Alexandra Palace Theatre

[1] The new theatre included a 22 foot cellar below the stage which housed complex machinery for use in scene changes and movement of actors.

[12] Most of the audience were seated in the raked floor area but there were also 2 balconies, neither of which reached the proscenium arch of the stage as was the case in many other London theatres of the time.

[14] The theatre was originally lit by gaslight using gaseliers suspended from the ceiling[15] but also had natural light from glazed roofing and six large sash windows, which were blocked with dark screens during performances.

[16] Early performances at the theatre included the operetta Breaking the Spell by Offenbach, a pantomime based on the fairy tale The Yellow Dwarf, and a ballet called Minerva.

[17] Performances of all types took place during the last 25 years of the 19th century but the Palace was closed for long periods due to lack of business[18][7] with resulting financial difficulties.

[11] The audience was allowed to smoke in the auditorium and, as the projector was unprotected and used to project highly flammable film, there was an inevitable fire risk.

The Alexandra Palace Operatic and Dramatic Society, set up by MacQueen-Pope, with their star Nancy McMillan, performed several Gilbert and Sullivan light operas and Edwardian musical comedies.

[18][24] In 1935 the east section of Alexandra Palace, including the theatre, was leased by the BBC to produce and broadcast the first public high-definition television shows.

Construction in the theatre began in 2016 and included replacing the raked floor with a more versatile flat floor followed by reinstallation of the original floorboards, stabilising and sealing the plasterwork, strengthening and realigning the balcony, and installing new stairs,[18] all while retaining the original decor as much as possible in the conservation style of arrested decay,[23] A BBC Prom of Gilbert and Sullivan's Trial by Jury was performed and broadcast from the theatre in September 2018 and the theatre was officially reopened to the public in December 2018, with three days of performances involving 16 schools and a range of charities and organizations.