When we think of cities with a vibrant theatre scene, we often think of the likes of London's West End or New York's Broadway, however Belfast once had a vibrant array of performance spaces which could rival both.
With the dawn of cinema in the early 1900s, many of Belfast's auditoriums were converted with the installation of silver screens before eventually being demolished as more and more of us stayed at home as television sets became more readily available.
However, thanks to images captured of some of the buildings in their heyday, memories of going to some of the theatres which lined the city's streets live on.
Take a look at our list of former theatres below and let us know your memories in the comments!
The Empire Theatre
The Empire Theatre opened its doors on Victoria Square in 1894 before closing in 1961. Many of our local talent at the time began their career there including comic James Young, who is often associated with the Group Theatre where he made his name. The Empire brand was brought back to life in 1987 with the opening of The Empire Music Hall on Botanic Avenue.
The Alhambra Theatre
The Alhambra Theatre opened as a music-hall, built for comedian Dan Lowery, in 1871 but was damaged by fire in March 1873. It reopened in September that year and was later refurbished at the turn of the century. The theatre began to show films as part of it's variety programme in 1907 and became a full-time cinema by 1936. The Alhambra Theatre was gutted by fire on 10th September 1959.
The Royal Hippodrome
The Royal Hippodrome was constructed next to the Grand Opera House on Great Victoria Street in the early 1900s. It was renovated in the 1960s and became an Odeon Cinema. During these renovations, it lost much of its architectural charm and was eventually demolished to make way for an extended Grand Opera House and the Fitzwilliam Hotel.
The Theatre Royal
Originally opened as the 'New Theatre' in 1793, it was Belfast's largest theatre at the time with a capacity of 1,100. The theatre was renamed The Theatre Royal in 1850 after a visit from Queen Victoria in 1849. The building was demolished in 1871 to make way for a new theatre which was twice the size. Disaster struck on the morning of 8th July 1881 when a fire broke out at the theatre. The building was left a shell and was remarkably rebuilt and opened in December that year. The building was later demolished in 1915 to make way for the Royal Cinema which opened its doors in 1916. The cinema closed in 1961 and a Starbucks is now located on the site.
The Arts Theatre
The Arts Theatre originally opened as The Mask on Linenhall Street in 1944 by Hubert and Dorothy Wilmot before relocating to Botanic Avenue. The theatre closed in 1998 before becoming a music venue which shut in 2008.
READ NEXT:
For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.
