Gateway Theatre, alt=Gateway Theatre
The Gateway Theatre was a small producing and receiving
theatre
Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perfor ...
in the city of
Chester
Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
, which opened in 1969 and closed in 2007.
Gateway Theatre
Matthew Kelly was the theatre's stage manager during the 1970s
and
John Caird was the assistant stage manager.
Well-known performers who appeared at the Gateway included
James Bolam,
Sinead Cusack,
Les Dennis,
Patricia Hodge,
Penelope Keith
Dame Penelope Anne Constance Keith, (née Hatfield; born 2 April 1940) is an English actress and presenter, active in film, radio, stage and television and primarily known for her roles in the British sitcoms '' The Good Life'' and '' To the M ...
,
David Suchet
Sir David Courtney Suchet''England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916–2007'' ( ; born 2 May 1946) is an English actor known for his work on British stage and television. He portrayed Edward Teller in the television serial '' Oppen ...
and
Dennis Waterman.
The venue closed in 2007,
[BBC News: Final curtain for Chester theatre]
(accessed 10 June 2017)[''The Guardian'': Curtain call for old reps in Leicester and Chester]
(accessed 10 June 2017) to be replaced with a larger Performing Arts Centre, as part of The Northgate Development, a redevelopment of Chester city centre.
The last touring show to visit was ''Yippeee!!!'' by
Lea Anderson MBE's contemporary dance company The Cholmondeleys and Featherstonehaughs.
The Forum Studio Theatre
Later in 2007 the Gateway Theatre was partially reopened as The Forum Studio Theatre, run by an amateur company, Tip Top Productions. As of 2017, the company continues to present in-house and touring professional productions each season together with visiting music acts and other events.
The Theatre was forced to close in March 2020 as a result of the Covid-19 Pandemic, with Tip Top Productions announcing in late 2020 that the Theatre would not be re-opening; citing a short time left on the lease and expensive works required to make the building saf
Storyhouse
The opening of the planned performing arts centre as part of the Northgate Development became uncertain in 2008, when it was announced the project would be put on hold until 2012, due to the economic downturn. The renamed
Storyhouse, Chester Storyhouse, housing a new theatre, art house cinema and library, opened on 11 May 2017.
[BBC News: Chester Storyhouse: New theatre opens after 10-year absence]
(accessed 10 June 2017)
References
External links
* (Archived)
Theatres Trust Database: The Forum Studio Theatre
{{Authority control
Theatres in Cheshire
Buildings and structures in Chester
Grade II listed buildings in Chester
