At the end of October members of the Theatre Group had a tour of The Palace Theatre in Manchester. It lasted nearly two hours, and our guide Grace was very informative and enthusiastic about the Victorian building. It opened in 1891, as a Variety Theatre, underwent a major refurbishment and re-opened in 1981. It has since retained it's position as a premier provincial touring venue. We were given access to the backstage area, the stage, dressing rooms and wardrobe department. We all enjoyed our visit, and most of us followed the tour with lunch in the local Wetherspoons!