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The Britannia Panopticon Music Hall

The Britannia Panopticon Music Hall The World's Oldest Surviving Music Hall in the heart of Glasgow. To find out when we are open please Oldest surviving Music Hall 1857-1938 Glasgow

Operating as usual

Our first Drag-Opticon of 2023 hosted by Auntie Effie.
03/02/2023

Our first Drag-Opticon of 2023 hosted by Auntie Effie.

Hmmm wonder who it is ? 🤔Pop along to The Drag-Opticon Show : Down with Love to find out first
30/01/2023
The Drag-Opticon Show : Down with Love

Hmmm wonder who it is ? 🤔

Pop along to The Drag-Opticon Show : Down with Love to find out first

The Drag-Opticon returns with Down with love . A drag cabaret show in the worlds oldest surviving music hall

What a brilliant evening! Huge thank you to the performers and to our fantastic audience we had an excellent turnout for...
29/01/2023

What a brilliant evening! Huge thank you to the performers and to our fantastic audience we had an excellent turnout for our Burns Night celebrations!
🎉🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🥃

27/01/2023
Photos from our New Year Special Comedy Club!Thank you to our wonderful acts, Bruce Fummey headlining, with Kavita Bhard...
25/01/2023

Photos from our New Year Special Comedy Club!

Thank you to our wonderful acts, Bruce Fummey headlining, with Kavita Bhardwaj, John Carruthers, Amelia, Finoolah Finoolah, and Liam Dolan! and to all our guests!

Comedy Club returns next month 17th Feb.
Get your tickets at :

www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/523058450907

25/01/2023

EASTER HAMPER RAFFLE

Following the success of our Christmas Hamper Raffle we are doing it all again for Easter .

We have a fabulous easter basket filled with easter treats plus Dragged Tae The Steamie Merchandise .

Tickets are £1 each and available in person at The Britannia Panopticon Music Hall during events or online at dragsteamie.com/shop ( in multiples of 5)

Proceeds from this raffle will go towards to ongoing operation of The Britannia Panopticon Music Hall and the costs of touring Dragged Tae The Steamie in 2023 .

Following the world premier in our venue last year we are sending Dragged tae The Steamie out on tour . Advertising spac...
21/01/2023

Following the world premier in our venue last year we are sending Dragged tae The Steamie out on tour .

Advertising space is now available .

Proceeds from this production will go towards the continued operation of the music hall and charity

ADVERTISE WITH US !

Do you want to advertise your organisation in our 2023 summer tour ?

Well here is your chance .

Our advertising spaces are now for sale .

Within our A4 Souvenir programme you can have a full (£150), half (£100)or quarter (£60)page advert which will be seen by our audiences in over 15 venues across Scotland including :

EAST KILBRIDE
OBAN
DUNNOON
KILMARNOCK
JOHNSTONE
INNERLEITHEN
BRECHIN
ABERDEEN
DUNDEE
GREENOCK
RUTHERGLEN
GOVAN, GLASGOW
MELROSE
GRANGEMOUTH
DUNFERMLINE

Just want to advertise in 1 location(£50) or think your business should be seen on stage we also have our Advertising screens which appear either on stage or in foyer of our venues
- Adverting screen space on full tour (£200)

Is it a special occasion or are you coming to the show with a special person and want to give them a memory they will cherish forever with a message / dedication in our programme then let them be TALK O THE STEAMIE with a message or dedication (£25)

To book your space or for more information please email [email protected]

Discounts available for charities / community groups and also for cross promotional activities .

20/01/2023

Tonight it's comedy club and we have had an amazing night. Fantastic acts, amazing audience, Bruce Fummey was superb, but John Carruthers took off his shirt! It's -2 in here!

Our first show of the year and we are almost at full capacity! 🌟❤️Panopticon Comedy Club -New Year Special with the fant...
20/01/2023

Our first show of the year and we are almost at full capacity! 🌟❤️
Panopticon Comedy Club -New Year Special with the fantastic Bruce Fummey headlining, with Kavita Bhardwaj, John Carruthers, Amelia, Finoolah Finoolah, and Liam Dolan!

Second-hand Rose is excited to announce that Curvy Cogs will be selling at our Second-hand sales on the 18th & 25th Febr...
20/01/2023

Second-hand Rose is excited to announce that Curvy Cogs will be selling at our Second-hand sales on the 18th & 25th February! Check out Curvy Cogs at:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100083785863474
Tables are still available at £15! Have a clear-out and make some money! Ping us a message if you want one.

Welcome and thank you to our new supporters for signing up to support us by shopping online through easyfundraising, it ...
18/01/2023
You spend, brands donate to Friends Of Britannia Panopticon Music Hall.

Welcome and thank you to our new supporters for signing up to support us by shopping online through easyfundraising, it really makes a difference.

Please sign up too, it's easy and completely FREE! 7,400 brands will donate to us when you do your usual online shopping with them - at no extra cost to you!

Help us when you shop with 7,000+ brands. Join now.

Have something to sell?
17/01/2023

Have something to sell?

Help us get 2023 off to a great start for Friends Of Britannia Panopticon Music Hall by signing up to support us for FRE...
17/01/2023
You spend, brands donate to Friends Of Britannia Panopticon Music Hall.

Help us get 2023 off to a great start for Friends Of Britannia Panopticon Music Hall by signing up to support us for FREE on . You can raise donations whenever you shop online with over 7,000 brands including John Lewis & Partners, eBay, Argos, M&S and more. Plus, once you've raised your first £5, easyfundraising will double it! Sign up today - it will make a BIG difference to us this year:

Help us when you shop with 7,000+ brands. Join now.

Join us next week on the 20th Jan at 7pm for a brilliant evening of comedy at the Panopticon Comedy Club -New Year Speci...
13/01/2023

Join us next week on the 20th Jan at 7pm for a brilliant evening of comedy at the Panopticon Comedy Club -New Year Special! Kavita has a fantastic lineup for you. We have Perthshire based comedian Bruce Fummey. Bruce is a headline Scottish act and sell out festival performer. His shows have been several times nominated for best show Edinburgh Fringe at the Scottish Comedy Awards.
Get your tickets from the link below! 🌟

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-panopticon-comedy-club-new-year-special-tickets-477276034467

More guests to be announced!

Money raised goes towards the upkeep of the world's oldest music hall where Stan Laurel made his comedic debut!!!

Our first performer announcement for  Burns Night at the panopticon is the incredible swing/jazz band 'The Figaro Trio'....
11/01/2023

Our first performer announcement for Burns Night at the panopticon is the incredible swing/jazz band 'The Figaro Trio'. They'll be performing a fantastic lineup of classic Scottish songs and much more to get you in the celebratory spirit! 👯🥃
Tickets are selling fast and can be purchased from the link below!
Come and join us on Jan 27th 7pm for a brilliant evening of music, poetry, comedy and whisky as we celebrate Scotland's favourite poet - Robert Burns!
Don't forget to dress warmly.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/burns-night-at-the-panopticon-tickets-479853684287

If you're looking for something to listen to for half an hour, check out this podcast if me chatting away with Michele f...
11/01/2023
Britannia Panopticon

If you're looking for something to listen to for half an hour, check out this podcast if me chatting away with Michele from Jasami publishing. Part two coming soon.

Michèle visits the The Britannia Panopticon Music Hall and chats with Judith Bowers who is working on conserving the Music Hall. Live stage performances, donations, hire the music hall. https://www.britanniapanopticon.org/ [https://www.britanniapanopticon.org/] https://www.britanniapanopticon.org.....

We hope everyone had a fantastic start to the new year!🥳This Month we have two brilliant shows to look out for! Don't mi...
02/01/2023

We hope everyone had a fantastic start to the new year!🥳
This Month we have two brilliant shows to look out for! Don't miss them!
20th January 7pm The Panopticon Comedy Club *New Years' Special.
27th January 7pm Burns Night at the Panopticon.
All money raised goes towards the upkeep of the world's oldest surviving music hall.
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/477276034467
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/479853684287

Happy New Year to all of our friends and followers! We look forward to seeing you in 2023. Have a safe and wonderful eve...
31/12/2022

Happy New Year to all of our friends and followers! We look forward to seeing you in 2023. Have a safe and wonderful evening. From us all at The Britannia Panopticon Music Hall

30/12/2022

Pepe doesn't care how cold it is, he just wants to be a comedian at the Panopticon Comedy Club. https://fb.me/e/2p9w4BP0c

26/12/2022

It's Boxing Day and we thought we would add an extra cracker joke to chase away the post Christmas blues. Thank you Nomi Devine.

18/12/2022

It's the last pantomime of 2022 in The Britannia Panopticon Music Hall this evening. If you are joining us, please dress extra warmly as it is literally colder inside!

18/12/2022

GIVE THE GIFT OF LAUGHTER WITH PALS THIS CHRISTMAS

Following a sold out run in 2022 Dragged Tae The Steamie is dragging itself across Scotland for a Summer Tour in 2023 and is coming to a venue near you and we are offering a special Christmas and Hogmanay discount so you can bring all yer pals at selected venues .

28th June : The Corran Halls , Oban - TICKETS ON SALE NOW
29th June : Queens Hall Dunoon - TICKETS ON SALE NOW
5th July : Johnstone Town Hall TICKETS ON SALE NOW
7th July : Brechin City Hall - TICKETS ON SALE NOW
13th July : Greenock Town Hall - TICKETS ON SALE NOW
19th July : Pearce Institute , Govan - TICKETS ON SALE NOW

( If your venue is not included on the list and you buy tickets during this period send us a screenshot of your confirmation and you will be sent a voucher for a Dragged Tae The Steamie Goody Bag when you come to the show )

Dragged Tae The Steamie is the official authorised Drag adaptation of The Steamie by Tony Roper with Songs by Dave Anderson with the characters portrayed by actors in drag .
Join Mrs Culfeathers , Magrit , Doreen , Dolly and Andy on Hogmanay 1953 as they laugh talk and cry doing the final wash of the year in a Glasgow public washhouse .
.
The Casting for the 2023 tour is to be announced but currently confirmed are Auntie Effie , Sally Starshine , Nomi Divine , Dorothy Paul , Lisa Le Grove & Margaret Woods

Please Note that Dorothy Paul , Lisa Le Grove and Margaret Woods do NOT appear in person at all venues and appear only as an Audio Visual recording .

‘ If you want to come and see me get DRAGGED TAE THE STEAMIE’

use discount code HOGMANAY to get 10% off before 1st January

Tickets can be found at : www.dragsteamie.com/tickets

13/12/2022

Day 13 of our Advent calendar is running late and will be with you at 12.05pm today. Sorry about the delay, I accidentally scheduled it for 9pm instead of 9am. Woops. Here's an extra joke to compensate:
Q. What do you call a child who doesn't believe in Santa?
A. A rebel without a Claus.

11/12/2022

Our final anecdote for the year comes from the Quiz Album for 1882 and takes us behind the scenes of Pantomime. Merry Christmas!

11/12/2022

It's Day 11 of Advent and Lawrence and Gilbert want to share this joke with you.

10/12/2022

I just wanted to remind anyone coming to the pantomime today to dress extra warmly. It's freezing!

04/12/2022

This weeks anecdote is from The Quiz Dramatic Album, 1883, an illustrated magazine which is a great resource for funny tales and pithy commentary of the time. This particular piece is about the pantomime, Aladdin. Which, coincidentally (actually, it's no coincidence) is the Panopticon Panto this year. If you want to come and see it you can book your tickets at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/panto-2022-aladdin-tickets-217732462657

Following the SELL OUT success of our 2022 run and rave reviews from our audience members we are delighted to announce t...
03/12/2022

Following the SELL OUT success of our 2022 run and rave reviews from our audience members we are delighted to announce that in summer 2023 Dragged tae The Steamie is going on Tour in aid of The Friends of The Britannia Panopticon Music Hall Trust (SCIO) for tickets and info visit : www.dragsteamie.com/tickets

Get DRAGGED TAE THE STEAMIE across Scotland .
We are delighted to announce our first round of tour dates for Dragged Tae The Steamie : Scottish Tour 2023 .
28th June : The Corran Halls , Oban - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/dragged-tae-the-steamie-corran-halls-tickets-474010948507
29th June : Queens Hall Dunoon - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/dragged-tae-the-steamie-queens-hall-tickets-475893940587
30th June : Palace Theatre, Kilmarnock TICKETS ON SALE SOON
1st July : Palace Theatre, Kilmarnock TICKETS ON SALE SOON
5th July : Johnstone Town Hall - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/dragged-tae-the-steamie-johnstone-town-hall-tickets-473264606177
7th July : Brechin City Hall - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/dragged-tae-the-steamie-brechin-city-halls-tickets-473286180707
8th July : Tivoli Thetare , Aberdeen - https://www.aberdeenperformingarts.com/whats-on/dragged-tae-the-steamie/book/602402/
11th July : Gardyne Theatre , Dundee - TICKETS ON SALE SOON
13th July : Greenock Town Hall , Greenock -https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/479498943247
19th July : Pearce Institute , Govan - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/dragged-tae-the-steamie-pearce-institute-tickets-478152495987
21st July : Grangemouth Town Hall - TICKETS ON SALE SOON
22nd July : Carnegie Hall , Dunfermline - TICKETS ON SALE SOON

Plus more venues to be announced in the Coming months

01/12/2022

The Figiro Trio is supporting Festive Friends who brings a bit of joy to those alone during the holidays.. Through the Inverclyde Chamber of Commerce Festival of Trees at Cardwell Garden Centre you can pop in and vote for Charlie Brown's Christmas tree, or bid early and often on Sunday 4th Dec for the tree together with a vintage Peanuts Music Box.

https://inverclydechamber.co.uk/inverclyde-chambers-festival-of-trees/

01/12/2022

Christmas is coming and the bills are getting bad,
So for every day of advent we're posting a joke that's mad,
Each one is worse than the one the day before,
But at least you'll have a laugh to share with all that you adore.
Joke one is at nine o'clock tomorrow in the morning,
If you groan, you cannot moan that you haven't had due warning.

Christmas is coming and the bills are getting bad,So for every day of advent we're posting a joke that's mad,Each one is...
30/11/2022

Christmas is coming and the bills are getting bad,
So for every day of advent we're posting a joke that's mad,
Each one is worse than the one the day before,
But at least you'll have a laugh to share with all that you adore.
Joke one is at nine o'clock tomorrow in the morning,
If you groan, you cannot moan that you haven't had due warning.

Photos from Fundraiser show, Music Through the Ages! 🤩
27/11/2022

Photos from Fundraiser show, Music Through the Ages! 🤩

27/11/2022

Today's video is about the Alston Theatre, one of the first built in, well almost in Glasgow, it was actually built in Grahamston. Back in the 1700's the village of Grahamston was west of the city boundary. Today the village is buried underneath Central Station. How times have changed. We thoroughly recommend doing the Central Station tour to discover more of its secrets.

Address

113-117 Trongate
Glasgow
G15HD

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Our Story

Britannia Panopticon began life in the late 1850s when Glasgow was bursting at the seams with humanity. Thousands of workers had flocked to the city to work in the mills, factories, foundries, shipyards and collieries. They lived in the worst conditions imaginable; single ends* housed one third of the population, lodging houses where they crammed eight to a bed were available for those who couldn’t afford a single end and if you couldn’t afford a sliver of bed space then the penny line** was a slightly better option than the poorhouses and workhouses.

The social and working conditions of the workers of this industrial empire were not so much intangible as unimaginable to us today; men, women and children toiled in the most atrocious and dangerous conditions, the stench of the sewers, the thick smoke that belched from the factories and mills and made the air thick and foul to breathe, the lack of indoor and outdoor plumbing etc. would be insufferable to our modern and delicate dispositions – only the strongest survived.

The audience of the Britannia Music Hall (as it was originally known) comprised 1500 of these people, who would cram into the small auditorium four times a day, squeezing up cheek to cheek (so to speak) on the rough wooden benches that served as seating for those who could afford it. Those who couldn’t got to stand at the sides and back of the hall. Where-ever they sat and whoever they were, they all came for the same reason, to be entertained, blow off steam, have a laugh (usually at the expense of the act on stage if they weren’t up to muster) and escape from their difficult lives. But this was an audience that had for generations cut its teeth on the barbarous practice of public punishments and executions, which in Glasgow had been the only form of legitimate entertainment from the 1550s to the 1750s. Consequently the Glasgow audience evolved over the generations into a merciless mob who literally left no turn un-stoned. In Britannia Music Hall the turns (acts) could find themselves pelted with Shipyard rivets, nails, rancid turnips and horse manure, whilst urine might rain down on them from the balcony. However, if the turn appealed to the Britannia’s audience, they would be rewarded with thunderous applause and foot-stamping instead.


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Join Auntie Effie and friends for Drag-Opticon the monthly live drag show at The Britannia Panopticon Music Hall which showcases the best of the Glasgow Drag scene!
Don't miss a special screening of the influential German science-fiction film Metropolis at The Britannia Panopticon Music Hall featuring live music and sound effects from Gladstone's Bag!
Catch a phenomenal night of comedy with a dazzling array of acts including comedy singers who get the crowd involved and a well-known headliner at The Britannia Panopticon Music Hall!
I was a very recent visitor to the Theatre and what a wonder it was! Such an amazing hidden gem in the city.

And of course I just had to have a picture taken of my ‘dramatic pose’ on the stage which has been walked on by so many amazing entertainers. A ‘must visit’ next time you’re in Glasgow.
The Britannia Panopticon Music Hall's Laurel and Hardy Movie Night returns with a selection of three classic films!
The Big Variety at The Britannia Panopticon Music Hall is an all new and inclusive monthly live cabaret show... don't miss it on the Friday 8th April!
Join Alana Duvey, Dharma Geddon and friends for Drag-Opticon the monthly live drag show at The Britannia Panopticon Music Hall which showcases the best of the Glasgow Drag scene!
Vance Alexander captures Tommy Cooper's style in this remarkable tribute to a much loved star at The Britannia Panopticon Music Hall on March 18th as part of Glasgow International Comedy Festival!
The sheepish guitarist 🎼🎶

A wee pre-show portrait by my pal Debbie McCall at The Britannia Panopticon Music Hall last Saturday 💜😊💜

📸
Rep'd by Rogue Model Management
A live poetry competition to decide the Scottish Slam Champion of 2022 is being held at The Britannia Panopticon Music Hall on Saturday 12th March!
My next show is the Comedy Club this Saturday night at The Britannia Panopticon Music Hall 😍 Come along for a good laugh!
Join Alana Duvey, Dharma Geddon and friends for Drag-Opticon the monthly live drag show at The Britannia Panopticon Music Hall which showcases the best of the Glasgow Drag scene!
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