It is located on a small island at the southern end of the Ruisseau de la Brasserie, a small river running just to the west of Montcalm Street in the former city of Hull.

The building was originally constructed in 1886 as the Hull Water Works, at a time when the site was at the heart of a largely industrial area.

In the subsequent decades the building served a number of different purposes.

The city of Hull and the National Capital Commission joined together to rebuild the structure as a theatre.

It puts on a number of different shows per year, with some 25,000 spectators per annum.