Theatre in Chester’s Grosvenor Park would help fill city’s cultural void

Dec 16 2009 by David Holmes, Chester Chronicle

HIGH quality repertory theatre will return to Chester next summer if a temporary playhouse is erected in Grosvenor Park.

More details have been released about plans which form part of a £50m cultural strategy to support Cheshire West and Chester Council’s bid to become UK City of Culture in 2017.

Four weeks of theatre in the park, working title ‘Grosvenor Open Air Theatre’ is proposed between mid July and early August, 2010.

The plan is to design and build a park based theatre experience similar to London’s Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre.

Arts organisation Chester Performs is assembling a cast of nationally-acclaimed young directors and actors to present three plays in the playhouse. Ideas so far include a Shakespeare play, a Restoration Comedy plus a classic Greek or Roman play.

There would be 300 seats and more than 30 performances, although this could grow if demand is great enough.

It is hoped the summer theatre season will attract national theatre critics and help put the city back on the cultural map as well as providing a tourism boost.

Andrew Bentley of Chester Performs said: “We are talking to some of the country’s best young directors and designers. We will be asking the Arts Council of England and other regional partners to invest in the venture along with Cheshire West and Chester and the economic and tourism impact should be considerable.”

Mr Bentley said a parallel bid to win the right to host a replica of Shakespeare’s Rose Theatre would continue.

“ If we win the bid to home the Rose theatre that would be great, and we can carry on this tradition into that space – but we can do this now and without spending millions,” added Mr Bentley.