City of Culture provides boost to Alhambra's 2025 programme

A highlight of the 2025 programme will be the worldwide hit musical Hamilton, which will run for seven weeks. More shows for 2025 are expected to be announced early in the New Year.

A report into Bradford Theatres reveals that while the number of those attending the district’s theatres last year is up compared to the previous year – it has yet to reach pre-pandemic levels.

But one Councillor says the fact that a full range of shows is already booked for the City of Culture year shows Bradford’s successful bid is already having an impact.

Bradford Council runs four theatres in the district – the Alhambra Theatre, which has a capacity of 1,395 seats, The Alhambra Studio (200 seats), St George’s Hall (a capacity of 1,335 seated and 1,534 standing) and King's Hall and Winter Gardens in Ilkley (472).

In the 2022/23 financial year, more than 380,000 visited Bradford’s theatres, with the Alhambra accounting for 280,476 of those visits.

Although this was up from a total of 250,257 visits the previous year – it has still not reached the heights of the year before the pandemic (2019-20) when 406,050 attended Bradford Theatres.

The report says recent years have been “challenging” for theatres, citing the cost of living crisis, fuel and travel price increases and high inflation.

The report, produced by Bradford Council, says: “These issues have had an impact on product availability, especially for the largescale weekly events at the Alhambra Theatre and has resulted in less shows available which in turn has increased the cost of the shows from the producers.

“Certain product strands (such as orchestral music) have also been slower to recover, with lower audience numbers both locally and across the UK.

The annual Pantomime at the Alhambra attracts tens of thousands of theatregoers every year (Image: newsquest)

“Reluctance for ticket bookers to commit in advance has been felt, with booking patterns shifting closer to the event date and fewer advance sales, which has the knock-on effect of reduced producer confidence and programming risk.”

But it says there have been positive signs in the past year, with shows like The Lion King in Spring 2022 boosting visitors.

And the report goes on to say City of Culture is expected to further boost the district’s arts venues – including its Council-run theatres.

The report, which went to Bradford Council’s Regeneration and Environment Scrutiny Committee earlier this month, says: “Theatres have embedded into our programming the opportunities brought by the award of City of Culture 2025.

“The Alhambra Theatre is almost fully programmed throughout the year, with a regional exclusive run of Hamilton announced and due to go on sale in the New Year.

“A number of other show announcements will be made in early 2024.

“St George’s Hall is proud to be hosting the finals of Leeds International Piano Competition in Autumn 2024, including live broadcasts and legacy events for 2025.

“A range of other showcase, broadcast and educational/participatory events are being planned across Bradford Theatres' venues and will be announced in coordination with the 2025 team.”

Councillor Si Cunningham, Assistant Executive for City of Culture, said: “The report paints an encouraging picture for the future of Bradford Theatres, especially after a tough time for the industry, post-Covid.

“As a Council, we are proud that the Alhambra remains the North of England’s premier receiving venue, and the fact that it’s almost fully programmed for 2025 – including hit shows like Hamilton – shows the positive impact that UK City of Culture status can have on attracting new audiences.

“With Bradford Live coming on the scene too, the district will have an enviable collection of world-class live entertainment venues to compliment our thriving grassroots sector. This is good for the local economy, and good for Bradford’s reputation on the national stage.”

The report does go on to say that when Bradford Live opens in autumn it is expected to have an impact on St George’s Hall, with some acts choosing the new venue over the Victorian concert hall.

It says: “The long-awaited opening of Bradford Live is expected to have programming impact on St George’s Hall, with some product expected to shift into the larger-scale commercially operated venue.

“Other programme strands and community events suitable for the 1200-seat auditorium is being developed, but an initial income generation impact is expected.”