Grand plan for Wolverhampton theatre
[gallery] Around £50,000 is being spent on giving Wolverhampton's Grand Theatre a facelift - and bosses hope they have the Midas touch.
Gold leaf is being added to the historic Wolverhampton theatre's ceiling in a bid to make the venue 'sing'.
The seven-week project has seen giant 50ft scaffolding erected in the middle of the theatre, filling the space between seats and the stage on all three floors.
Specialist painters are painstakingly applying the gold leaf to the very top of the theatre.
But it is hoped the whole room will be lit up when light from chandeliers reflects off the ceiling.
The revamp has been two years in the making, as bosses have been waiting for a gap in the theatre's busy schedule in which to fit the seven weeks of work.
The first show to take advantage of the new-look theatre will be Soul Legends on September 13.
And the first major show follows 10 days later when Dirty Dancing starts a two-and-a-half week run.
Chief executive Peter Cutchie said the before and after difference would be 'stunning'.
It is the first major refurbishment work at the Grand for years and precedes an £800,000 redevelopment in 2017 or 2018.
As revealed in yesterday's Express & Star, the work is on hold so as not to clash with a £10m project renovating and expanding the Civic and Wulfrun Halls.
The last major Grand Theatre redevelopment took place in 1998 and saw the venue closed for 10 months.
The current work is being undertaken by two specialists who have travelled from Leeds.
The gold leaf is made up of normal gold and 'rose gold', which has a slightly reddish tint.
Catch-up with the latest news from Wolverhampton Grand Theatre in the first of its regular blogs for Native Monster
