Belgrade Theatre

Belgrade Theatre, Coventry, built in 1958, the first new theatre to be built in England since the Oxford Playhouse in 1938 and also the first civic theatre, receiving subsidies from local funds and from the Arts Council. It was named in recognition of a gift of timber used in its construction from the city of Belgrade in Yugoslavia. The auditorium is on two levels, the stalls and circle, and seats 866. The spacious foyer is large enough to house displays by local artists and other exhibitions. The theatre opened with Half in Earnest, a musical version of Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest. The Belgrade is a producing house, also receiving two or three touring productions a year. The Youth and Community Department organizes various festivals and community theatre weeks, including the Coventry Festival held during the summer. The department also runs the Belgrade Youth Theatre, which presents plays and projects. The Belgrade Theatre-in-Education company, founded in 1965, was the first of its kind, and a studio theatre built in 1977 provides a venue for new and experimental plays, local bands, community projects, and other events. A mixed programme is staged in the main house, from musicals, dramas, and thrillers to farces and comedies. The Belgrade is also responsible for the triennial performances of the Coventry Mystery Plays in the ruins of the bombed cathedral.