Mac Rating: 5.00 | Votes: 1 | Date: 19/06/2026 20:29:00

The Middlesbrough Empire is a historic live music and performance venue on Corporation Road in the centre of Middlesbrough, standing close to the Town Hall. Designed by the noted theatre architect Ernest Runtz and formally opened on 13 March 1899 as the Empire Palace of Varieties, it is one of only three surviving Runtz theatres and ranks among the oldest entertainment venues in the North East of England. The Grade II* listed building was conceived on a grand scale, with a terracotta facade in a Spanish Renaissance style said to be the first of its kind in the country, a marble-columned foyer and a Renaissance Revival auditorium originally seating well over a thousand across stalls, dress circle and gallery. Its proscenium arch stage and many original features remain the focal point of the interior more than a century after their installation, despite war damage and successive changes of use. Over its long life the building has passed through many incarnations, screening films alongside variety bills in the early twentieth century, serving as a cinema, becoming a bingo club in the 1960s, and reopening in 1991 as a nightclub and live music venue. Throughout these changes the structure of the auditorium and exterior has been broadly preserved, and ongoing restoration has kept the historic theatre at the heart of the operation. Today the Empire functions as a thriving live music and club venue with a richly storied past, having hosted legendary names from Charlie Chaplin, Laurel and Hardy and Harry Houdini in its variety days to later performers such as the Arctic Monkeys and James Arthur. An active member of the Music Venue Trust and a recognised grassroots music venue, it supports emerging artists through initiatives like BBC Introducing and serves as the official venue of Teesside University. By combining a magnificent Victorian theatre interior with a contemporary programme of gigs and club nights, the Middlesbrough Empire offers a genuinely atmospheric setting for live entertainment. Its blend of heritage, ongoing restoration and commitment to both established acts and local talent secures its place as a cultural landmark for the town and the wider region.