The Niamos Centre was the Playhouse Theatre, and originally known as the Hulme Hippodrome, built in Hulme, Manchester, between 1901 and 1902 and opened on 6 October 1902. It was designed to look like a factory from the outside to ‘fit in’ to the industrial working class community at the time.
About the Nia Centre
Some time around 1929 the building was converted into a cinema, and was renamed the Junction Picture Theatre. It was sold in 1950 and converted back into a theatre, renamed The Playhouse. The first performance in the newly converted theatre took place on 22 January 1951, The Happiest Days of Your Life, a farce that had recently been made into a film. In 1956 the BBC bought The Playhouse as a production venue for radio and television shows, the first of which, a televised revue entitled Call It A Day, was broadcast in 1956. The last BBC production in the theatre took place on 25 August 1986.[2] With funding provided by Manchester City Council and other groups, the building was subsequently bought and converted into an arts centre, The Nia Centre, now NIAMOS.
The NIAMOS has had many evolutions. Since then it has become a bingo hall, been un- used , then found! and transformed into a working community creative space. A long standing grade II listed building in Hulme, it is a special place for many that has is constantly changing reflecting the skills and talents of Hulme , Manchester and connecting people from all different cultures and communities to share skills, and support one another to collaborate and form diverse creative spaces that reflect the needs and wants of the people.