Bradford Live

How Theatres Trust played a part in reviving a former Theatre at Risk

When it opened in 1930, the New Victoria was the largest ciné-variety theatre outside of London and the third largest in England. Its programme alternated between stage shows and film, and notably The Beatles performed there in 1963 and 1964.

Tastes changed and in 1968 the Rank Organisation acquired the New Victoria and converted it into three cinemas and a bingo hall. Renamed the Bradford Odeon, it closed in 2000 and was threatened with redevelopment as offices.

Theatres Trust joined the vehement local opposition to these plans, adding Bradford Odeon to our Theatres at Risk Register to bring its plight to a wider audience. We were pleased when the redevelopment plans fell through and ownership of the building passed to Bradford City Council, who invited bids to restore and reopen the Odeon.

Local businessman, Lee Craven set up Bradford Live with a strong vision for the venue, which would retain and restore the building and reinstate live performance. Theatres Trust has been providing advice and guidance to Lee and Bradford Live since they were granted the right to develop the building in 2014.

We provided heritage advice, advocating for the building's national significance, and provided a letter of support for a successful National Lottery Heritage Fund application. We supported the redevelopment scheme at both pre- and full application stages, providing advice regarding enabling works and helping the team source specialist contractors for the heritage fibrous plasterwork.

After many years of hard work, we were delighted when the venue reopened in 2025 as Bradford Live, operated by Trafalgar Entertainment. It provides a fantastic addition to Bradford’s cultural landscape, attracting high profile music and comedy acts, with its 200+ annual events estimating to attract 270,00 visitors to Bradford city centre and a boost to the local economy of £10m per year.

This case study was produced as part of our Fifty@50 campaign to mark our 50th anniversary in 2026.

Photo credit: David Oxtaby