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Marlowe Theatre
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The Marlowe Theatre is a 1000-seat theatre in Canterbury, England. It is one of the largest theatres in Kent and the nearest major English theatre to mainland Europe.
s named after the playwright Christopher Marlowe, born and educated in the city. In front of the present theatre is a 19th century statue of a Muse (Marlowe is known as the Muses's darling) surrounded by small effigies of characters from Marlowe plays.
theatre previously occupied another site on St Margaret's Street, which was demolished in 1984.
present building was built in 1933 as the Friars Cinema, where on 11th May 1944 the film A Canterbury Tale received its world premiere.
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Encyclopedia
The Marlowe Theatre is a 1000-seat theatre in Canterbury, England. It is one of the largest theatres in Kent and the nearest major English theatre to mainland Europe.
Name
It is named after the playwright Christopher Marlowe, born and educated in the city. In front of the present theatre is a 19th century statue of a Muse (Marlowe is known as the Muses's darling) surrounded by small effigies of characters from Marlowe plays.
History
First building
The theatre previously occupied another site on St Margaret's Street, which was demolished in 1984.
Second building
The present building was built in 1933 as the Friars Cinema, where on 11th May 1944 the film A Canterbury Tale received its world premiere. It re-opened as a theatre in September 1984, an event marked by the reinauguration of the Canterbury Festival
Redevelopment
Despite continued use and popularity - the former cinema is a large space rather unsuited to a theatre. 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 site available), and therefore unanimously 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 is £23.5 million at 2008 prices. Parts of the current building will be demolished, the auditorium gutted and two new auditoria (one with 1,200 seats, stalls, slips, balcony and electronically adjustable acoustics; and the other - flexible to accommodate a wide range of performances and other activities - with around 200 seats), new catering facilities, a bar on each floor, a cafe, a hospitality suite, a courtyard, better physical access for the public, staff and theatrical companies (with lifts to all floors) built within the shell, along with the provision of more parking spaces for people with disabilities and a new, landscaped riverside walk outside. In March 2007 Keith Williams was announced as the chosen architect for the project.
Future
The new Marlowe Theatre project is to be funded by £8 million of council money (and continue to subsidise it when it reopens), with the remainder raised from The Friends of The Marlowe and other public bodies, charitable trusts, private donors and public fundraising. It is estimated that The Theatre will close in March 2009 and reopen towards the end of summer, 2011.
During this interim period the Marlowe Theatre will present a range of performances in other venues in Canterbury and the surrounding area.
Friends of the Marlowe
The Friends of the Marlowe, formed in 1992, now has 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.
The Marlowe Theatre programme
The Marlowe Theatre presents a mixed programme of shows and performances throughout the year offering audiences a mix of plays, musicals, ballet, contemporary dance, opera, stand-up comedy, music gigs and children's shows. Some of the country's leading theatre companies and producers regularly bring shows to the Marlowe Theatre including Northern Ballet Theatre, David Pugh, Theatre Royal Bath and Ellen Kent Opera.
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.
Marlowe Theatre & Pantomime
The Marlowe Theatre presents an annual pantomime which is one of the most popular in the region. 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 Grifiths and others.
Plans are underway to present the pantomime Peter Pan in Christmas 2009 in a big-top theatre tent situated in central Canterbury. Star casting is yet to be announced although tickets are already on-sale.
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 McPherson, Robert Powell and Lewis Collins.
Marlowe Theatre Youth Theatre
The Marlowe Theatre runs a 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.
In December 2008, the Marlowe Theatre was awarded £50,000 from the Arts Council of England as part of the Free Theatre Initiative. This national scheme will enable the Marlowe Theatre to give free tickets to young people under the age of 26 years. The project is due to begin in February 2009.
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 a pantomime with Danniella Westbrook in it.
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.
External links
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