Opening Night

When Queen’s Hall’s opening night finally arrived in June of 1959, it would have been one of the most highly anticipated events of the year. For May Johnstone and members of the Queen’s Hall Board, it was the culmination of years of dedication to a goal, which at times, would have seemed unreachable. Thora Dumbell, who danced at the opening, recalls: “We had waited so long for a theatre for the arts that we all knew it would be something to remember. May had this dream that this would be a theatre for all, and we saw it happen in that week. And for those who were privileged to be here, I think it is something we would want to cherish for the rest of our lives.”