The Albany Theatre in Coventry is undergoing a £3m redevelopment that will include a new studio theatre, two education spaces and a new café and bar area.
The theatre plans to establish two new theatre groups for children and young performers this autumn.
The redevelopment is being funded by grants associated with the City of Culture programme and the local authority.
The building that is the Albany Theatre main house dates from 1935, when it was built as a lecture theatre for Coventry Technical College. It successfully weathered bombing and remained open during the Second World War, when trenches were dug in the sports ground.
The theatre underwent major renovations in the 1980s but came under threat in the 1990s. It temporarily closed its doors in 2008 before reopening as a volunteer-run theatre in 2013. It is now run by the Albany Theatre Trust charity.
“It's fantastic to get the work under way as we enter an exciting new chapter in the Albany's history,” David Meredith, Chair of the Albany Theatre Trust, told the BBC.
“These developments are helping us to improve the experience we provide to our audiences, while creating even more space for communities and local artists to use the Albany and enabling the trust to become financially self-sufficient.”