[5] The theatre originally seated 1,500 and was used for variety acts, while the larger Grand Junction next door concentrated on staging dramatic productions.

[4] The entire building with both theatres was bought by Buxton Estates in 1932, reportedly to pay for Broadhead's death duties, with an onward sale to James Brennan in 1938.

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.

[6] In December 1955, the BBC bought The Playhouse from Brennan's Cinemas Limited to be used a fully equipped rehearsal and production studio for radio and television shows, and the connecting doorways in the internal party wall to Hulme Hippodrome were bricked up.

[9] The newest BBC Theatre Organ was installed there in 1970, a Wurlitzer, acquired from the Empress Ballroom, Blackpool.

[2] Meantime the Playhouse had been designated as a Grade II (two) heritage listed building on 8 June 1997, the same day as the conjoined Hulme Hippodrome.

[9] With funding provided by North West Arts and by the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (AGMA) Grants Committee and reportedly other groups, the building was subsequently bought and converted into an arts centre for African and Caribbean cultures, called the Nia Centre (1991–1997), holding at this point a 900-seat theatre licence including the circle.

[17] A summary of an evaluation of the Nia Centre looked at: In 2012 The Playhouse was used by the evangelical Fountain Gate Chapel,[18] and in 2017 the building was sold at auction to a new owner, a local property company.