Albany Theatre

About

The Albany Theatre is a multi-purpose arts centre in Coventry, West Midlands. It puts on a wide variety of shows including music, comedy, drama and family shows both in its auditorium and two studio theatres. The theatre was originally built in 1935 as a lecture hall at the City College before becoming a theatre after the Second World War, home to the Midlands Theatre Company who later founded the Belgrade Theatre. After the college moved across the city, the theatre was closed in 2008, but the council intervened - requiring the theatre to be reopened which it did on February 1, 2013, as the newly named Albany Theatre. The theatre is a charity and is run by a board of volunteer trustees with a small team of paid staff along with a growing team of volunteers. Its current theatre director is playwright Alan Pollock. Facilities include an art-deco style theatre, seating up to 620 people and following extensive renovations in 2023–24, now includes two studio theatres, a large foyer and two multi-use community spaces.

History: The building that is the Albany Theatre main house was originally built and used as a lecture theatre. Called the Great Hall, it sat at the heart of Coventry...