My first encounter with the Grand was going to see A Christmas Carol with my friend in 1970. It was just the magic of the whole thing. Ghosts could appear, the lighting, the sound, the whole experience. I probably fell in love with the Grand that afternoon just thinking ‘Wow, this is all happening in my hometown’.
Then we’d catch a bus back and go back to normal life.
I used to wonder if I’d ever get to stand and perform on that stage. It was always something to aim for an ambition. Hopefully, youngsters who come to my shows will hopefully believe that o if I can do it then one day they might do this too.
The thing that I never tire of and I enjoy the most is when you come through the back door of the stage and you can hear people milling around. You can hear the laughter, it’s a little bit distant and you’re waiting for that moment when you walk out from the wings onto the stage and suddenly the noise goes up 100 times more. I just love that feeling.
The Grand is very special. It’s very special to me, it’s very special to the people of Swansea. Its starts young as well. For many it’s a visit to the pantomime where kids a first taste of live theatre.
I think having the new hub in the Grand is a great idea. A theatre needs people, you need enthusiasm, you need ideas. You need open doors and you need to welcome people in and encourage them to be creative and take risks.
Luckily that’s what happened to me. Some people thought that writing musicals and putting them on in the Grand was a daft idea….and they were probably right. But the theatre took a risk on me and gave me a career and now I’ve had 5 musicals performed on that stage.
I just hope that spirit of risk taking and encouragement will be there for future generations.
