
Our theatres are a huge part of our culture here in Manchester, and with so many shows gracing our stages, we’re often spoilt for choice. Unfortunately, not all theatres get the funding or attention they deserve, and there are a fair few Greater Manchester institutions named on this year’s Theatres at Risk Register, collated by The Theatres Trust.
The Theatres Trust raises awareness of theatres at risk to ensure these incredible buildings are kept safe, launching their register annually to bring their stories to a national audience. Throughout the year, Theatres Trust works with local authorities, building owners/operators and community groups to identify the best way forward and support theatres on their journey to restoration and reopening.

Theatres can be at risk for a variety of reasons including threat of closure or demolition, loss of funding, lack of maintenance, or neighbouring development – any number of these can have an adverse effect on the venue and its ability to operate. The buildings may be currently in theatre use, in other uses, vacant or derelict, of any size and type, and may or may not be listed buildings.
Each theatre on the Theatres at Risk Register is assigned a total score, dependent on the immediacy and type of risk the theatre faces, the quality and significance of the building, whether this is theatrical or architectural, and its importance to its community.

One local landmark that appears on the list is Manchester’s oldest surviving theatre building, Theatre Royal, on Peter Street. Built in 1845, its Classical style façade is one of the finest examples of theatre architecture surviving from the first half of the 19th Century.
Other Greater Manchester buildings named on this year’s Theatres at Risk list include Victoria Theatre in Salford, Hulme Hippodrome, Ramsbottom Co-op Hall and Tameside Hippodrome in Ashton-under-Lyne. Plenty theatres in surrounding areas of Lancashire, Merseyside and Yorkshire also made appearances on the list, including both Morecambe and Blackpool Winter Gardens, and the Garrick Theatre in Southport.
In some good news, Grade II listed Theatre Royal Hyde was removed from the list for 2025, having been on the Theatres at Risk Register since it began in 2006. The building was purchased by the Hyde Islamic Resource Centre in November 2016, who have been granted consent to carry out renovations, and with the building being in regular use as a cultural centre, the threat of harm to the building has reduced.

Full list of Theatres at Risk:
- Theatre Royal, Margate: 8
- Hulme Hippodrome: 8
- Palace Theatre, Plymouth: 8
- Victoria Theatre, Salford: 8
- Morecambe Winter Gardens: 7
- Groundlings Theatre, Portsea: 7
- Spilsby Sessions House: 7
- Streatham Hill Theatre: 7
- Theatr Ardudwy, Harlech: 7
- Epstein Theatre, Liverpool: 7
- Brighton Hippodrome: 7
- Winter Gardens Pavilion, Blackpool: 7
- Abbeydale Picture House, Sheffield: 7
- Burnley Empire: 7
- Garston Empire, Liverpool: 7
- Intimate Theatre, London: 7
- Mechanics’ Institute, Swindon: 7
- Tottenham Palace Theatre: 7
- Leith Theatre: 6
- The Borough Hall, Greenwich: 6
- The Brunton Theatre, Mussleburgh (NEW): 6
- The Harlequin Theatre & Cinema, Redhill (NEW): 6
- Joe Longthorne Theatre, Blackpool: 6
- Motherwell Concert Hall and Theatre (NEW): 6
- Prince of Wales Theatre, Cannock Chase (NEW): 6
- Ramsbottom Co-op Hall: 6

- Doncaster Grand: 6
- Garrick Theatre, Southport: 6
- King’s Theatre, Dundee: 6
- Amulet Theatre, Shepton Mallet: 6
- Conwy Civic Hall (Cube): 6
- Derby Hippodrome: 6
- Thameside Theatre, Grays: 5
- Tameside Hippodrome, Ashton-under-Lyne: 5
- Netherton Arts Centre: 5
- Oswaldtwistle Civic Arts Centre and Theatre (NEW): 5
- Roundhouse Theatre, Dover: 5
- Globe Theatre, Plymouth: 5
- Imperial Theatre, Walsall: 5
- Regent Theatre, Great Yarmouth: 5
- King’s Theatre, Kirkcaldy: 5
- Clair Hall, Haywards Heath: 4
- Theatre Royal, Manchester: 4

The Theatres Trust is calling for more collaborative creative partnerships between local authorities, theatre owners and operators and community groups to protect the theatres on the list, alongside more sustainable funding to prevent further theatres becoming ‘at risk’ in the future. You can see full details and find out about the individual theatres here.