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. Holding 866 seats in its two-tier auditorium, the theatre remains one of the largest regional producing theatres in the country.

Opened by HRH the Duchess of Kent, the Belgrade has presented over 800 shows ranging from lavish musicals to comedies and serious drama to a total audience of over 4 million. Since its launch under its first director Bryan Bailey, the Belgrade has pursed a policy of producing innovative and new work.

Company members particularly associated with the theatre during the 1960s (by now under the direction of Anthony Richardson) include Trevor Nunn (now Artistic Director of the Royal National Theatre), John Gunter (a leading designer), Joan Plowright (Lady Olivier and a recent Golden Globe winner for the film Enchanted April) Michael Crawford (best known for his roles in Barnum, Phantom of the Opera and on TV in Some Mothers Do Have 'em), Frank Finlay and Leonard Rossiter (Rising Damp) with Arnold (Roots) Wesker and David Turner amongst the breed of new dramatists.

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. Many past members have gone on to professional careers in the theatre.

The Community Department was founded in the 1980s to reach beyond the theatre building and bring the excitement of theatre to people who have never experienced it before. Just one of their achievements has been the Arts Alive festival that enlivens the city centre in the summer, and featuring the work of local small-scale theatre companies with whom the theatre has close links and international work from theatre companies from Denmark, Israel, Japan, Italy, France, the Netherlands, Poland and Sweden

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. Part of the City's Millennium celebration was a spectacular re-interpretation of the Mysteries by Polish company Theatre Buiro Podrozy, local actors and the Belgrade Theatre.

During 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 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.

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.

Bob Eaton took over as Theatre Director in January 1996 and has brought his own distinct flavour to the Belgrade's programme with the development of the 'made in Coventry' brand. His Good Golly Miss Molly and a new adaptation of Silas Marner were staged in the spring of 1997. Spring 1998 saw the 40th anniversary of the building of the Belgrade, and the birthday year was celebrated in style, with productions including Bob Eaton and Sayan Kent's adaptation of JB Priestley's The Good Companions and The Wedding by Kathi Leahy, a show originally show-cased during Arts Alive 1996.

The Coventry Theatre Network (CTN) was made possible by a major Arts for Everyone (A4E) lottery grant, linking several local independent theatre companies and the Belgrade.

The Belgrade Theatre archive consists of photographs, programmes, reviews and in some cases posters, relating to past productions as well as documentation relating to the running of the theatre since 1958. It is in the care of the City Archive, situated to the rear of the Herbert Art Gallery. Information from the Belgrade archive may be accessible:

for more details contact Belgrade Marketing