Workplay

Over the last several decades, Workplay has been a Birmingham institution, playing host to nationally renowned singer-songwriters and bands as well as up and coming local acts. Now, a group of enthusiastic music lovers are helping to usher in its new era in the local scene.

According to general manager and co-owner Josh Williams, he, fellow co-owner and COO Johnny Grimes, and a few other partners decided to take the venue—which had mainly focused on private events and studio work over the last few years¬—and bring new life to it.

“We went in together and purchased it in October of 2023,” said Williams. “We did some remodeling to the front bar and, and around the venue in general, kind of getting that up to speed.”

They officially relaunched in February of 2024 and have kept a full calendar since for both the 500-capacity Workplay Theatre and the larger, 950-capacity Workplay Soundstage. While some of the performances have been from the genres Workplay is known for (singer-songwriters and adult alternative bands), the venue has also brought in acts from the worlds of hard rock, metal, red dirt country, and hip-hop.

In addition to the original stages, the new owners decided to introduce a more intimate venue, the 300-capacity Workplay Canteen.

“So when Johnny and I had our initial walkthrough, I thought we needed to turn part of the space into a 300-350 cap room,” said Williams. “Birmingham just doesn’t really have a lot of options in that kind of footprint.”

The day I spoke to Williams, the venue was hosting a show for TikTok star CG5. He discussed the shift of how they decide which artists to bring in.

“Back in the day, it was radio play and CDs and street flyers,” said Williams. “Now it’s more like everything’s on Instagram and Facebook and TikTok and Snapchat and YouTube and Twitter.
Tons of things have definitely shifted. It’s the same as everything in life. You just have to adjust with the way things are now.”

While the team made major updates to the sound equipment and put in the Canteen, they also created a new vibe for the Workplay bar, which has now been christened the Harmonic.

“If you came in before, you had this kind of rounded off lobby, where if the bar was crowded, it served as overflow, but kind of felt awkward and very disconnected from the show or from the bar in general,” said Williams. “So we went in and knocked all those walls down to make it a lot bigger.”

An interesting new concept has also been added to the beverage side of Workplay. Lee’s Coffee serves Non-Fiction Coffee, craft cocktails and more.

In addition, Workplay Studios houses two state-of-the-art recording studios offering both professional and fledgling artists the chance to capture their songs in a cutting-edge environment. Both Studio A and Studio B have control rooms, live rooms, and ISO rooms with a full range of equipment from the vintage to the digital.

A third element of Workplay is its ability to host private events. Since reopening the venue, Williams said they have hosted weddings, receptions, Christmas parties, bar mitzvahs, and more. Each of the three rooms are available for use depending on the size of the party.

“I grew up going to shows here and loving it here,” Williams said of his personal history with Workplay. “[The previous owners have] been nothing but very supportive to us about taking over their baby and handing it off to us. We just want to bring some new life into it.”

For more information about shows, private events, the Harmonic, Lee’s Coffee, Workplay Studios, or the venue in general, visit Workplay’s website.

Chris K. Davidson is a writer and musician in Birmingham.