The Hippodrome, built as a ‘twice nightly’ theatre in 1938 next door to the Plaza and opposite the Odeon Cinema, replaced the Opera House, destroyed by fire in 1936, on the same site. Externally like a super cinema of the time, in buff brick. At the centre, above the canopy, there were originally glazed, now blind, panels between the brick end bays, divided by two tall brick mullions. Above this a deep brick attic is divided by five horizontal bands. The name HIPPODROME in a central panel has been removed. Plain flank. Fly tower. Small foyer. The fan-shaped auditorium has not been destructively altered for bingo use. Stalls rake rises to a rear terrace. Single, steeply raked, deep balcony. Square proscenium with moulded architrave. Ceiling and walls with simple moulded ornament. Major adaptations have been made within the stage house. The building is well maintained and the interior still has a theatrical ‘feel’. It would be possible to return it to live use, but it would be necessary to remove the structural steelwork inserted in the fly tower. The stage is quite shallow, but there is open land at the rear.

 

Our mission is to re open Dudley Hippodrome, the Greatest entertainment venue the Black Country ever had!

Using it's many rooms, we want it to be a multi porpose entertainment / arts community hub.

To start with, we can open the foyer as a cafe/bar with inside and outside seating and light entertainment.

Next we can open the large basement for live bands, plays, dance classes etc, again with a bar. The basement could also be hired out for private parties, it has a very nice vibe that lends itself to a intimate event, yet it is suprisingly big. With a quality sound sysetm and lighting it will be a cool place to be.

Then the rooms upstairs and around the theatre. These can be used by other community groups to base themselves. A recording studio, and an offer from a Dudley record label would like one, maybe community radio! who knows but the potential is there.

Artworks and sculptures from local colleges and schools can adorn the Hippodrome's walls, imagins graffiti art in the basement!

Lastly in a year or two we could reopen the main auditorium. Big shows will come and big bands too. And of course local drama students will have the opprtunity to perform on the stage and even get experience behind the scenes at the  thetare. So no! it won't just be a theatre, it will be much more than that.