Theatre cinema guide

Posted on 14 May 2011


The best way to find a theatre cinema guide is to search the internet. This is especially the case in a city the size of London where there are so many cinemas and theatres. A printed theatre cinema listings guide simply take up too much room in your handbag! There are so many listing sites available online, the information is literally at your fingertips. Whether it’s theatre or cinema you prefer, pretty much every theatre is listed and every cinema covered and for the most part, kept up to date.

Millions of visitors to London get the chance to watch their film heroes walk the red carpet on Leicester Square. Some lucky people also get to attend the premieres. Even Her Majesty The Queen makes an annual trip to the cinema in a tradition that goes back for years. Take a look at the bronze hand prints that line the square – you’ll be amazed by the range of actors who’ve made a permanent mark on the square.

The divide between cinema and theatre seems to be getting ever narrower. With A-list movie stars now making regular appearances on both the West End and Broadway stages and the technological advances in theatrical screens and projections, more and more a trip to the theatre feels like a movie experience and with high definition and 3D technologies making film ever more realistic, the same applies vice versa.

Cinema tickets are cheaper than theatre tickets as a rule, but before handing over your cash at the cinema box office, be sure to check the size of the screen. Some of the screens at the larger cineplexes are not much bigger than your widescreen TV at home and the sound not much better either! The bigger the film, the more likely the bigger the screen. But make sure you don’t pay the inflated prices of Leicester Square unless you know you’ll get a good view and a decent sized screen.

For film buffs, take a trip to the BFI, the British Film Institute on London’s South Bank. The Institute has also recently taken on the remit of funding British film from the now defunct UK Film Council. They host a number of specialist screenings and film festivals including the London Film Festival and the London Gay and Lesbian Film Festival among many others. The BFI is very close to the National Theatre so a trip to the Southbank is an essential part of any theatre and cinema lover.

So for the best way to experience what London has to offer, use the internet as your ultimate theatre cinema guide.