Virginia Samford Theatre

The Virginia Samford Theatre is a historic playhouse on 26th Street South in Birmingham, just off Highland Avenue beside Caldwell Park, in the area where the Five Points South and Highland Park neighborhoods meet. The nonprofit theatre presents plays, musicals, concerts and comedy in an intimate setting, and it has long been one of the city’s best known stages for community and professional theatre.

The building first opened in 1927 as a new cultural destination for Birmingham, bringing residents together for new works and familiar classics in a room sized for close contact between performers and audience. Nearly a century later the theatre continues in that role. Its mission focuses on expanding cultural opportunities for the greater Birmingham community through performances of high artistic merit in theatre, music and dance, along with arts education open to all residents.

Each season mixes well known musicals and plays with music and comedy programming, and the theatre also opens its stage to outside productions and private rentals. Recent seasons have included large scale musicals staged by the theatre itself, and the venue regularly promotes its rental options for performances and special events. The scale of the house means even big productions feel close at hand, which suits musicals and dramas alike.

The setting is part of the appeal. The theatre sits at the edge of Caldwell Park, a green space framed by early twentieth century homes and apartment buildings, and it is a short drive or walk from the restaurants and bars of Five Points South and the Highland Avenue corridor. Many theatregoers make an evening of it with dinner nearby before a show.

As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, the Virginia Samford Theatre relies on ticket sales, sponsors and donors to keep productions running, and a volunteer board supports its work. Arts education is built into its mission alongside the main stage season, and the theatre offers discounted student tickets with ID and special rates for groups.

The box office is open Tuesday through Friday from 10am to 3pm and one hour before each performance. Tickets can be purchased by phone, in person at the theatre or online. Parking is straightforward for an in-town venue: about 60 spaces sit directly beside the building, more than 160 additional spaces are spread around Caldwell Park and Highland Park and along 26th Street South, and more spaces are available at the office building across the park. Show dates and current productions are listed on the theatre’s website.