Bradford’s St George’s Hall will be able to stage a “much wider range of shows” once work to improve the venue’s stage and seating is complete, contractors have stated.

The changes are part of Bradford Council’s £8.5m renovation and modernisation of the much-loved theatre, which began in June.

In the hall’s main auditorium, planning consent was granted to improve both sightlines and legroom for guests, and last month, contractors said the stage had been removed alongside hundreds of seats to be set aside and refurbished before being reset in a different layout.

Although the venue’s capacity will be reduced as a result of the re-design, Bradford Council hopes to sell out more events due to the improved experience for customers.

Giving an update on the latest work, Christophe Hamard, senior project manager at the Council said: “We are trying to do two sets of improvements. The first one relates to the stages. The stages are being changed completely over the next six months. Rather than having one big stage we will have one split into two sections. The main stage will be half of the existing one, but in front of the main stage will be an adjustable stage which can either added to the new stage or retracted from it.

“This will enable theatre services to have a much wider range of shows available at this venue.

“The second element we are trying to work on is from a customer’s perspective, ensuring that the seating arrangement and seats are comfortable to ensure that they have an enjoyable experience. We are refurbishing all the seats and reviewing the seating layout to make sure that once you are in as a paying customer you get a better experience.”

The building is currently encased in scaffolding to allow for a full replacement of the Grade II-listed building’s ageing roof. Contractors from Henry Boot will also begin work on restoring the sandstone exterior of the Lockwood and Mawson-designed building towards the end of the year.

Work is expected to be finished towards the end of next year, with Bradford Theatres stating they hope to stage shows in the autumn even if some external work is still ongoing.