The New Theatre, as it was named, opened on Boxing Day 1912. Struggling to compete with other establishments, it was sold to United Theatre Ltd in 1915 and was renamed the New Queens Theatre.
Between the years of 1916 and 1920, Sir Thomas Beecham chose to perform there on several occasions and it was in honour of this great man that, in August of that year, the theatre was renamed The Opera House.
Over the years this building has ‘seen’ life... Read more >>

The New Theatre, as it was named, opened on Boxing Day 1912. Struggling to compete with other establishments, it was sold to United Theatre Ltd in 1915 and was renamed the New Queens Theatre.
Between the years of 1916 and 1920, Sir Thomas Beecham chose to perform there on several occasions and it was in honour of this great man that, in August of that year, the theatre was renamed The Opera House.
Over the years this building has ‘seen’ life change around her. Surviving the Second World War, it operated as a cinema for a time and later became a bingo hall.
In 1984 the Opera House became a theatre once more and over the years, has staged the most magnificent shows such as Barnum, Phantom of the Opera, Oliver and many more.
After major refurbishment in 2003 the Opera House continues to attract the best in entertainment, standing proud on Quay Street as a part of Manchester History.

By car:
Manchester is served by an excellent Motorway network:
- M62 Leeds, Humber ports, Liverpool
- M6 Birmingham, London, Scotland
- M56 Chester, North Wales
- M61 Preston
- M60 Motorway ring road around the city
The nearest car parks are Spinningfields on New Quay Street (£7.00 for 6 hours any time over this will be charged the normal rate) and Great Northern (£7.00 for 6 hours; again anything over this will be charged at normal rate).
For those with a sat nav the postcode for Spinningfields is M3 3BE and the postcode for Great Northern is M2 5QA
To get the discounted parking rate you must bring your car park ticket to the cloakroom at the theatre for it to be validated.
By train:
The Opera House is close to the Deansgate Station and also the Oxford Road station is 10 mins away. Piccadilly train station is only 1 mile from the theatre.
By tram:
The nearest tram stop is St Peters Square
By coach:
Coaches operate from the coach station at Manchester Central. This follows an extensive refurbishment of the site, formerly known as Chorlton Street Coach Station.
By bus:
The Opera House is situated on Quay Street and is on and close to all the major bus routes.
Book online: Use the links below
Telephone Booking: 0844 871 3018
Customer Service: 0844 871 7627
Groups Bookings: 0844 871 3038 manchestergroups@theambassadors.com
Access Bookings: 0844 871 7677
Stage Door / Admin:* 0161 828 1700
*please note it is not possible to assist
with bookings on this number
Opera House Box Office is open on performance days only & will open 2 hours prior to the performance and will close 30 minutes after the performance starts.
Palace Theatre box office is open Monday – Saturday 12pm-6pm (8pm on performance days) On Sundays the box office will open 2 hrs prior to the performance and close 30 minutes after the performance starts.

The Palace Theatre regularly schedule BSL, Audio Described and Captioned performances, for more information or a full list please call Gemma on 0161 245 6605 or email manchesterboxoffice@theambassadors.com
Opera House Visual Story: a visual resource to help prepare visitors for a new experience and to help them become familiar with new surroundings and what to expect. Click here to download it.
Our venue box office is located inside the Opera House foyer. There are 2 wheelchair spaces at the Opera House located on row B of the circle (B1 and B4), one has an accompanying seat next to it and one has an accompanying seat directly behind. The spaces are accessible from street level. There is an accessible toilet just outside the front circle street level entrance. There is no lift in the Opera House and from foyer to stalls there are 27 steps in total. There are a minimum of 78 steps up to the gallery, which is very high and steep with uneven steps.
We have a dual channel infra-red sound enhancement system in the auditorium. Using a headset or one worn around the neck you can boost the volume of the show. You can collect these from the theatre cloak room for £10.00 returnable deposit. We recommend that when booking seats that you avoid the rear stalls.
Guide dogs and hearing dogs are welcome at the Opera House and they can stay with you while you are in the Theatre. If you wish to bring your guide or hearing dog to the Theatre, please advise the Box Office when booking your tickets and a seat next to the aisle will be reserved for you. Alternatively a member of staff will care for your dog during the performance. We can also provide drinking water for your dog.
There is an accessible toilet just outside the front circle street level entrance.



Venue Hire
The Opera House has a magnificent auditorium with a traditional proscenium arch stage and seating capacity of 1,915, making it suitable for one-off hires, conference and events.
To discuss local hires please contact Sarah Bleasdale on 0161 828 1700 or email sarahbleasdale@theambassadors.com for national and international touring productions please contact our venue bookings department on 020 7009 3459.
Conference
The Opera House offers facilities for all types of events from children’s parties to all-inclusive theatre evenings for 20 or more.
For more information please email jennyhutchinson@theambassadors.com or call 0161 828 1708

The 100Club is the Palace Theatre and Opera House’s Exclusive corporate membership club. Personal, friendly, comfortable and flexible, the 100Club creates an exciting first class experience for all.
The benefits of the 100Club include 100 complimentary tickets to be used for a variety of different performances at the Palace Theatre and Opera House, the use of an exclusive 100Club lounge, a dedicated 100Club booking office, newsletters and brochure mailings, ticket invoice facility, priority booking, employee discounts, corporate hospitality packages, invites to special events and company acknowledgment in show programmes and brochures.
The 100Club gives your company a unique range of entertainment opportunities. Benefiting both small and large companies alike, it guarantees your clients, colleagues, employees, customers, friends and yourself an enhanced theatre experience.
If you would like the opportunity to visit the theatre and have your questions about the 100club answered we would be very happy to arrange a meeting.
Please do not hesitate to contact Gemma McDonald on 0161 245 6605, alternatively you can email manchesterboxoffice@theambassadors.com