The history of Oldham Coliseum Theatre spans a period of 128 years making it one of the oldest theatres in Britain still operating today. The theatre is also widely considered as the true home of traditional pantomime and produces a new production each year attracting delighted audiences of over 35,000.

The Coliseum Theatre dates back to 1885 when it began life as the Grand American Circus and Hippodrome. Situated in the heart of Oldham and surrounded by almost a dozen other theatres, almost 125 years later, the award winning Coliseum is the only surviving theatre in the town.

The Coliseum stage has seen countless performers over the years from comedy greats Charlie Chaplin and Stan Laurel to fledgling movie stars such as Ralph Fiennes and Minnie Driver. Many of the stars of Manchester staple Coronation Street have also cut their teeth treading the boards at the Coliseum.

Oldham Coliseum Theatre is one of the most established and well attended venues in the North West where it produces eight in-house shows each year. It is also operates as a receiving house for touring productions, visiting companies and special one-night events.

The Coliseum as we know it today has recently undergone a £1.5m facelift and renovation with improved seating, heating and front of house facilities bringing the venue up-to-date  with modern theatre-goers’ demands.

The auditorium has a capacity of 524 seats, in addition the theatre has a studio space with a more intimate capacity of 50 seats. The inhouse and touring productions seen on the main stage each year offer a balanced programme of drama, comedy, musical, new writing and the annual pantomime.