Playhouse Theatre

The Playhouse Theatre stands in Hulme, a district of Manchester in North West England. It is a Grade II listed building that began life in 1902 as the Hulme Hippodrome. The original theatre formed part of W. H. Broadhead’s theatrical empire, which ran seventeen venues across the North West. A smaller companion theatre, the Grand Junction, stood next door and was linked by an arcade that most researchers now doubt ever existed. Early plans for water stages were abandoned before opening night, and rumours of animal acts in the first season remain unsupported by firm evidence. The building’s most famous years came after the BBC bought it in 1955 and turned it into a full-time studio. The Beatles recorded there twice in 1962, including the first broadcast of a Lennon–McCartney song. Other performers who made programmes or records at the BBC Playhouse included Ken Dodd, Les Dawson and the BBC Northern Dance Orchestra. The last BBC production left in 1986, and the theatre gained heritage protection the following decade. Its later transformation into a community arts centre preserved the stage while adding new rooms behind the lowered safety curtain. Visitors now find the Niamos Centre, a cultural space for African and Caribbean arts. The auditorium seats nine hundred and holds regular performances and events. A striking skylight floods the reception area with natural light, and a café-bar sits behind the lowered safety curtain. The centre grew from a coalition of local groups, including the Moss Side Arts Group and the Abasindi Black Women’s Cooperative. Nina Simone, Gil Scott-Heron and The Mighty Sparrow have all appeared on its stage since the official opening in May 1991.