New Vic Theatre

The New Vic Theatre in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, England, is a purpose-built theatre in the round which opened in 1986, replacing a converted cinema, the Victoria Theatre, Hartshill, Stoke-on-Trent.

History

In the early 1960s, Stephen Joseph was searching for a permanent base for his Studio Theatre company which specialised in theatrical productions "in the round", that is with audience on all sides. He found it in a disused cinema in Hartshill, Stoke, which was converted to theatrical use and opened as a playhouse on 9 October 1962.[1] The first resident director was Peter Cheeseman, and he remained in control for 36 years, bar a period in 1967-68 when he was temporarily replaced by the management.

The company soon established a reputation for innovative productions of both new and classic works. A particular focus was on plays with a local subject, such as The Knotty, about the North Staffordshire Railway, The Fight for Shelton Bar, about the closure of a local steelworks, and Jolly Potters.

The first production of a play by Peter Terson took place there in 1964; he was writer in residence for 18 months and wrote 22 plays for the Victoria.[2]

As well as drama, the venue was also used for classical and other music. The square layout of the performance area and audience created an excellent acoustic for chamber music. The Lindsay String Quartet performed there regularly in the 1970s.

By 1985, over 280 productions had been staged. The need had been felt for a larger, purpose-built building from the very start, and this was created in nearby Newcastle-under-Lyme and opened its doors in 1986 after many years of fundraising, negotiation with local councils and construction. The new venue took the name The New Victoria Theatre,[3] often abbreviated to "New Vic", and this shortened name was formally adopted later. Whereas the old theatre had a seating capacity of 389, the main auditorium in the new theatre has a capacity of just over 600, with the audience surrounding a central stage as before.[4] The acoustics for music are good and the Lindsay String Quartet performed there regularly, as they had done at the old theatre.

The theatre continues to keep close to its Potteries roots. One of the plays in its re-opening season was by local playwright Arthur Berry.

In 1998, Peter Cheeseman retired as Artistic Director, and was succeeded by Gwenda Hughes. In 2007 she in turn was succeeded by Theresa Heskins.

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References
  1. New Vic Theatre: History
  2. Phyllis Hartnoll and Peter Found (1996). "Terson, Peter". The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre.
  3. "New Vic Theatre: Past Productions". Archived from the original on 3 March 2013. Retrieved 28 February 2013.
  4. Martin Banham (1992). "Victoria Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent". The Cambridge Guide to Theatre. Cambridge University Press.

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