Detailed Information

With 1,860 seats the theatre is one of the largest in the northeast of England. It is also one of the few theatres in the UK to have four tiers: Stalls (main floor), Dress Circle, Upper Circle, and the Gallery.

Moss Empires was formed in 1899 by the merger of the theatre companies owned by Sir Edward Moss, Richard Thornton, and Sir Oswald Stall, creating the largest chain of variety theatres and music halls in the UK.

The foundation stone was laid by Vesta Tilley on 29th September 1906. Tilley also appeared onstage at the theatre’s opening on 1st July 1907.

In 1930 a projection box was added at the rear of the Upper Circle in order to project motion pictures given the decline of touring variety and music hall theatre.

When it was built, the domed tower over the main entrance originally had a revolving sphere surmounted by the figure of Terpsichore, the Greek Goddess of dance. They were removed on safety grounds during World War II following a bomb falling at a nearby building. The statue is now located within the Front-of-House areas with a replica having been placed on the dome.

On Saturday 2nd May 1959 the theatre closed and was put up for sale. Following purchase by Sunderland Council the theatre reopened in late November 1959.

For many years the theatre hosted pantomimes shared between city authorities, originating at the King’s Theatre in Edinburgh and transferring to the King’s Theatre in Glasgow, the Theatre Royal in Newcastle, and the Sunderland Empire.

In 2004 the theatre underwent a £4.5 million redevelopment project, enlarging the stage and increasing the height of the fly tower, enabling the theatre to host West End shows. The Sunderland Empire is now the premier receiving house in the northeast of England for large-scale touring productions such as Wicked, Matilda, War Horse, and Miss Saigon.

The theatre is owned by the City of Sunderland as is operated by the Ambassador Theatre Group .