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| Storyhouse, Chester | |
|---|---|
| Name | Storyhouse |
| Caption | Storyhouse auditorium exterior |
| Address | Grosvenor Street |
| City | Chester |
| Country | England |
| Architect | Bennetts Associates |
| Owner | Chester & Cheshire West Council |
| Capacity | 350–500 |
| Opened | 2017 |
| Rebuilt | 2017 |
Storyhouse, Chester Storyhouse is a multi-arts theatre and cinema venue in Chester, Cheshire, England, housed in a converted library and civic building. It combines live performance, film, literature, rehearsal space and community facilities, forming a cultural hub that links local heritage with contemporary programming. The venue has been associated with regional arts organisations, national touring companies and festivals, attracting attention from arts critics, funders and civic leaders.
The site occupies a former municipal library and civic centre originally linked to Chester civic development and urban renewal projects. Conversion proposals emerged amid debates involving Chester City Council, Cheshire West and Chester Council, and cultural stakeholders such as the Arts Council England and national bodies like the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Design competitions and planning applications referenced precedents including the adaptive reuse of the Tate Modern and the transformation of the Royal Festival Hall, with input from architectural practices and heritage consultants. Fundraising campaigns drew support from local MPs, civic patrons, and philanthropic trusts including the Paul Hamlyn Foundation and regional cultural foundations. The official opening followed an extensive build programme and was promoted alongside touring seasons by companies such as Royal Shakespeare Company, Northern Broadsides, and visiting ensembles from Manchester International Festival circuits.
The conversion was designed by Bennetts Associates in collaboration with conservation specialists and theatre consultants, integrating contemporary interventions with the original facade. The auditorium, flexible studio spaces, and a new public foyer were planned to accommodate staging models from proscenium productions to studio-in-the-round, referencing technical standards used by venues like The National Theatre and The Barbican Centre. Facilities include a licensed restaurant, rehearsal rooms, a library of recorded media, and a cinema screening space equipped for digital projection and 35 mm, reflecting practices at sites such as Picturehouse Cinemas and BFI Southbank. Accessibility features were informed by guidelines from Disability Rights UK and sector standards from UK Theatre, with acoustic engineering and sightline modelling supplied by specialist consultancies experienced with venues like The Lowry and The Everyman Theatre.
Programming mixes new commissions, classic texts, contemporary drama, family shows, and film seasons, frequently collaborating with companies such as the Royal Exchange, Manchester, Liverpool Everyman, and Northern Stage. Storyhouse has presented works by playwrights including William Shakespeare, Harold Pinter, August Wilson, Caryl Churchill, and adaptations of novels by Charles Dickens and Jane Austen. Touring productions from Shakespeare's Globe, Cheek by Jowl, and Complicite have appeared alongside resident productions by the venue’s artistic team. Film programming has featured retrospectives drawn from the British Film Institute collections and independent distributors such as Curzon Film. Seasonal festivals and family strands have included puppet theatre influenced by companies like Little Angel Theatre and touring children’s theatre from Polka Theatre.
Education initiatives partner with local institutions and charities including University of Chester, Chester Zoo outreach programmes, and Arts Council England funded learning schemes. Workshops, youth theatre ensembles, and community writing groups have been led by practitioners associated with National Theatre Connections and outreach models used by Manchester Metropolitan University drama departments. Collaborations with local schools, Chester Cathedral educational programmes, and voluntary arts organisations aim to increase participation, while apprenticeships and internships reference training pathways promoted by Stage One and Creative & Cultural Skills. Community commissions have involved local history groups, genealogical societies, and heritage organisations working with curators inspired by projects at the Museum of Liverpool.
Governance sits within a charitable trust and operates under a board with representatives from local authorities, cultural funders, and private donors, reflecting governance models like those at Royal Exchange Theatre and HOME, Manchester. Funding streams include local authority grants, earned income from ticketing and venue hires, philanthropic donations, and grants from national funders such as Arts Council England and the Heritage Lottery Fund. Commercial partnerships and corporate sponsorships mirror arrangements seen with Barclays sponsorships in the arts and regional development funds administered by Cheshire West and Chester Council. Operational management employs technical staff, creative producers, and box office teams trained through sector organisations including The Society of London Theatre and UK Theatre.
Critical response from national newspapers and arts journals compared the venue’s programming and adaptive reuse to major regional developments in Manchester, Liverpool, and Bristol. Reviews cited architectural awards and nominations, and cultural commentators referenced the venue in discussions about regional cultural infrastructure and urban regeneration strategies championed by bodies such as Historic England and VisitBritain. Economic impact assessments used models similar to those employed by Arts Council England and university research centres to evaluate cultural contribution to local tourism, reflecting increased footfall in central Chester and partnerships with hospitality and retail sectors. Storyhouse’s role in commissioning new work and supporting regional artists has been noted in reports by institutions including the CLC (Creative Leadership Cohort) and regional arts networks.
Category:Theatres in Cheshire