THE stage will be set for special celebrations this week as a major Dunfermline venue turns 100.

The Alhambra has hosted royalty – as well as showbiz royalty – over the years when it has been a theatre, cinema and a bingo hall.

After those halcyon days the building lay empty for a number of years but the Alhambra Theatre Trust came to the rescue and re-opened it in 2008.

The show must go on and since then it has enjoyed its status as a popular music venue and theatre which stages comedy, concerts, musicals, plays, pantomime and tours of opera and ballet.

Famous names that have graced the stage include musical acts such as Biffy Clyro, Snow Patrol, Kasabian, Paolo Nutini, Morrissey, KT Tunstall and the Happy Mondays, while comedians of the calibre of Kevin Bridges, Ardal O’Hanlon, Alan Carr, Jimmy Carr and Al Murray have all played to the audiences here.

The very first touring West End touring musical production arrived in Dunfermline in 2009 when Blood Brothers played to capacity audiences on a nightly basis.

West End touring musicals such as Grease, Chicago, The Rocky Horror Show and Joseph have all followed onto the Alhambra stage..

Arguably Britain’s finest football manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, has also appeared at the theatre, as well as Strictly stars and kids favourites like Peppa Pig!

And it all began 100 years ago this week.

The Alhambra Theatre first opened on August 14, 1922 showing a silent film, ‘Over the Hill’ before the first theatrical performance, a play called ‘A Little Bit of Fluff’, was performed on September 29 that year.

And plenty of history was created there.

Back in 1928, the theatre which sits on the corner of New Row and Canmore Street was the place where the Freedom of Dunfermline was granted to the Duke and Duchess of York, who later went on to be King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.

From 1924, the Alhambra concentrated initially on being a silent cinema, with only occasional stage shows and public meetings.

Because of the depth of the stage, the cinema’s projection box was unusually at the rear of the screen until 1951 which meant there was no beam of light to be seen in the auditorium.

The projection box was re-instated at the rear of the circle in 1951 to accommodate the widescreen format of Cinemascope which had just come in at that time.

In its first incarnation the big names that have played the theatre included Sir Jimmy Shand, Andy Stewart, The Bachelors and Ricky Valance.

But then it looked like those halcyon days were gone for good.

There was a change of use at the beginning of 1965 when the curtains closed on the cinema and the venue became a bingo hall, although still hosting occasional stage shows.

When operator Carlton Bingo moved to new, purpose-built premises at the Fife Leisure Park in 2006, a public campaign was launched to encourage the building`s retention and refurbishment.

This saw the Alhambra Theatre Trust bring the venue back to performing life and the theatre was relaunched in June 2008.

Described by the Stage theatre magazine as “the premier league of pantomime producers”, the trust produces one of Scotland’s leading festive shows each year.

The large scale productions attract audiences of over 25,000 patrons every Christmas to the Dunfermline theatre, which underwent extensive renovations while closed due to the pandemic.

After being brought back to life in 2008, the trust has been keen to support youngsters interested in the arts.

It runs a youth theatre experience for children aged from eight to 18 every summer where participants can learn key stage skills in acting, singing, and dancing.

The experience culminates in a stage production to showcase the skills to an audience.

Future plans also include plans to offer youth training with plans for the Ironmongers Studio, which is across the road from the Alhambra, set to complement the existing space on offer in the theatre.

The new performance space will provide opportunities for local groups to produce and perform a wide variety of works, with the emphasis on developing talent, social inclusion and pushing boundaries.

The aim is to create a versatile, striking and unique venue, which will be an attraction in its own right and provide a permanent base for the Alhambra Stage and Dance School.