Marlowe Theatre

The Marlowe Theatre
Address	The Friars
City	Canterbury, Kent
Country	United Kingdom
Architect	Keith Williams
Capacity	1200 on 3 levels
Opened	1984
Reopened	4th October 2011
Years active	1984 - present
Rebuilt	2009 - 2011
www.marlowetheatre.com

The Marlowe Theatre is a major 1200-seat theatre in Canterbury, England.

It closed in March 2009 for redevelopment and a brand-new Marlowe Theatre re-opened to audiences on 4 October 2011.

Name

It was named after the playwright Christopher Marlowe, who was born and attended school in the city. In front of the present theatre is a 19th-century statue of a Muse (Marlowe is known as the Muses' darling) surrounded by small effigies of characters from Marlowe's plays.

History

First building

The theatre previously occupied another site on St Margaret's Street, which was demolished in 1982.

Second building

The most recent building in The Friars was built in 1933 as the Friars Cinema, where on 11 May 1944 the film A Canterbury Tale received its world premiere. It re-opened as a theatre in July 1984, an event marked by the reinauguration of the Canterbury Festival.

The Marlowe Theatre closed for re-development in March 2009. The last performance in the building was a gala performance called A Night Of A Thousand Stars, which took place on Sunday, 22 March 2009.

Redevelopment

The redevelopment of the Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury, Kent, as seen in mid March 2011.

Despite continued use and popularity, the converted cinema was a large space rather unsuited to a theatre. More seats were also needed to meet the demand for tickets, with popular shows regularly selling out months in advance.

Canterbury City Council was advised that an entirely new theatre would cost more than redeveloping The Marlowe on its existing site (there being no suitable alternative site available), and therefore decided in 2005 to give the go-ahead to a multi-million pound redevelopment of the theatre, with the working title of the New Marlowe Theatre Project.

The estimated cost was £23.5 million at 2008 prices. Parts of the current building were demolished, the auditorium gutted and two new auditoria (the main auditorium with 1,200 seats, stalls, slips, balcony and electronically adjustable acoustics; and The Marlowe Studio – a flexible space to accommodate a wide range of performances and creative activities, with around 150 seats), new catering facilities, a bar on each floor, a cafe and better access for the public, staff and theatrical companies (with lifts to all floors). The plans also make provision for more parking spaces for people with disabilities and a new, landscaped riverside walk outside.^[1] In March 2007 Keith Williams was announced as the chosen architect for the project.^[2]

Spectacular Views Of Canterbury

Visitor facilities have been greatly enhanced in the new theatre, with stylish bars on three levels and a theatre restaurant called The Riverside.

The Upper Circle Bar offers stunning views of the Cathedral and The City that cannot be seen from anywhere else in Canterbury. Showing the entire cityscape of this medieval city, this view is rapidly becoming a popular tourist spot.

The Opening Gala -4 October 2011

The Marlowe Theatre reopened to theatre audiences on 4 October 2011 with an Opening Gala attended by HRH Earl of Wessex which featured the Philharmonia Orchestra.

This was followed by a large-scale festival of free events and performances called My Marlowe, a weekend that was attended by many thousands of people over three days. The weekend include street theatre, music, children's shows and workshops. The event also included a stand-up comedy gig by Stephen Merchant, the first public performance on the main stage.

Programme

The main auditorium presents the biggest and best touring productions, made possible by the increased seating capacity of the new theatre. The programme of shows and performances offers audiences a mixture of plays, musicals, ballet, contemporary dance, opera, stand-up comedy, orchestral concerts, music gigs and children's shows.

Some of the country's leading theatre companies and producers bring shows to The Marlowe Theatre including Northern Ballet Theatre, David Pugh, Theatre Royal Bath, Rambert Dance Company and Propeller Theatre Company.

From November 2012, Glyndebourne On Tour will be presenting opera productions at the venue for the very first time.

The venue has also attracted performances by leading music artists such as Van Morrison, Ray Davies, Suzanne Vega, Kate Rusby, Richard Thompson and Jose Gonzalez.

The Marlowe Studio, a second 150-seat venue, presents a range of alternative performances and creative activity, broadening the range of performances that The Marlowe Theatre can present.

The Theatre Director is Mark Everett, who has previously run a number of regional theatre venues.

Pantomime

The Marlowe Theatre presents an annual pantomime which is one of the most popular in the country. In 2008/09 over 81,000 people attended Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, making it the most successful pantomime in the theatre's history. The production starred Emma Barton, Stephen Mulhern, Dave Lee, Ben Roddy, Valerie Cutko, Phil Holden, Ray Griffiths and others.

The Marlowe Theatre's pantomime is produced with Evolution Pantomimes, who produce a number of pantomimes across the country. The company is headed by Emily Wood and Paul Hendy. Past stars in Marlowe Theatre pantomimes have included Natalie Imbruglia, Martine McCutcheon, Daniella Westbrook, Shelia Ferguson, Shaun Williamson, Daniel MacPherson, Robert Powell and Lewis Collins.

Whilst The Marlowe Theatre was being redeveloped the theatre decided to present its annual pantomime in a big-top theatre tent situated in central Canterbury, called The Marlowe Theatre Arena. In 2009, the pantomime presented was Peter Pan starring comedy actor Adrian Edmondson, famous for roles in classic comedies such as The Young Ones and Bottom. Robin Hood followed in 2010, starring comedy actor John Thomson and CBBC TV presenter Sidney Sloane.

The pantomime for 2011 will be Cinderella, the first to take place in the new Marlowe Theatre. This will star John Partridge (Christian in EastEnders) as Prince Charming and television entertainer Stephen Mulhern as Buttons.

The Marlowe Youth Theatre

The Marlowe Theatre runs a highly popular programme of weekly theatre workshops for young people, in partnership with Wide Eyed Theatre company. In summer 2008 a large-scale youth theatre summer project called Lost Things took place, resulting in performances on the main stage of the Marlowe Theatre.

The Marlowe Youth Theatre now has a permanent home in The Marlowe Studio. A fully equipped theatre performance space, this has greatly increased the amount and range of work taking place with young people.

The Marlowe Friends

The Marlowe Friends, formed in 1992, now has over 10,000 members, making it the largest theatre friends membership scheme in the country. Members can take part in a highly popular programme of theatre events, outings and activities throughout the year.

Notable previous employees

Comedian Jon Holmes worked at the Marlowe as Deputy Chief Electrician in the late '90s, lighting and mixing shows including Aspects of Love, The Rocky-Horror Show and various pantomimes.

Radio presenter Gideon Coe worked here as an usher in the late '80s. Coincidentally, both he and Jon Holmes now have shows on BBC 6 Music.^{[citation needed]}

References

1. ^ Kent, UK: BBC, 22 September 2005, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/4272084.stm .
2. ^ Kent, UK: BBC, 2007, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/6426273.stm .

External links

• Official website

Coordinates: 51°16′52″N 1°04′43″E / 51.281042°N 1.078511°E / 51.281042; 1.078511