Beverley Graham Interview: Being a Premium Member of the Theatre Royal
Title
Beverley Graham Interview: Being a Premium Member of the Theatre Royal
Date
26 July 2018
Description
Oral history interview with Beverley Graham, a keen amateur dancer, and also a long-time supporter, valued audience member and active participant of the Theatre Royal.
What's the story?
Beverley Graham was born in 1953 in Kirkby-in Ashfield in Nottinghamshire.
From having attended dance schools from an early age, Beverley has always had a passion for theatre and performing. This has developed into a genuine love for the Theatre Royal, which shines through in her interview.
She has attended numerous shows over the years, more so since becoming a Premium Member of the Theatre Royal in 2013. She is also a regular participant in the venue’s dance classes and has even performed on the stage.
In this interview Beverley talks about becoming a Premium Member (a 60th birthday present from her husband) and how this allows her to pick the seats she wants to see a show. Beverley also talks about her son Mark Graham, who works at the Theatre Royal as a Front of House Manager:
Because I am actually now a Premium Member. That’s Friends of the Theatre Royal where you get certain discounts on tickets, advance knowledge of shows that are coming up. We also get two free tickets for the pantomime, which does help. Because we were coming to the theatre quite a lot, it’s always a bit of a running joke in our family that I only come to the theatre to see my son, who works here. Because I find that’s the only time I get to see him. If I don’t come to the theatre, I don’t see my son. My son is Mark Graham. He started off as a Front of House Assistant and he’s now one of the House Managers. He’s just become a House Manager and so he’s very busy, but he always says Hello when I come anyway.
But because we were coming such a lot, when it was my 60th birthday my husband decided to buy the Premium Member package for me for my birthday and, being so short, I’m only five foot tall, you can guarantee that if we get seats, wherever they happen to be, I will have somebody tall sitting in front of me and that’s now not a problem any more because we get advance notice of shows. We can actually book the seats that we actually want before it goes on to general sale, so I get very good seats, but I’m also not blocking anybody else’s view, because obviously being so short. And we just found that we liked this idea of having the pick of the seats and knowledge of what was coming and it’s just got a bit carried away because we’ve got so many tickets. In fact we’ve got six shows booked for next year. I’ve never done that before, so we’ve decided to have them in our will, that the children can split them up if anything ever happens to my husband and I.
I’ve never been a Stalls person. Because I enjoy the dancing so much and most of the shows to start off that we came to were musicals, you can’t see the feet of the dancers when you’re in the Stalls, especially if you’re in the front Stalls. I’m thinking “It’s a musical, it’s dancing: I want to see the feet”. So we like to be Dress Circle so that I can see the whole stage, see what the whole patterning is. But that also helps with whichever performance it is, whether it’s a play or just a concert. I like to be able to see whatever’s on the stage and whoever’s on the stage.
From having attended dance schools from an early age, Beverley has always had a passion for theatre and performing. This has developed into a genuine love for the Theatre Royal, which shines through in her interview.
She has attended numerous shows over the years, more so since becoming a Premium Member of the Theatre Royal in 2013. She is also a regular participant in the venue’s dance classes and has even performed on the stage.
In this interview Beverley talks about becoming a Premium Member (a 60th birthday present from her husband) and how this allows her to pick the seats she wants to see a show. Beverley also talks about her son Mark Graham, who works at the Theatre Royal as a Front of House Manager:
Because I am actually now a Premium Member. That’s Friends of the Theatre Royal where you get certain discounts on tickets, advance knowledge of shows that are coming up. We also get two free tickets for the pantomime, which does help. Because we were coming to the theatre quite a lot, it’s always a bit of a running joke in our family that I only come to the theatre to see my son, who works here. Because I find that’s the only time I get to see him. If I don’t come to the theatre, I don’t see my son. My son is Mark Graham. He started off as a Front of House Assistant and he’s now one of the House Managers. He’s just become a House Manager and so he’s very busy, but he always says Hello when I come anyway.
But because we were coming such a lot, when it was my 60th birthday my husband decided to buy the Premium Member package for me for my birthday and, being so short, I’m only five foot tall, you can guarantee that if we get seats, wherever they happen to be, I will have somebody tall sitting in front of me and that’s now not a problem any more because we get advance notice of shows. We can actually book the seats that we actually want before it goes on to general sale, so I get very good seats, but I’m also not blocking anybody else’s view, because obviously being so short. And we just found that we liked this idea of having the pick of the seats and knowledge of what was coming and it’s just got a bit carried away because we’ve got so many tickets. In fact we’ve got six shows booked for next year. I’ve never done that before, so we’ve decided to have them in our will, that the children can split them up if anything ever happens to my husband and I.
I’ve never been a Stalls person. Because I enjoy the dancing so much and most of the shows to start off that we came to were musicals, you can’t see the feet of the dancers when you’re in the Stalls, especially if you’re in the front Stalls. I’m thinking “It’s a musical, it’s dancing: I want to see the feet”. So we like to be Dress Circle so that I can see the whole stage, see what the whole patterning is. But that also helps with whichever performance it is, whether it’s a play or just a concert. I like to be able to see whatever’s on the stage and whoever’s on the stage.
Type
Oral interview
Location of item
Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall Nottingham
Rights
Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall Nottingham
Contributor
Interviewers: Sue Threakall & Julia Holmes
Transcriber: David Chilton
Transcriber: David Chilton
