By Rebecca Thomas BBC News Online entertainment staff

London's renowned Almeida Theatre is reopening on Thursday after a �7.6m makeover. BBC News Online finds out what theatregoers can expect from the new-look venue.

On the capital's theatre scene, the success of the Almeida has become the stuff of dressing-room legend.

Year after year, and particularly in the last decade, it has attracted a steady stream of star actors, directors and members of the audience.

The Almeida has undergone a �7.6m face-lift

The draw has been the high quality of the plays, production and the special atmosphere at the intimate north London theatre.

But the Almeida's real achievement has been its ability to pull in the elite despite being one of the dowdiest of the city's venues.

Patrons have for decades been subjected to a weather-swept box-office and makeshift bar area, cramped seating and lamentable loos.

When it rained, the roof leaked and buckets had to be put out to collect the water but people didn't complain, they knew it was all part of the experience Actress Louisa Clein on the pre-revamped Almeida

And the pokey backstage conditions for performers were barely better.

But now all that is set to change as the Almeida opens for business again at its Islington home after a closure of more than two years for refurbishment.

Now with Michael Attenborough as artistic director, the Almeida's first production is Ibsen's The Lady from the Sea, starring Natasha Richardson and directed by Trevor Nunn.

It will be Nunn's first production since leaving his position as artistic director of the National Theatre.

Almeida regulars will note the more comfortable and increased seating - now up 18 to 321 - and the introduction of air-conditioning and heating.

Other than that, the auditorium remains ostensibly the same with the real face-lift having taken place in the reception area - a spanking new greenhouse-effect foyer with extended bar, cloakroom and loos.

Intimacy

Some Almeida devotees may secretly lament the loss of its grunge chic.

Suffering in the name of true art was, after all, very much part of the Almeida's loyalty-inspiring appeal.

The foyer and bar will put a stop to visitors waiting in the rain

"When it rained, the roof leaked and buckets had to be put out to collect the water. But people didn't complain," says actress Louisa Clein who has virtually grown up with the theatre.

"They knew it was all part of the experience of coming to the Almeida."

Ms Clein lives locally and worked as an usher while going through drama school. Now, she is making her professional stage debut in The Lady from the Sea.

She is also well-placed to point out another fundamental characteristic of the Almeida's attraction - the intimate and natural quality of the theatre space itself.

This, she stresses, remains unaltered.

"I am sure people will be pleasantly surprised at the changes and especially since when they go into the auditorium it is like nothing has changed."

Expectations

The Almeida building dates back to 1837 and has gone through a number of transformations in terms of usage.

But the original circular brick auditorium, in which the audience and stage floor almost merge, has remained intact, serving as a major draw to a succession of top directors and actors.

The building dates back to 1837

Architect Mark Foley says it was a "philosophical" challenge to carry out the work on the Almeida without taking away from the theatre's spirit of "creative informality".

"We were concerned about preserving the essence and feeling that here, there is the potential to do anything," says Mr Foley.

"It was daunting because of the Almeida's reputation and people's expectations but we tried to achieve a balance and not have something that looked like we were trying too hard."

The light and open new reception, with its unadorned concrete floor, was designed with this spirit of freedom in mind, as were the unobtrusive technical and below-stage improvements in the auditorium.

But, it will inevitably be the quality of the work of the revamped Almeida that the public and critics take as the measure of its future success.

The Almeida has always inspired loyalty among many visitors

"The Almeida has always had such a different perspective to putting on plays and to the theatre compared to the West End which caters largely for tourists with big shows," says Ms Clein.

"Here the emphasis is on putting on a wide programme, with world class directors and actors, and the audience that comes here truly loves theatre."

Star attraction

Michael Attenborough - son of Lord Attenborough - has given every assurance that he intends to see the Almeida go from to strength.

His approach to the Almeida will be one of "eclecticism", so that its ethos will be impossible to pigeon hole.

Following The Lady from the Sea will be a season packed with premi�res, including actor and writer Antony Sher's first play, ID.

Attenborough wants the Almeida to be full of surprises

But the classics will also be represented, with Attenborough directing Sophocles' two Oedipus plays.

Nunn, Sher and Richardson are the only "big" names as yet known to have been signed up, but Attenborough seems hardly to notice.

"You don't need a name to fill this theatre. The moment you become too star-orientated, you begin to worry about what it is you are trying to do.

"The role and the performance come before the name, but I am sure the tradition of wonderful actors who are stars coming here will continue."