Alhambra Theatre

If you want a big night of theatre, comedy or live music in the city centre, the Alhambra on Canmore Street is the one a lot of people will mention. It’s a short walk from the shops, it has its own long history, and it puts on a wide programme — the sort of place you book for a proper evening out, whether you live in town or you’re through for a show.

You’re going into a building that opened on 22 August 1922. The theatre’s own history page says local architect John Fraser designed it, G. Stewart of Blantyre built it, and it was conceived as a dual-purpose venue for theatre and cinema. After two years of construction it was, the theatre says, the largest brick building in Dunfermline. For many people locally it was “the old cinema” for years after that: it operated as a cinema from August 1924 until January 1965, then as a bingo hall, which the theatre credits with helping to save the building. That matters, because the Category B listed interior — the theatre describes it as Egyptian, Classical and Art Deco — survives largely as it was. Historic Environment Scotland records the building as 33 Canmore Street, Alhambra Bingo Hall, designation LB25991.

Worth a look from the New Row side: the vertical neon “ALHAMBRA” sign. The theatre says it went up in November 1950, in green, orange and cerise, and was put back in June 2011. Another date the theatre marks is 11 August 1928, when the Duke and Duchess of York — later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother — were given the Freedom of Dunfermline on the Alhambra’s stage. The history page also describes that stage, in its day, as the fourth largest in Scotland.

The building came back to life as a theatre and live music venue on 7 June 2008, after a public fundraising campaign the theatre calls “Alhambra in the Raw”. Since then it has run as a touring house. Tickets are sold online, by phone, and from a box office in the Lower Mall of the Kingsgate Shopping Centre, not at the theatre itself — that’s worth knowing before you set out to pick up tickets in person. Box office hours are on this listing.

If you or someone you’re with needs a bit of help getting in, the theatre’s accessibility page lists ground-floor access, an accessible toilet, a hearing loop, and a complimentary carer ticket if you hold a valid Access plus one card. Bring the card with you. The phone number and the official site are on this listing if you want to ask about a specific seat or a particular performance.