Buxton Opera House - Refurbishment and Reception

Refurbishment and Reception

In October 1976 the Opera House was closed and rumours circulated that it would never reopen. In 1979, however, a major restoration took place with people both from the local area and across the UK helping with the work. An orchestra pit was also added to the original Frank Matcham design which was otherwise largely unaltered since 1903.

In the early 1990s, it was determined that more work was needed to repair and modernise the theatre. Therefore, between October 1999 and June 2001 an extensive program of both internal and external restoration took place. In February 2007, another refurbishment was completed at the Opera House that saw the installation of air conditioning in the gallery and backstage area, new seats in the gallery and upper circle, a new get-in lift to replace the ramp and new backstage working lights as well as re-wiring and painting the backstage area and dressing rooms. The current capacity is 902 seats.

In 2011, FT Magazine featured an article on opera house design. In the section called "My favourite experiences", the writer gives his impression of numerous opera houses in Europe, Asia and North America, commenting that houses "designed by the Viennese architectural firm of Fellner and Helmer (the Zurich Opera House is example) ... represent a near-ideal marriage of size, acoustic and decorative beauty. Their British equivalents are those designed by Frank Matcham – best of all the Buxton Opera House."