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An audience watches as a group of BA (Hons) Acting students perform a production of "The Ballad of Maria Marten" at the Palace Court Theatre in Bournemouth.

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Palace Court Theatre

This is AUB. A place to shape and build your work; to learn, share, provoke and collaborate.

Palace Court Theatre

The Palace Court Theatre is a 1930s Art Deco building, situated in Bournemouth town centre. Owned by Arts University Bournemouth (AUB) since 2021, it's being reactivated as a civic venue for educational and cultural engagement.

Substantial refurbishment has already been undertaken at the theatre and will continue as AUB creates a space in Bournemouth town centre for students and the community to enjoy creativity and connection.

In 2024, for the first time in 40 years, the venue hosted a full programme of educational and cultural events.

About the Palace Court Theatre

AUB’s purchase of the Palace Court Theatre forms part of our civic ambitions, to support the development of the creative industries and the regeneration of Bournemouth’s town centre through educational and cultural activity.

The theatre will be used as a teaching, learning, research, and innovation resource, and as a venue for local artists to develop new ideas.

We welcome local creatives and the public to join us in continuing to redevelop the theatre, to offer support and sponsorship, and embark on a programme of imaginative adventures, to fully reactivate this beautiful 1930s playhouse.

Your visit

Booking tickets

The Palace Court Theatre is used for a variety of events. To book tickets, please go to the individual event page in the What’s On section. From here, you'll find a link to the ticket booking page for that event. Every member of the audience must be in possession of a valid ticket to gain entry to the theatre. The seats are non-allocated.

Ticket policy

Once purchased, tickets can't be exchanged or refunded. All customers aged 14 years or below must be accompanied by an adult aged 18 years or over. Some performances may have different age restrictions. It's the responsibility of the ticket-holder to check any restrictions before they purchase tickets.

Every effort to admit latecomers will be made at a suitable break in the event, but admission can't always be guaranteed.

House opening

Please check individual events for information on what time the house will be open to the public.

Accessibility

We're working on making the venue more accessible. There are currently no lifts in the building, so accessibility across the building is limited. There are three steps from the street to the theatre entrance. A moveable ramp is available to use on these steps. Please let us know in advance if you need to use this.

Access to the main auditorium is on a level with the foyer. There's seating available with extra legroom and two wheelchair spaces. Please advise when booking tickets if you require these spaces. There's one accessible toilet located in the foyer. Access is via one flight of stairs. There's a stairlift available for use, with which you may require assistance if you're a wheelchair user.

Access to the backstage areas and the clubroom is via a series of steps.

Please note, it's also important that you make us aware prior to an event that you have an accessibility need, so that we can arrange a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan for you.

Toilet Facilities

The main toilets are accessed via a series of stairs from the Foyer. There's one accessible toilet available in the foyer area.

Front of House

Whilst the theatre is under development, please be aware that the space can be cold.

AUB and Palace Court Theatre are cashless sites, payments for refreshments and tickets can only be made by card or contactless payment. There's currently no bar area, but refreshments will be served from the auditorium area.

Travel

Palace Court Theatre is in the centre of Bournemouth on Hinton Road.

  • Bus – Hinton Road Top bus stop is opposite the theatre and served by several bus routes.
  • Car parking – Westover Gardens Car Park and Central Car Park are both within 200 metres of the theatre entrance.

Get a taste of Palace Court Theatre's shows and events, past and present, in these videos and photos.

Find us

Palace Court Theatre

Hinton Road, Bournemouth
Dorset
BH1 2EN
United Kingdom

Find the Palace Court Theatre: what3words: ///steep.turns.keep

Past events

If you're interested in some of AUB's most recent events and productions at Palace Court Theatre, take a look through our archive of past shows.

Yellow Banner with the text 'Being a boy'. The male gender symbol has been integrated into the word 'Boy'.

Being a Boy Celebration

This will be an opportunity to join the young men from the 2024 Being a Boy workshop series and their supporters to celebrate their...

Illustration of a Victorian Christmas scene, with Ebenezer Scrooge in bedclothes out in the street viewed from the back looking at two figures enjoying themselves in a window. The title "A Merry Christmas Carol" appears in the centre, with "Merry" crossed out and "Humbug" written above it.

Forest Forge Theatre Company presents: A Christmas Carol

Let us introduce the Travelling Players, with their suitcases bursting with merriment, mayhem and humbug. They tell the haunting tale of...

Watercolour of the exterior of the Palace Court Theatre building in Bournemouth.

Palace Court Theatre: Revived After Four Decades...

An exhibition by TheGallery and Palace Court Theatre, in partnership with AUB Productions, BA (Hons) Modelmaking, and the Alumni Office...

Dark blue tile with the silhouette of two girls, one sitting, one standing on a hill. Text reading "FORT by Tabitha Hayward" appears in the top-centre.

Dorsetborn presents: Fort

01.00. An Iron Age hillfort in North Dorset. 15-year-old best friends, Viv and Daisy, wait for a ghost...

A primarily black, blue and gold abstract image resembling blurred lights viewed in the distance.

AUB Productions presents: Romeo and Juliet

AUB Productions presents a contemporary take on William Shakespeare's immortal tragedy of feuding families...

Two wood fairies standing either side of a tree in the distance. Other fairies fly around the tree. A heart-shaped moon floats above it in the starry night sky.

AUB Productions presents: A Midsummer Night's Dream

Young lovers run away through a magical wood risking everything to be with each other, would-be actors risk their...

An arched window looking out onto a Venice canal, with two people kissing in a gondola. People are at windows and balconies in the background.

AUB Productions presents: La Casa Nova

La Casa Nova, also known as The Superior Residence, was considered by Goldoni to be his best play. Although The Servant...

Illustration of a 1950s car with the silhouette of a couple facing each other in a spotlight. The word "Grease" appears across the front of the car.

BU and AUB Performing Arts Society presents: Grease

Grease Lightning is about to strike, and you won't want to miss the chance to experience the magic of this timeless...

Illustration of a woman surrounded by flames, looming above a small house with its lights on.

AUB Productions presents: The Ballad of Maria Marten

The Ballad of Maria Marten is a revisionist retelling of a harrowing true crime in 1827, which sheds light on a complex tale of...

Close-up of an actor from Realness with a Twist, posing with their arms crossed and palms facing forwards. Other people are holding cards with the number 10 on them in the background.

Iris on the Move 2024

Iris on the Move 2024 is a UK wide touring programme that aims to bring LGBTQ+ films to a wider audience across the UK. It's the largest...

The inside of a theatre auditorium, with three columns of seats on the ground floor and a balcony with further seating above it.

Palace Court Theatre: An ongoing story...

The 'Palace Court Theatre: An ongoing story...' pop-up exhibition is a celebration of AUB’s acquisition of the Palace Court...

Silhouette of a man with fire in the background. The man has his arms raised and a crown is floating above his head.

AUB Productions presents: Macbeth

The civil war was over. The civil war was won. Then, upon a heath, a noble soldier meets three witches. Blood will have blood.

Banner with a haunted house and ghosts floating in the background and a black border around. Text in the foreground reads "The Hallows Collection".

Alice in Spring presents: The Hallows Collection

This free event invites all ages to enjoy creative workshops, captivating storytelling, The Haunted Theatre...

White banner logo with black text reading "Palace Court Theatre Arts University Bournemouth" next to and underneath a line illustration of the outside of the Palace Court Theatre, Bournemouth.

Explore the campus

A building with sloping blue rooftops in the foreground. Another large university building with metal mesh exterior and pink spiked rooftop stands in the background.

Overview

Our campus is a living, breathing, academic environment for creativity – it's where you'll make amazing things happen

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A choir stands in two rows and sings before an audience in a theatre.

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