Best seats at the Ambassador Theatre, Dublin - stalls or balcony

Few Dublin venues have had as many lives. The building went up in 1764 as the assembly rooms of the Rotunda Hospital, showed films from 1897, reopened as the Ambassador cinema in 1954 and closed as a cinema in 1999. MCD ran it as a gig venue from 2001 to 2008, when Amy Winehouse, Def Leppard and Queens of the Stone Age played here, then it spent years hosting exhibitions. In October 2024 it came back as a comedy and music room, run by the Desmonds, who also run the Olympia and the Gaiety.

The layout

The cinema conversion in the 1950s is what you sit in today: a main floor plus a balcony of around 500 seats, with private boxes, taking the room to about 1,200. That's small enough for a comedy club feel, big enough for a proper gig.

The building is old and the conversion was made for a screen, not a stage, so seat quality depends on the night's set-up. Check the seat map on Ticketmaster when you book, rather than assuming row letters mean the same thing from one show to the next.

Seated or standing?

The 2024 reopening run was billed as seated shows, and the current programme leans on comedy, singer-songwriters and family shows. Some events are sold as general admission: the venue's ticketing note tells wheelchair users to book general admission tickets and says staff will look after them on arrival. If your ticket says GA, arrive early for a spot near the front.

Where we'd sit

• Comedy: the front half of the stalls. Comedians play to the faces they can see, and the laughs are loudest down there.
• Music: the front rows of the balcony. You look over every head in the stalls and see the whole stage and the lighting.
• Families with small children: an aisle seat, for the inevitable toilet run. Note the age policy: under-14s must be with an adult aged 18 or over, and under-4s are generally not admitted.
• Wheelchair users: the venue says it is fully wheelchair accessible. Book GA through Ticketmaster as advised and contact the box office (+353 1 679 4440) beforehand to arrange your position.

Tips for the night

Tickets left for collection are only handed out at the box office on the night of the show, so arrive early if that's you. The Parnell Luas stop is on the same street: see getting to the Ambassador Theatre. Driving? One nearby car park shuts before most encores, so read parking at the Ambassador. For dinner, see where to eat near the Ambassador. After the show, write a review.

Frequently asked questions

What is the capacity of the Ambassador Theatre in Dublin?

About 1,200, including a balcony of around 500 seats.

Is the Ambassador Theatre seated or standing?

Most shows since the 2024 reopening are seated, but some are sold as general admission. Your ticket and the Ticketmaster listing say which.

Is the Ambassador Theatre the same as the Rotunda?

Yes. The building was built in 1764 as the Rotunda Hospital's assembly rooms and later became the Ambassador cinema before turning into a live venue.

Is the Ambassador Theatre wheelchair accessible?

The venue's ticketing listing says it is fully wheelchair accessible. Wheelchair users are asked to book general admission tickets via Ticketmaster.