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Scotland’s only privately run theatre, the Scottish National Theatre of Variety.

One of Glasgow’s oldest theatres, the Pavilion Theatre originally opened in February 1904 as a Music Hall.  The building has remained relatively unchanged in layout, although the sound and lighting systems have been updated over the years.  It is now protected as a category A listed building.

The theatre was designed by Bertie Crewe as the Glasgow venue of Thomas Barrasford’s growing chain of British Music Halls, and was regarded as luxurious for its time.  Many of the leading music hall artistes of the early 20th century appeared at the Pavilion, including Marie Lloyd, Little Tich, Harry Lauder, Sarah Bernhardt and a then unknown Charlie Chaplin.

The Pavilion Theatre is now the only privately run theatre in Scotland and one of a few unsubsidised independent theatres left in Britain outside London.  The theatre mainly runs populist productions and pantomimes, as well as comedians and touring bands on the ‘nostalgia’ circuit giving the Pavilion it’s well earned title: The Scottish National Theatre of Variety.

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Home of the Scottish Ballet and Scottish Opera, the Theatre Royal is one of Scotland’s leading live entertainment venues, showcasing the best West End and touring productions in the UK each and every year.

The Theatre Royal was opened as the Royal Colosseum & Opera House in 1867, changing its name to the Theatre Royal in 1869, and is the longest running theatre in Scotland.  It is the birthplace of Howard & Wyndham Ltd, owners and managers of theatres in Scotland and England during the early 20th century, created by its chairman Baillie Michael Simons who also promoted the building of Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum and Glasgow’s International Exhibitions of 1888 and 1901.

In the past few decades the Theatre Royal has seen an extensive refurbishment, and is now the home of both Scottish Opera and of Scottish Ballet.

Getting There

The Theatre Royal is located between Cowcaddens Rd & Renfrew St.  The Theatre Royal is a 10 minute walk from Buchanan St bus station, and a 10-15 minute walk from Queen St train station.  The closest subway station is Cowcaddens, which is a 5 minute walk away.

Parking

Metered on street parking is available near the theatre.  Closest multi-storey car parks are Concert Square Car Park & Cambridge Street Car Park, both within 5 minutes walk from the theatre.

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The Tron Theatre is situated in the Merchant City area and presents a varied programme of local, national and international shows, music and comedy, and drama and creative writing workshops for young people.

The Tron Steeple and Kirk which house the Tron Theatre has been in use for almost 500 years, and has served many a function throughout it’s long life span; as an important place of worship, a place of execution, a market place, a police station and its current use as one of Glasgow’s leading theatres.

The Tron Theatre was first established in 1979, based in the Victorian Bar of the Tron.  In 1981 the Tron staged an extensive programme of touring prodction companies, jazz and rhythm & blues orchestras, a tradition which is revived during the annual Glasgow International Jazz Festival.

Under the artistic leadership of Michael Boyd (1986 to 1996) – now Artistic Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Tron established itself as a powerhouse of both new writing and dynamic productions of classic texts, making full use of available Scottish talent.

Some of the UK’s leading artists to emerge from this period include Alan Cumming, Forbes Masson, Elaine C Smith, Eddi Reader, Peter Mullan, Craig Ferguson and Siobhan Redmond, as well as musician Craig Armstrong (Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet and Moulin Rouge).

The Tron Theatre also contains a bar/restaurant which serves high quality seasonal produce.

Getting There

The Tron Theatre is located just off Argyle St in the Merchant City area of Glasgow.  There are many ways to get to the Tron Theatre including various buses which go along Argyle St (the main road mearby).  The Tron is a 10 minute walk from Central Station, and a 5 minute walk from Argyle St station.  The St Enoch subway is also less than 10 minutes away.

Parking

On street parking is available in the Merchant City, although this area of Glasgow is usually busy both during the day and in the evenings.

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The Tramway Theatre in Glasgow is one of the leading venues for contemporary visual and performing arts venues in Europe.

Located in the South Side of Glasgow, the Tramway is regarded as Scotland’s most internationally acclaimed venue for contemporary visual and performing art.  This reputation is founded on the tramway’s commitment to the presentation of the most innovative work by Scottish and international artists.

The building itself has very distinctive architecture, arising from it’s origins as a tram shed in the late 19th century, and in the early 20th century as Glasgow’s main Tram terminus, depot and factory.

In the 1960′s trams were being phased out, and the building was then used as Glasgow’s museum of transport.  It was only when the transport museum moved to the Kelvin Hall that the Tramway Theatre was born.

The history of the venue, alongside its unique character, has ensured that Tramway is a wonderfully original place to produce and experience the best in contemporary art.

In addition to their wide programme of exhibitions, theatre, performance and experimental art, the Tramway regularly runs workshops and classes within their visual arts studio:  Portfolio Preparation, Evening Life Classes, Skill Based Workshops, Design Based Workshops and Saturday Art Workshops to name but a few.

Details of performances and exhibitions are available on the Tramway’s website.

Getting There

The Tramway Theatre is located on the south side of the city on Albert Drive. There are many ways to get to the Tramway Theatre including various buses which go along Pollockshaws Rd (the main Road mearby).  The closest train station is Pollockshields East.

Parking

On street parking is available although it can be busy when there are performances taking place.

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The Mitchell Theatre is situated behind Europe’s largest public reference library, the Mitchell Library on Granville Street in the Charing Cross district of Glasgow.

The Mitchell Theatre was created within the former St. Andrew’s Halls.  Built between 1873-7, they suffered a devastating fire in 1962, with only a shell behind the facade remaining.

Reconstruction between 1972 and 1980 created the theatre and an extension to the library.  The Mitchell theatre complex also includes the Moir Hall.

The venue is run by Glasgow City Council, the theatre provides a venue for music events, conferences and fairs.

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See what’s on in the King’s Theatre

Opened in 1904, the King’s Theatre is Glasgow’s house for touring musicals, dance, comedy and circus-type performances.

Occupying the corner of Bath Street and Elmbank Street, in the Charing Cross area of the city, the King’s Theatre has been entertaining the masses for more than 100 years.

The King’s initially concentrated upon musical plays and drama and in time introduced ballet, until the 1960′s, when the pantomime became an annual Christmas feature of the theatre.

Over the years many actors and actresses have graced the stage of The King’s.  These include Sir Lawrence Olivier, Sarah Bernhardt, John Gielgud, Katharine Hepburn and Tyrone Power.  The Jackson Five appeared at a Royal Variety Performance in the late 1970′s.

Designed by Frank Matcham, the King’s Theatre is a mix of styles, with influences of Baroque and Art Nouveau in red Dumfriesshire sandstone. A pair of two storey pavilions, topped with ball finials, stand near either end of the Bath Street elevation, one providing access to the main foyer and the other housing the scenery dock, which opens straight onto the stage. Originally a female statue stood on top of either pavilion, but these were removed during the war period to prevent them becoming damaged. Unfortunately they were subsequently misplaced, and have never been rediscovered.

The auditorium seats 1,785, with seating provided on 4 levels: Stalls, Grand Circle, Upper Circle and Gallery. Matcham was famous for his innovative style of cantilever construction of the individual seating tiers, virtually eliminating the need for supporting pillars. The King’s was no exception, with reasonable sightlines from most seats. Victorian and Edwardian theatres were almost always built to segregate patrons at each level, although subsequent modernisations often eradicate this. However, this has thus far not been modernised in the King’s, which still has separate entrances, some of which have traces of now disused pay boxes.

Work for the restoration of the King’s Theatre is now fully underway, with the intention of returning the theatre to it’s full former glory before the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014.

See what’s on in the King’s Theatre

The Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre

Tel: 0870 040 4000‎

See what’s coming up at the SECC

The Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (SECC), located at Finnieston Quay on the north bank of the River Clyde in Glasgow, is Scotland’s national venue for public events.

Opened in 1985, the SECC occupies a massive 64 acres (260,000 m²) of land, and has five main exhibition halls, the largest of which can seat up to 12,500 people.  Then in 1995, construction began on a new building; the Clyde Auditorium, which was to become part of the SECC complex.  Designed by award-winning architect Sir Norman Foster and known as “the armadillo” among Glaswegians, this new 3,000 capacity building was completed in 1997.

The SECC hosts numerous music concerts, exhibitions and professional conferences.  Past events have included the second Eurovision Dance Contest in 2008, the Scottish Wedding Show, the Scottish Golf Show, and performers such as Elton John, Michael Ball, Cliff Richard, Tom Jones, Green Day and Pink.  The SECC also hosts the annual World Snooker Grand Prix Championship every October.

How to get to the SECC View map

• By rail:  Exhibition Centre station is SECC’s own dedicated railway station allowing easy access from the city centre and the suburbs.  Six trains an hour from Central Station (lower level) will bring you to Exhibition Centre station in a journey time of just three minutes.  Call National Rail Enquiries on 08457 48 49 50 for timetable and price details.
• By bus:  From the airport, First Bus 757 service operates daily (every 30 minutes) to and from Glasgow city centre or the airport from the SECC.  A single fare to or from the SECC from Buchanan Bus Station on service 757 costs £2.00.
• By taxi:  There are taxi ranks throughout the city. Main pick-up points include Buchanan Bus Station, Queen Street and Central Stations and most large hotels.  An average journey from the city centre will cost around £5.00.
• By car:  SECC is just off Junction 19 of the M8 motorway.  From the M8 take the westbound Clydeside Expressway (A8414).  Exit at ‘SECC West’ slip which takes you straight to the SECC parking.  On-site parking is available for over 2,500 vehicles at £5.00 per car per visit.
• By bike:  Cyclists can use the covered walkway from the Exhibiton Centre Station for travelling to and from the city centre.  National Cycle Routes 7 and 75 cross the SECC site at Bell’s bridge.
• On foot:  There is a covered walkway from the Exhibition Centre Station to the SECC which takes you across the Expressway.  This is around a 10 minute walk from the West End of Glasgow, and around 20 minutes from the city centre.

To find out more about the SECC, visit the SECC website.  If you would like to know what’s on at the SECC, visit the SECC ticket website.

Centre for Contemporary Arts

Tel:  0141 332 7521

Email: info@cca-glasgow.com
Website: www.cca-glasgow.com

Admission: Many of the art exhibitions are free, as are some other events.  For more information about ticketing please visit the CCA website.

Opening hours:  Events and exhibitions are on at various times, and each day is different at the CCA.  Please check the website for details.

The world reknowned Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA) is an art gallery, performance space, cafe, and cinema on Sauchiehall Street, in Glasgow.

CCA is a unique contemporary arts organisation in the centre of Glasgow at the heart of the vibrant cultural community.

CCA’s artistic and educational programme primarily focuses on visual arts, contemporary music and film.  With it’s eclectic programme offering such varied exhibitions and events there is always something interesting going on at the CCA.

Housed in the restored Grecian Chambers, a category A listed building, designed by Alexander ‘Greek’ Thomson, the centre is established and recognised as one of Europe’s leading contemporary galleries.  It curates six major exhibitions a year, showing a wide range of Scottish and international contemporary art, as well as being home to Intermedia Gallery for emerging artists.  Fast developing a reputation for world class improvised, experimental and electronic music, CCA also screens unique independent short, dance and documentary films which can only be seen at the CCA.

For more information or to find out what’s on in the CCA Glasgow, visit the CCA website.