10 Best Theatres in Birmingham

The Birmingham Hippodrome is famed for staging massive West End productions, from 'The Lion King' and 'Wicked' to 'Miss Saigon' and 'Les Misérables', with a giant stage and state-of-the-art technology. This theatre began life in the early 1990s as a small repertory and variety theatre, and after becoming home to the Birmingham Royal Ballet grew to incorporate ever larger productions, dance and performance studios, and cultural workshops. An entire community has grown around this theatre with many fine dining restaurants nearby.

The theatre is also famed for its annual Christmas panto, which is among the largest in the UK. It's just a 20-minute bus ride south of the city centre, steps from a thriving LGBTQ+ community.

The Alexandra, commonly called The Alex, is a historic theatre in classic art deco styling that offers large West End productions such as 'Copacabana', 'Grease' and 'Great Expectations'. It gained renown locally and nationally for its critically acclaimed staging of 'West Side Story'. The building began life in 1901 and has gone through several refurbishments and ownership changes throughout its history. It was most recently refurbished in 2018 to upgrade the seating, make repairs and include more modern technology.

It's famously said to be haunted by the ghosts of former owners and cleaning staff. It's a 20-minute bus ride south of the city centre.

The Old Joint Stock Theatre is a historic 19th-century theatre in a Grade II listed building that houses a small black box studio for intimate performances. The building, once the personal library of a local parson and later a stock bank, also houses a popular local bar that attracts a professional crowd, largely of financial workers. Access to the theatre is strictly through the bar, which leads to performers having direct interaction with their audience. The venue seats only about 100 people and hosts stripped-down backstage productions and stand-up comedy acts.

Before or after the show, you can enjoy a fine selection of pies and ales to satisfy your appetite. It's right in the city centre.

The Birmingham Repertory Theatre Ltd., also called the Birmingham Rep, is a famed, historic theatre offering unique, avant-garde performances balancing big names with hot new writers. This theatre, first laid down in 1913, is a major part of the local scene's heart and soul and over the years has seen such names as John Gielgud, Laurence Olivier, Kenneth Branagh and Derek Jacobi grace its stage. It has 3 rooms: The main house puts on big touring productions, while the Studio and Door stages put on risk-taking plays by exciting young playwrights and companies.

The theatre also boasts its own onsite restaurant where you can grab a pre-show bite. Best of all, it's located in the city centre.

The Crescent Theatre is the spot to go to catch a high-quality amateur theatre production that's an essential part of everything that Birmingham's theatre scene represents. It has for decades operated its own in-house repertory company that stages its own productions regularly. The company is constantly holding auditions, so you get to see new faces and new talents all the time. It seats 300 people and has a smaller studio room with no actual fixed seating. From jazz musicals to traditional plays to classic Shakespeare, the productions here are diverse but always unique and fun.

Seeing a show here means supporting the local scene. It's a 15-minute drive south of the city centre.

The Old Rep Theatre was the first repertory theatre in the city and seats 400 people for fantastic small productions with amazing acoustics and sight lines. This is the theatre where Sir Derek Jacobi made his professional debut, and where Peter Brook first directed a production. It's been in its current location since the 1970s and is famed for its broad selection of family-friendly shows. It's run by the Birmingham Ormiston Academy and is a great spot to see the next generation of up-and-coming stage stars.

The theatre features a vibrant bar and pub onsite, and the decor is breathtakingly beautiful. It's a 15-minute bus ride south from the city centre.

The Midlands Arts Centre, or MAC, as it's colloquially called, offers a wide range of diverse productions from theatre to stand-up comedy to cinema and even visual arts shows. It's been at the centre of the Birmingham arts and cultural community for decades and has even had Oscar-nominated directors produce its stage shows. It houses 2 rooms: a large main theatre and the smaller Hexagon room where you can see bizarre and cutting-edge approaches to theatre.

You can also attend art exhibitions and workshops ranging from animation to ceramics, stand-up comedy and tai chi. It's only a 15-minute drive south of the city centre.

The Blue Orange Theatre is a unique theatre that stands as one of the newest standouts of the local scene, bringing new plays from the hottest up-and-coming playwrights to Birmingham. This theatre hosts writing workshops and then produces the plays the writers create within the theatre. It's among the most productive theatres and companies in the city, with the in-house company even touring across the Midlands. The theatre is in-the-round, and onsite a small cafe bar lets you grab a drink and light eats.

Best of all, this theatre is bringing live stage shows to the Jewellery Quarter, which has not previously had a theatre of its own. It's right in the city centre.

The Hall Green Little Theatre stands among Birmingham's oldest amateur theatre companies and offers exciting, engaging theatre with high-quality production values. It has been producing dramas continuously since 1950 and is run by volunteers who have a passion and drive for outstanding theatre. These folks have a dedication to raising awareness of and engagement with the arts in the local community. They produce 10 plays per season between their main stage and smaller studio stage, and have an onsite bar.

Productions here range from comedy and farce to high drama, and the theatre is famed for its annual Christmas family production. It's located just 30 minutes southeast of the city centre.

The Legacy Centre of Excellence, formerly the Drum Arts Centre, has 2 auditoriums geared specifically towards providing a forum for representation of minority and ethnic artists. It's a unique forum in that sense. It has seen a wide range of local, national and international theatre and music productions that are politically and socially engaged. You'll find staged plays and music in the 350-seat main room, and in the upstairs gallery will experience comedy, spoken word, and art exhibitions.

In addition to performance and display art, the venue offers workshops, public speakers and even conference facilities for local minority-owned businesses. It's located in the heart of the city centre.