The Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham

The Alexandra Theatre, known to Birmingham audiences simply as The Alex, is a 1,347-seat receiving house on Suffolk Street Queensway in the city centre, only a few steps from New Street Station and Grand Central. Opened in 1901 and run today by ATG Entertainment, it has spent well over a century presenting touring work to the second city: large-scale musicals, plays, stand-up comedy, music and variety. Its 1901 auditorium was designed by the architects Owen and Ward, and the interior was remodelled by Roland Satchwell in 1935.

Building work began in 1900 and the theatre opened on 27 May 1901 as the Lyceum Theatre, with its entrance on John Bright Street and a design by the architects Owen and Ward. Business was slow at first, so a star was brought in: Harry Arthur Saintsbury led the company in costume dramas for ten weeks from the middle of June 1901. Returns remained disappointing and the theatre was sold to Lester Collingwood for £4,000, who renamed it the Alexandra Theatre on 22 December 1902.

After Collingwood was killed in a road accident in 1910, Leon Salberg took over, and the Salberg family ran the theatre from 1911 to 1977. Under Leon Salberg the Alex became known for its pantomimes, among them Mother Goose, and in 1935 the building was rebuilt with a fine Art Deco auditorium designed by Roland Satchwell. Leon died in his office at the theatre in 1938 and his son Derek succeeded him; Derek's memoir, My Love Affair with a Theatre, appeared in 1978 with a foreword by Laurence Olivier. Local loyalty ran deep: in 1950, 85 per cent of season ticket holders lived within Birmingham's boundaries.

Between 1967 and 1969 a new main entrance block went up on Suffolk Street to a design by the John Madin Design Group, joined to the older building by a wide bridge so that the whole reads as one theatre from inside. Satchwell's interior was refurbished in 1992 by the Seymour Harris Partnership, the same year the theatre staged the world premiere of Leslie Bricusse's Scrooge: The Musical with Anthony Newley. The Alex was home to the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company from 1990 to 1997, and under Apollo Leisure, which took over on 7 August 1995, investment in the stage and front of house allowed it to host major touring productions.

Ownership passed to SFX Entertainment in 1999, to Clear Channel in 2001 and to Live Nation in 2006, before the theatre came to the Ambassador Theatre Group, which for a time renamed it the New Alexandra Theatre. On 17 September 2018 it was relaunched as The Alexandra following a £650,000 refurbishment. It reopened in July 2021 after the COVID-19 closures, in its 120th year, and in November 2024 presented the world premiere of the jukebox musical Here and Now. The theatre has its share of stories, too: Neville Chamberlain spoke here on 13 October 1918, Arthur Lowe was taken ill in his dressing room in 1982, and Leon Salberg's ghost is said to have stayed on.

The theatre is committed to removing barriers so that everyone can enjoy live performance, and staff are on hand to help.

• Step-free access: the Stalls are on one level and are reached by the access entrance on Station Street, next to Stage Door. There is an intercom and a member of staff will meet you. This entrance opens around 30 minutes before the performance.
• Lift: there is no lift. The Dress Circle, Upper Grand Circle and Ambassador Lounge are reached by stairs only, and all stairwells have handrails.
• Wheelchair spaces: there are 8 wheelchair positions, and every aisle seat in the Stalls can be used if you prefer to transfer to a theatre seat.
• Toilets: separate, fully accessible, private unisex facilities are on the ground floor of the Stalls, about 3m of level access from the accessible entrance on Station Street. Baby change facilities are within this entrance.
• Bars: the bars and Ambassador Lounge are up stairs, but an at-seat service is offered. Ask a member of staff when you arrive.
• Visual impairment: audio description and touch tours are offered on selected performances, advertised on each show's page. Rows AA, A or B in the Stalls, or Row A in the Dress Circle, suit those who need a closer view; for audio described performances, Rows B to K in the Stalls are recommended.
• D/deaf and hard of hearing: the venue uses the Mobile Connect system, and signed performances are scheduled for some shows.
• Seat dimensions: 44cm (17 inches) between static armrests. The only free-standing seats without armrests are in the Dress Circle Boxes and the Upper Circle Platforms, all of which are restricted view.

Access booking

call the accessibility assistance line on 0333 009 5399, or via Typetalk on 1800 1 0333 009 5399. A free Access Membership Scheme lets you book accessible seats online, book an essential companion ticket if eligible and receive news of access performances.