Chester community gains funding to stage its own musical

Jun 12 2008 by Jo Henwood, Chester Chronicle

CHESTER will have its own musical, thanks to Arts Council funding.

Theatre in the Quarter, Chester’s leading professional and community theatre company, will present Garden Lane - The Musical this summer thanks to a grant from Arts Council England (ACE) and support from Chester Racecourse and Chester Performs.

The original show, which will be performed at the Pavilion at Chester Racecourse in September, is about the plight of a community facing demolition.

Written by Rob Edmonds with music by Matt Baker, the show will be performed by young people aged between 16 and 22.

Matt, artistic director of Theatre in the Quarter, said: “This is exciting news, especially after the nationwide disappointment last year following major Arts Council cuts.

“Following the visit to Chester from MP Margaret Hodge earlier this year, she urged us to develop strong partnerships with other businesses and organisations to enable the arts in Chester to grow and flourish. This is exactly what we did.”

Chester Performs, the leading producer and promoter of diverse arts events in and around Chester, is working closely with Theatre in the Quarter to promote the show.