My first visit to the Royal Festival Hall was during the Festival of Britain itself. I was seventeen and working in a City office where I had a friend who shared my interest in the ballet. She and I, therefore, decided to see what this new concert hall - cum - theatre was like by going to see 'Swan Lake', all four acts. At that time Act Two was more often performed on its own. Our tickets allowed us into the festival grounds an hour or two early so we were able to get a peep at the Dome of Discovery etc as well. The hall had all the appearence of a theatre and we thoroughly enjoyed the performance, especially the previously unknown scenes with Odile. Seeing the concert hall in its true shape when subsequently attending concerts, I never cease to be amazed at the transformation and feel I must have imagined it. One of my more recent memories is when, fifty years later, I received my Open Universtiy degree on that same magic stage.