THE CURTAIN will rise on Bord Gáis’s sponsorship of the Grand Canal Theatre this week as the energy company’s naming-rights deal officially takes effect from Wednesday.
Workers were busy yesterday erecting signs at the venue in the Dublin Docklands, which will now be known as the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre.
This is part of a 6½-year sponsorship between Bord Gáis and Live Nation, the venue operator. As part of the deal, Bord Gáis will become the preferred supplier of electricity and gas to the theatre and the nearby O2 concert venue, also run by Live Nation.
Bord Gáis yesterday confirmed it has lined up comedian Bill Bailey to play a special concert on May 31st that is expected to raise €100,000 for the Society of St Vincent de Paul. Tickets go on sale next week.
Bord Gáis is also planning to set up a rewards club for its one million customers, which will be launched on Wednesday. This will provide complimentary, discounted and advanced access to tickets for shows at the theatre, via an online portal.
A number of top West End and Broadway productions have already been confirmed for 2012, including South Pacific, The King I and Phantom of the Opera.
The 2,100-seat theatre opened in March 2010 with a performance of Swan Lake and has had more than one million patrons through its doors.
