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Masters of the Musical

Hold on to your seats! The UK’s favourite musical theatre concert, Masters of the Musical, comes to Coventry to celebrate its 10th Anniversary with an all new show.

Jazz Festival - Maceo Parker

The name is synonymous with Funky Music, his pedigree is impeccable and his band is the tightest little funk orchestra on earth.

Defending The Caveman

Direct from London’s West End, Defending The Caveman - Winner of the Olivier award for Best Entertainment in 2000 - is set to storm the UK this Spring!

The Third Coventry International Festival of Literature

The Coventry Literature Festival is unique among UK literature festivals due to its focus on community events, with public writing workshops, children’s events and opportunities for local writers incorporated into the programme.

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Century PR become latest Corporate Founding Partner

A recent visit to the Belgrade Theatre by Sir Digby Jones, the Director-General of the Confederation of British Industry, is already paying dividends for us with local firm Century PR donating £5,000 as a direct result of his visit.

Belgrade extension turns up medieval find

The preserved remains of four medieval leather shoes have recently been uncovered several feet below the surface on the site of the Belgrade Theatre’s service yard.

Belgrade awarded HLF grant

The Belgrade has been awarded a grant of £995k from the Heritage Lottery Fund to turn two parts of the building into exciting new exhibition and education areas and to restore parts of the original Grade II listed building to their former glory.

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History of the Belgrade

The Belgrade Theatre was the first civic theatre to be built after the war and was opened in March 1958, part of a large scale re-development of the City of Coventry.Now an English Heritage grade II listed building, the Belgrade acquired its name in recognition and thanks for a gift of timber from the Yugoslav city of Belgrade that was used extensively in the construction of the auditorium.

Expanding what we do

The community and education role of the Theatre widened with the creation, in 1965, of the first Theatre in Education (TIE) company in the world, which was the impetus for the founding of the TIE movement.Members of the Belgrade company went on to other theatres and spread the word about this new theatrical form, of which the Belgrade TIE company remained a key exponent.In the late 60s the Belgrade studio opened across the road in Bond Street with a capacity of 70 - 100, creating a intimate performance space, ideally suited to stimulating the creativity of writers, director and actors.In 1967, the Belgrade Youth Theatre was founded and performed their first production, Mad Mike.

Memorable productions

The establishing of the now-famous family panto in 1968, with Aladdin, started a tradition which is now part of the Coventry Christmas, with audiences numbers regularly topping 35,000.Coventry has always been know for its Mystery Plays - the re-telling of Biblical stories by local actors, usually associated with the craftsmen's Guilds, and the performance was a key event in the medieval city.The Belgrade revived this tradition in 1978, and the Mysteries were performed every three years until 1990.

The Eighties and Nineties

The EightiesDuring the eighties under Robert Hamlin's leadership, the policy of a popular, accessible theatre brought audiences to the Belgrade in bigger numbers than ever before, but the theatre still remained committed to new writing.Ron Hutchinson Risky City, Keith Miles' adaptation of Lady Chatterley's Lover (also a national tour), Rob Bettinson's adaptation of The Fifteen Streets and Julian Garner's Guardian Angels all won great critical acclaim.The Beaux Stratagem, co-produced with the National Theatre, went on a national tour before reaching the repertoire on the South Bank.The late eighties saw the launch of the cult classic Return to the Forbidden Planet - winner of an Olivier Award for best musical in 1990, which was followed by a three-year stint in the West End - from the Belgrade. The NinetiesThe nineties began with a year of record breaking attendances, making the Belgrade the fourth most-attended theatre amongst all the Arts Council funded venues.In The Midnight Hour played to record breaking audiences and then toured nationally, whilst the studio re-opened with a succession of acclaimed plays, a number of which also performed in London and at the Edinburgh Festival.The first Coventry Community Play In Search of Cofa's Tree launched a whole new approach to work with local people that makes the Belgrade a national leader in the field.The Belgrade continued its commitment to new writing, joining Stagecoach a West Midlands initiative to develop new plays and producing a number of premieres including Bill Gallagher's Peggy Buck and a new adaptation of Dicken's Martin Chuzzlewit by Sally Hedges.Notable productions in the mid 1990s include A Pair of Blue Eyes, a world premiere of a musical adaptation of Raymond Briggs' Fungus the Bogeyman directed by Ken Campbell, Whole Lotta Shakin' a new musical about Jerry Lee Lewis, a co-production of Calamity Jane and Wakey Wakey - in bed with Billy Cotton, a new show by Richard Cameron about the life of the bandleader.In January 1996 Bob Eaton joined the Belgrade as Theatre Director and developed the 'made in Coventry' brand.

Show archive

” The Stage “This intensely dramatic play is a landmark chapter in the city’s theatrical and cultural history.” Coventry Times“If there is any play every person in Coventry should make a point of seeing,...

Friends of the Belgrade Theatre

Exclusive Friends Only events Ever wanted to see backstage of the theatre, or learn more about the history of the Belgrade, perhaps see what goes into making the pantomime Dame’s outfits? As a Friend you can attend Friends only events which will enhance your theatre experience.

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bbc - Coventry

The beeb's website for Coventry and Warwickshire with news,...