brilliant local theatre, with a variety of shows, from young children who put on fantastic musicals…read moretwice a year, to the regular panto at christmas time. It is run by volunteers and they make a great job of making everyone feel welcome. If you fancy a great night out look at their website and see what is coming on at Lochside Theatre

has a great cast and upcoming seasonread more

There's not much to do in a place like Brampton. And the nearest cinema is 10 miles away in the…read morecity of Carlisle, so whoever thought it would be a good idea to start a film club, was right. With monthly showings, cheap membership and a different (new release) film every month, this is the social event of the month in Brampton!

I love, love, love the Citz - as Nicola C says, it's a Glasgow institution and is probably the best…read moreplace to start your theatre-going-life if you've never been before. It's relaxed and welcoming and you don't need to get dressed up if that isn't your thing. I've been to the Citz a few times over the years - ages ago to see A Clockwork Orange, and on Friday to see Trainspotting. Buying tickets online is really easy, and if you're a local you can get 50p tickets which I think is such a brilliant idea. In the foyer there's a bar and seating so you can have a drink while you wait for the show to start - we decided to just have water but they have the usual bar selection you'd expect. And there's a bar upstairs. Inside the theatre is comfy and cosy - we were in the third row and had an amazing view of the stage (at points, almost *too* amazing). I don't want to give away much about Trainspotting aside from saying if you don't have tickets already, you really need to get them as it's an amazing stage production and the cast are truly brilliant. The building itself is worth a visit alone - they have tours which are worth booking onto as I learned so much and really appreciated the behind-the-scenes perspective. They also offer acting classes for kids and adults, and have a range of other ways of getting involved with the theatre. I'm definitely going to be visiting more often - I really enjoyed doing something a bit different for a night out and still can't stop thinking about how good Trainspotting was, days later!

I went for the first time to the Citizens theatre to see 1984…read more The place is absolutely lovely. The theatre itself is smaller than I had imagined, but very cosy and the seats comfortable. We were seated on the second row and had a perfect view, with a real full blown experience from being so close to the stage. The play was also fantastic: I will definitely go again!

The Maltings has just been refurbished and is looking pretty spectacular now. They seem to be…read moreputting a lot more events on like stand-up comedy and more films, I saw Jason Manford there in April. There is a really good bar downstairs which is open whenever a show is on which is really unusual with big hanging lampshades. the cafe is called the Maltings Kitchen now and is run by david foxton, it is pretty cool too. There is a fairly full amount of events every week, they are open from Wednesday to Saturday all day and evenings, the bar is open from about 6.30 too.

The management, all credit to them, endeavour to attract popular and mildly famous 'acts' to this…read moretheatre. However, even the exciting presence of a B list "celebrity" on stage, cannot disguise the odour of 'musty pensioner' eminating through the auditorium. At the bar, I was asked "glass or plastic" which was not regarding the type of receptacle I preferred for my drink, but in fact, which type of hip replacement I would like so I could join their exclusive members club. Looking around, at the pretentious and sad faced individuals frequenting the pre show bar, I eagerly declined the offer. However, if venturing to a public theatre to drink pots of tea, while wearing a matching, home knitted hat and scarf combo before watching someone on stage that may or may not be worth the ticket price, is your idea of being part of the 'in crowd' then I'd advise that the plastic hip option may be lighter and more economical. Wine gums available at reception.

I really love the Darlington Civic Theatre! It has a very luxurious sort of feel, the decor is so…read moreplush and well luxurious! I've seen some brilliant shows there over the years, and always look forward to going - it makes a really nice evening out. The staff are lovely, too - really friendly. It has a bar for the interval, in fact if I remember rightly it also has a sort of cafe/coffee bar area, so you have plenty of choice. On the downside, I do feel the ice creams and sweets are over-priced, but if you've got children you can't not get them an ice cream in the interval. There is no dedicated parking for the Civic. There are, however, some pay and display car parks just down the road directly opposite the main entrance to the theatre. If you are at an evening show, that's even better, as I think the pay and display car parks are free after 6pm.

Like most people I adore the Civic Theatre, I've heard that it's known as one of the best outside…read morethe West End of London. The performances it attracts are always top line which of course helps. The yearly pantomime is a treat and tends to follow a traditional format suitable for all the family. Easy access the only downside is the parking being a bit of a walk away but people can be dropped off at the side entrance. A good addition was the conservatory which means there is more than one place to arrange to meet people before/during and after a performance. Nice to see that it still has most of the original features including the ghost of an early Manager!

This is the perfect spot to eat lunch or see a show. Soups and salads and toasties. Lots of toys…read morefor kids so bring em! There is a bar as well that is mostly for catering to the patrons of the theatre. They use the performance space for films and live music performances. The sound there is top notch and the acts they pull in are international and national treasures.

Went to this place recently and was very impressed they have films on and live theatre the stage is…read moreon a level with the front line of seats so you dont have to get a crick in your neck looking up There are loads of painting on the wall from the bar to the stage area to buy from local artists The bar does tea and coffee as well as drinks from which they serve generaous measures and ice creams are sold at the other end It has some local companies as well as larger names but is not expensive Well worth a night out

It's quite a surprise that Alnwick boasts such a theatre and cinema. The Playhouse puts on a range…read moreof productions throughout the year including music, theatre, dance and pantomime. Music ranges from traditional Northumbrian through contemporary and even stretches to a decent opera programme. The cinema does tend to concentrate on popular hit films, but they often have one-off showing of great older and foreign films. It's easy to recommend the Playhouse and it's very surprising that Alnwick has such an upmarket and interesting theatre in its midst.

Theatre Royal is the oldest surviving theatre in Glasgow, the original building dating from 1867…read morewhen it opened as Bayliss' Coliseum before being renamed as Theatre Royal in 1869. Perhaps uniquely, it has been rebuilt twice by architect C J Phipps following major fires in 1880 and 1895. Although not as prolific a theatre architect as Frank Matcham, Phipps' style is splendidly represented in this building, regarded as the largest and best surviving example of his work. But don't judge the building from its bland exterior; you have to see the wonderfully ornate auditorium to really appreciate Phipps' work. The building was home to STV's studios for many years, before being sold to Scottish Opera in 1975, and it has been their home stage ever since, and is also the main home to Scottish Ballet's productions as well as being a main-scale house on the UK touring circuit. The stage is not huge by today's standards, but it's still larger than many London theatres and is the largest Glasgow can offer at the moment. The theatre is currently run and programmed by ATG (as is the Kings), so Glasgow is well served by the big touring shows. Currently the building is having a new foyer added at the corner of Hope Street and Cowcaddens in the form of a round tower, which has been a major feat of engineering to fit in with the existing architecture. As part of this refurbishment parts of the auditorium have been altered to something closer to the original design, with old entrance arches and the seating layout restored to improve audience flow and sightlines. Like any theatre, this one has a few ghosts, and like the Edinburgh Festival Theatre, there was a fire-related incident here that resulted in new legislation coming into force. In 1969, when STV moved out of the building into their new premises next door and the theatre was being restored, there was a major fire in the sub-stage area. The fire department tackled this with the then relatively new technique of pumping suppressant foam into the fire. One of the fire officers Archie McLay, working in the darkness of the stage area, fell through the stage floor into the sub-basement of the building - this extends about 20m underneath the stage floor and is carved out of solid bedrock (it was a former quarry), so it was full of foam. He was not reported as missing until the fire was under control, by which time it was too late. Resulting from this dreadful accident, the fire department introduced a 'deadman switch' device to be worn by all officers, which would radio an alarm signal if the officer was stationary for more than a few minutes. This incident is now marked by a stone plaque in the pavement of Hope Street. There have been a few reported sightings of Archie in the sub-basement, and most staff who have occasion to be down there late at night when the building is quiet will report a spooky atmosphere and a feeling like they are being watched by ghostly eyes...

I'm fairly certain I've seen things here prior to the refurb, but for the life of me I just can't…read moreremember. However, since the refurb I've been several times: some plays and operas. And i like it. Vanilla Black's has moved from Sauchiehall St, and is now the resident café for the theatre - and it's turned out to be a handy place for me to pop in for a quick work lunch. The foyer itself is open, spacious, and very welcoming - the spiral staircase is awesome, and is becoming an iconic feature of the theatre. Beyond that, it's functional and does what you expect, and you'll tend to find quite a lot of less populist productions here. The only downside is the extreme pricing at the bar. Seriously, £11 for 2 bottles of cheap lager is disgustingly extortionist.

Was with a group of friends and was not allowed in because I was wearing athletic-style shorts…read more This was despite the fact that many of the women were wearing skimpy clothing. Would have appreciated a publicly posted dress code but I guess that would be too much effort.

Why step into a place with one genuine bartender, well theres no reason. The live music is there…read morebut there is no kindness or appreciation upon being served. We as customers must understand that beer/ale is overpriced at bars but we are there for the enviroment. I do not think that there is a manager in place and if there is please rid of the unhappy employees, its a bit of a drag seeing subpar workers.