Last year the Alhambra Theatre was honoured to win the title of Most Welcoming Theatre Yorkshire & The Humber. This year’s aim is to retain this title and even go on to become national winners.
The winners of this year’s award will be decided by a public vote. Voting is now open and closes at 12noon on Tuesday 18 September 2018. Votes can be cast at uktheatre.org/vote
More than 160 venues are competing for the coveted title of ‘UK’s Most Welcoming Theatre 2018’. There will be 12 regional winners, and the overall winner will be announced at the UK Theatre Awards on Sunday 14 October. This is an opportunity for audiences to celebrate their local theatre.
The Alhambra Theatre, the vision of Francis Laidler, a local impresario and theatre manager, was officially opened on 18March 1914. In 2014 Bradford Theatres celebrated the Alhambra Theatre’s centenary, culminating in a gala evening, A Night of Variety starring Britain’s leading musical theatre star, Michael Ball.
Renowned for offering a great range of top quality entertainment in a superb setting, the Alhambra Theatre also prides itself in maintaining a high standard of customer service. After winning the Most Welcoming Theatre Yorkshire & The Humber title in September 2017, the autumn season started on a high as Beautiful – The Carole King Musical opened its first ever UK tour at the Alhambra Theatre, Rambert Dance Company brought Christopher Bruce’s masterpiece Ghost Dances and the late great Ken Dodd performed. After a wonderful 2017/18 panto season with Cinderella starring Billy Pearce, Coleen Nolan and Shane Nolan, National Theatre galloped back to Bradford in spring 2018 with the award-winning War Horse.
The Alhambra Theatre’s Restaurant 1914 which opened in 2012 continues to get glowing feedback from customers:
'...absolutely amazing, food was out of this world, couldn't complain about anything, staff and surroundings were incredible will definitely be back, can not recommend this restaurant enough, thank you to everyone that works there and made our night special.' Customer comment on TRIPADVISOR
Adam Renton, General Manager Bradford Theatres, said:
“Last year we were honoured to be awarded Most Welcoming Theatre, Yorkshire & The Humber 2017. It was a credit to the whole team at Bradford Theatres, and we would love to retain this title in 2018, and go on to win the national award.
We constantly strive to exceed our audience’s expectations, not only with the shows we offer, but also with the customer experience in the venue itself. In the past 12 months we have totally refurbished the foyer, ensuring it’s completely accessible for all, and after listening to customer feedback, we made space for additional female toilets to help reduce queuing times on show nights.
Seating in the Dress Circle has been re-upholstered; the safety bars in the Upper Circle have been lowered, reducing viewing restrictions from certain seats on the front few rows, and finally the stage has been fully replaced to continue to accommodate sizeable and intricate sets from the large-scale touring companies that we attract.
We appreciate that the only way to win this national award is by our loyal and faithful customers voting for us and it would be a great boost for all our hard work to be recognised. “
The UK Theatre Awards are the only nationwide Awards to honour outstanding achievement in theatre throughout the United Kingdom. This year's ceremony will again take place at London's Guildhall.
For more information on the UK Theatre Awards visit www.uktheatre.org/awards
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