Coventry’s Belgrade Theatre is preparing to celebrate its 60th birthday on Thursday 27 March—World Theatre Day.
The date marks the start of a programme of shows and events highlighting the theatre’s history as well as looking forward to the role it will continue to play in Coventry’s future.
Since becoming in 1958 the UK’s first civic theatre to open after World War II, the Belgrade has enjoyed renown both locally and nationally for its mix of home-produced and touring shows.
Over the years, it has helped to start the careers of Sir Ian McKellen, Sir Trevor Nunn, Richard Briers, Rosemary Leach and David Suchet.
As part of the birthday celebrations, the Belgrade will take over the neighbouring Coventry Evening Telegraph building for a mini-festival called Read All About It. It will bring together professional performers from Mercurial Dance with the Belgrade’s youth and community groups for two site-specific shows inspired by the city’s diverse history. It will run from 10 until 14 July.
In City Final, six groups led by the Belgrade’s community and education team will invite audiences on a journey back in time to the days when the building was filled with the hustle and bustle of a busy newsroom.
Drawing on stories covered by the Coventry Telegraph over the years, a series of short performances will fill multiple floors of the building in a large-scale promenade experience. The show will also offer audiences the chance to explore the building for one last time before it is transformed into a hotel.