In July 2001, the community opera ICE was staged in The Great Hall of the People's Palace, Queen Mary College, University of London, for a critically acclaimed run. This marked the first mayor public performance since the venue ( a remarkable proscenium arch theatre complete with orchestra pit and fly tower) re-opened in 1956, and re-awakened the long dormant "Albert Hall of the East End".

The Great Hall was selected at the outset of the ICE project for both its magical potential as a performance space and as a location in the heart of Tower Hamlets. As the project developed over an eighteen month long period, staff and students of Queen Mary English and Drama Department became essential collaborators, alongside a wide cross-section of local people, including pupils from local schools and colleges, interested individuals and members of local musical and dramatic organisations.

 

Whilst the Great Hall boasts a vibrant, crowd-pulling past (attracting performers such as Charlie Chaplin, the D’Oyly Carte company, the BBC Symphony Orchestra as well as various amateur musical societies), its current capacity as a large-scale theatrical venue is not fully recognised. 

 

In the long term, The Other Opera proposes to resuscitate the venue employing their expertise as both outstanding performers and award-winning music educators to further partnerships between Queen Mary, the arts and the wider community, and to provide a thriving resource where, once again, people can attend the People’s Palace to watch or participate in musical performances.