Curtain has risen for Birmingham Hippodrome theatre
After a radical redevelopment programme Lord Attenborough officially opened the Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre at the end of last year. Ken Dodd and the Hippodrome laid the foundation stone. HBG Construction completed a complex 49 million-euro project.
The project comprised the refurbishment of the preserved 1,860 seat Edwardian auditorium; the rebuilding of the front of house foyers, restaurants and bars; improved rear stage facilities; and Nightingale House, a seven-storey extension containing the Patrick Centre [a 200-seat studio theatre], dressing rooms, hospitality suites and dance studios, as well as a centre for the prevenion and treatment of dance injuries.
The restoration work included: replacing seats and carpets; installing a range of disabled persons' seating; reshaping the floor; creating a new mid circle entrance, and relocating original features such as chandeliers from other parts of the theatre to either side of the stage.
