Nights out in Glasgow

The Tramway Theatre

Located in Glasgow's Southside, a venue of international acclaim and presents an innovative and thought-provoking programme of contemporary visual and performing arts. Housed in an imposing restored former Tram Depot dating from the late Victorian era, The Tramway Theatre opened its doors to the public in 1988 prior to Glasgow’s prestigious accolade as European City of Culture in 1990, and has captivated audiences from far and wide with one of the Europe’s finest showcases and performances in contemporary arts since its inception.

From the avant-garde to the classic, most artistic tastes are accommodated for at this stunning exhibition space and purpose-built theatre that formerly housed the Glasgow Transport Museum until 1986. It is Glasgow’s foremost, dedicated exhibition space for presenting the works of inspiring contemporary artists from national, European and International circuits and is at the centre-stage of one of the city’s newest contemporary arts events, Glasgow International, founded in 2005 to promote Glasgow as a leading centre for producing and showcasing contemporary art at a global level.

The Tramway has a strong impetus in showcasing the works of home-grown artists from both Glasgow and the rest of Scotland since its early days and is a significant platform for new artists to exhibit their portfolios and commissioned works to a global audience during the Glasgow International Festival and other stages of it’s engaging events programme. After its expansion and renovation project in 2001, the Tramway’s exhibitions spaces are gargantuan in size with Tramway 2 Gallery, ranking as one of the largest individual exhibition spaces in Europe with an surface area of 1030 m². Visitors can also venture to the Upper Level on the first floor to sample the Tramway’s delightful repertoire of visual arts, presenting the works of young Glasgow-based artists during the Dark Lights Commissions programme, incorporating various media such as text, video, arts and crafts, music and choreography.

Not only serving its purpose as a leading centre for visual arts, The Tramway is home to its own purpose-built theatre / auditorium located on the ground floor, known as Tramway 1. This contemporary theatre space showcases a sensational range of performances and ambitious productions throughout the year and has an audience capacity of 600. One of the busiest periods in the Tramway’s dynamic performing arts programme is the New Territories Festival, when you catch a dynamic series of choreographic performances presented by world-class productions companies from all corners of the globe. Experience majestic moves from Catalonian dancers to classical ballet dancers, each synchronised harmoniously with exhilarating background music and orchestral scores.

The Tramway takes centre stage during the annual Triptych festival, one of most eclectic and vibrant music festivals in Europe. Embracing all musical genres, The Tramway enthralls festival audiences with some of the most inventive artists and groups in the industry. Names such as Belle and Sebastian and Alexander Balanescu grace the Tramway stage in Triptych 2006 complemented with a an enchanting line-up of troubadours and enchanting singer / songwriters from Glasgow’s vibrant folk music scene.

A must see during your itinerary to Glasgow is the award-winning Hidden Gardens, situated at the roof top of Glasgow’s Tramway Theatre which has received a series of accolades for innovative design and creativity. In the summer season, this delightful and intriguing external space transforms into a vibrant showcase of activity designed for all age groups at this stunning performing and visual arts venue in Glasgow’s Southside.

For more information on events, performances, exhbitions and tickets, please contact the Tramway Box Office directly on 0845 330 3501.

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