however. The Peacock is the sister theatre and it too presents dance programmes. Sadler's Wells web site {top}
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| London, Peacock (was Royalty) |
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Address: Kingsway, London WC2 Box Office: 0171 314 8800 |
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The Peacock is the sister theatre of Sadler's Wells and was initially used whilst the redevelopment was taking place. However, it continues to carry on showing dance and related programmes following the re-opening in Rosebery Ave.- an ambitious move as it represents a new major dance venue for London.
The Peacock is a plain, no-nonsense theatre, which will never win prizes for beauty. However, the sight-lines are good and the leg room was a relief after the old Sadler's Wells. Bar facilities are fine, but food is restricted to a few sandwiches. It is used during the day as a lecture theatre for the LSE, so if you turn up early, you might catch a seminar on a 'Structuralist approach to neo-Keynesian Economics' or something similar. {top}
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| London, Piccadilly |
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Address: Denman St, London W1 Box Office: 0171 369 1734 |
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Never been there. AMP are doing their new Cinderella here from September 1997 onwards.
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| London, Royal Albert Hall |
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Address: Box Office: 0171 5898212 |
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Being in the round this is not a good place for classic ballet or dance. Unfortunately this does not put promoters and companies off trying to use it. I suspect they are driven to the place by a lack of decent sized facilities elsewhere in London.
Unless the piece is specially choreographed for the hall I would be wary of going; especially if there are options to see the company elsewhere. Also beware of the seats up in the gods - some of the poorest views I've ever had were here (of the Bolshoi as I recall). {top}
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| London, Royal Festival Hall |
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Box Office,Royal Festival Hall, London SE1 8XX Box Office: 0171 928 8800 or 0171 960 4242 |
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Another hall that is less than ideal for dance, though not as bad as the Albert Hall. The lack of a flytower poses a real problem in manoeuvring sets into place. However all the sight lines are excellent and the seats amongst the most comfortable in London. The Royal Ballet are using the hall for some performances while the Opera House is being refurbished. They say they are going to special lengths to ensure that performances are as good there as anywhere. {top}
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| London, Queen Elizabeth Hall |
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Box Office,Royal Festival Hall, London SE1 8XX Box Office: 0171 928 8800 or 0171 960 4242 |
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Part of the Southbank / Royal Festival Hall complex. Smaller and more intimate than the Festival Hall, though it shares many of the same problems (ie its a hall not a theatre). Tends to be used for dance rather than ballet. I mainly see Far Eastern dance companies when they come over.
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| London, Labatt's Apollo Hammersmith |
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Address: Queen Caroline St, Hammersmith, London W6 9QH Box Office: 0171 416 6082 |
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Not been there yet. Royal Ballet start their 1997/98 season off here. Goodness only knows how we will all get on!
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| London, The Place |
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Address: 17 Duke's Rd, London, WC1H 9AB Box Office: 0171 387 0031 |
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The Place deserves to be better known and is, believe it or not, the busiest contemporary dance venue in Europe. The theatre is part of a complex which includes London Contemporary School, the Richard Alston Dance Company and numerous dance classes and services to dancers. The venue was founded by Robin Howard, a fighter pilot and arts philanthropist who fell in love with modern dance, which as late as the 1960s, was almost unknown in the UK.
The Place Theatre presents contemporary dance in 4 annual seasons together with a number of one-off performances. Nobody goes to The Place to be seen and there is NO corporate entertaining, and as a result there is a genuine buzz from an audience made up exclusively of dance lovers. There's a cheap, but good café in the basement and ticket prices are nearly always £10 unreserved. Sight-lines are terrific everywhere and if you sit in the front row, you have the feeling that you might find a dancer in your lap - sadly it hasn't happened to any of us yet. {top}
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| London, Riverside Studios Hammersmith |
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Address: Crisp Road, Hammersmith, London Box Office: 0181 741 2255 |
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If you have not been before be prepared for something that is not your average ballet/dance space.
Only really usable by small companies and those that don't really require sets. A theatre much more associated with modern dance. I remember seeing the Twyla Tharp company here - a real eye opener. {top}
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| Plymouth, Theatre Royal |
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Address: Not known. Box Office: 01752 267222 |
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BRB play here and the RB also visited a few years ago. In fact the first time I saw Sylvie Guillem was in La Bayadere at Plymouth - we went down from London for the evening having heard that she was rather good!
A modern theatre, pleasant, civilised and compact. {top}
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| Barnstaple, Queen's Theatre |
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Address: Boutport Street, Barnstaple, North Devon, EX31 1SY Box Office: 01271 24242 |
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An old building tastefully modernised. Comfortable seats and all of them should have a good view.
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| Bournemouth, Pavilion Theatre |
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Address: Box Office: 01202 456456 |
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I've never been.
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| Brighton, Theatre Royal |
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Address: Box Office: 01273 328488 |
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I've never been.
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| Eastbourne, Congress Theatre |
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Address: Box Office: 01323 4120000 |
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I've never been. Northern Ballet Theatre play here.
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| Southampton, Mayflower |
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Address: The Mayflower, Commercial Road, Southampton SO15 1GE Box Office: 01703 711811 |
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Another place within striking distance of London and a good place to see BRB, or ENB. Ticket prices vary between about £8 and and £28.
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| Canterbury, Marlowe Theatre |
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Address: Box Office: 01227 787787 |
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I've never been there. Northern Ballet Theatre play here.
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| Croydon, Fairfield Hall |
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Address: Box Office: 0181 688 9291 |
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I've never been.
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| Woking, New Victoria Theatre |
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Address: Box Office: 01483 761144 |
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I've never been there, but hear reasonable reports.
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| Dartford, Orchard Theatre |
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Address: Box Office: 01322 220000 |
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I've never been there.
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| Southend, Cliffs Pavilion |
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Address: Box Office: 01702 351135 |
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I've never been there.
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| Bath, Theatre Royal |
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Address: Theatre Royal Bath, Sawclose, Bath BA1 1ET Box Office: 01225 448844 Credit Cards: 01225 448861 |
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Though perhaps a little 'tight' for dance the Royal is an utterly charming place. Small, Georgian and tastefully restored (incl air conditioning) it's always lovely to go there. Ticket prices are also reasonable compared to London - approximate price range £8.5 and £25. If you can find an excuse (and the money), go for a weekend in Bath.
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| Bristol, Hippodrome |
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Address: Box Office: 0117 929 9444 |
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Afraid I can't recall what its like! It must be 8 years since I was there; it certainly did not stick out as a bad place!!. A regular stopping off place for BRB.
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| Swansea, Grand Theatre |
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Address: Box Office: 01792 475715 |
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We haven't been there.
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| Cardiff, New Theatre |
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Address: Box Office: 01222 878889 |
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I haven't been there.
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| Reading, The Hexagon |
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Address: Box Office: 0118 9606060 |
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I haven't been.
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| Wycombe, Swan |
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Address: Wycombe Swan, St Mary St, High Wycombe, Bucks, HP11 2XE Box Office: 01494 512000 |
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I've been there a few times and again its' fine for dance. The only problem is leaving the adjacent car park afterwards, loads of Sunday drivers around!
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| Oxford, Apollo |
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Address: Not known Box Office: 01865 244544 |
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Not been for a couple of years - seemed fine enough then.
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| Cambridge, Corn Exchange |
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Address: Box Office: 01223 357851 |
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Not ideal for dance,with a small stage, no space for scenery storage, and stalls seats on the flat. That said it did not stop Moscow City Ballet and the Royal Ballet (on a Dance Bites tour) from putting on a good show. For a memorable, in your face ballet experience try and bag the front row of the stalls(*), otherwise go in the raised section at the back.
(*) but here is what one reader says on the front row..."I saw the Moscow City Ballet perform there and because it is a flat stalls with NO orchestra pit, my view of the dancers' feet and legs were completely obscured by the conductor ( I was sitting right behind him) and the heads of the members of the orchestra.". So it looks like you should only go in the front row of the stalls if they don't have an orchestra (which is what we did for Dance Bites!). {top}
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| Cambridge, Arts Theatre |
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Address: Box Office: 01223 504444 |
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I've never been there.
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| Norwich, Theatre Royal |
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Address: Not known. Box Office: 01603 630000 |
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A regular stopping off place for Scottish Ballet (SB) and Northern Ballet Theatre (NBT). I've never been there.
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| Northampton, Derngate |
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Address: Derngate, 19/21 Guildhall Road, Northampton, NN1 1DP Box Office: 01604 24811 |
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Just over an hour away from London and a good place to see dance. Ticket prices are reasonable, there is good car parking and the site lines are excellent. The only thing that does for me is the dated orange interior - ugh!
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| Birmingham, Hippodrome |
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Birmingham Hippodrome, Thorp Street, Birmingham B5 4AU Box Office: 0121 689 3000 |
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The home of the Birmingham Royal Ballet (BRB) and a generally splendid theatre for dance. However it is closing in late January 2000 through to November for refurbishment. At the same time they are adding many new facilities for dancers and a studio theatre.
While the Hippodrome is closed BRB will have a season at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre in April. {top}
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| Birmingham, Repertory Theatre |
| Box Office: 0121 236 4455 |
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Never been there. While the Birmingham Hippodrome is closed, the Repertory Thetare is hosting a season of dance from BRB in April.
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| Wolverhampton, Grand Theatre |
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Address: Not known. Box Office: 01902 29212 |
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I've never been there.
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| Nottingham, Theatre Royal |
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Address: Theatre Square, Nottingham, NG1 5ND. Box Office: 0115 989 5555 |
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Courtesy of Jim Fowler... Nottingham's Theatre Royal, with its classical facade and curtain of
Corinthian columns, presents an imposing landmark in the city centre. In
the 70s it was restored to its original finery - elegant, airy,
welcoming foyers and bars. The 1,100 seat auditorium is in Victorian
green and gilt decor. Enormous upgrading of technical and backstage
facitilties have been much praised by the people who use them.
A regular stopping off place for English National Ballet (ENB) and Northern Ballet Theatre (NBT). {top}
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| Llandudno, North Wales Theatre |
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Address: Box Office: 01492 872000 |
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I've never been there.
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| Sheffield, Lyceum |
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Address: Box Office: 0114 276 9922 |
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I've never been there.
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| Halifax, Victoria Theatre |
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Address: Box Office: 01422 351158 |
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I've never been there.
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| Leeds, The Grand Theatre |
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Address: Box Office: 0113 245 9351 |
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I've never been there.
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| Bradford, Alhambra |
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Address: Not known Box Office: 01274 752000 |
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A famous theatre with a good name for ballet. A comfortable Victorian interior has had a new front of house added to give lots of room even if the architecture leaves a little to be desired. Often used by Birmingham Royal Ballet (BRB) and Northern Ballet Theatre (NBT) for premieres.
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| Manchester, Palace Theatre |
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Address: Box Office: 0161 242 2503 |
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I've never been there.
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| York, Grand Opera House |
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Address: Box Office: 01904 671818 |
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I've never been there.
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| Hull, New Theatre |
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Address: Box Office: 01482 226655 |
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I've never been there.
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| Liverpool, Empire Theatre |
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Address: Box Office: 0151 709 4321 |
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I've never been there.
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| Blackpool, Grand Theatre |
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Address: The Grand, Church St, Blackpool Box Office: 01253 28372 |
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Courtesy of Rod Bowes.. "the NBT is often here and there are visits from modern dancers such as Mark Morris, Richard Alston, Rambert Dance Company and Royal Ballet. The dance tends to take place in the off-season, during the summer there are such delights as Orville the Duck, who probably doesn't dance!".
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| Darlington, Civic Theatre |
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Address: Box Office: 01325 486555 |
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I've never been there.
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| Carlisle, Sands Centre |
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Address: Box Office: 01228 25222 |
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I've never been there.
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| Sunderland, Empire |
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Address: Box Office: 0191 514 2517 |
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I've never been there.
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| Newcastle, Theatre Royal |
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Address: Box Office: 0191 232 2061 |
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I've never been there. A regular stopping off place for NBT.
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| Glasgow, Theatre Royal |
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Address: Box Office: 0141 332 9000 |
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Nice city, unfortunately I've never got to the theatre.
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| Edinburgh, Festival Theatre |
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Address: Box Office: 0131 529 6000 |
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As you would expect a regular stopping off place for Scottish Ballet (SB). I would love to go the festival but have yet to make it.
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| Edinburgh, Kings Theatre |
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Address: Box Office: 0131 2204349 |
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Not been there.
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| Aberdeen, His Majesty's Theatre |
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Address: Box Office: 01224 641122 |
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As you would expect a regular stopping off place for Scottish Ballet (SB) but Rambert also venture north of the border. How good His Majesty's is I know not.
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| Belfast, Waterfront Hall |
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Address: Box Office: 01232 334455 |
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Not been there.
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| Belfast, Grand Opera House |
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Address: Box Office: 01232 241919 |
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Not been there
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