132:
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, often abbreviated to "New Vic", and this shortened name was formally adopted later. Whereas the old theatre had a seating capacity of
133:
389, the main auditorium in the new theatre has a capacity of just over 600, with the audience surrounding a central stage as before. The musical acoustics are good and the
Lindsay String Quartet performed there regularly, as they had done at the old theatre.
121:
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
92:
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
128:
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
161:
384:
293:
175:
retired as
Artistic Director, and was succeeded by Gwenda Hughes. In 2007, she was succeeded by current Artistic Director, Theresa Heskins.
251:
192:
433:
423:
35:
85:
which was converted for theatrical use and opened as a playhouse on 9 October 1962. The first resident director was
89:
who remained in control for 36 years, bar a period in 1967–68 when he was temporarily replaced by the management.
370:
77:
was searching for a permanent base for his Studio
Theatre company which specialised in theatrical productions
428:
97:
118:
took place there in 1964; he was writer in residence for 18 months and wrote 22 plays for the
Victoria.
141:
349:, the author omitted to consider Fenton, hence the reduction in the number of town from six to five.
82:
58:
137:
17:
345:
122:
165:
318:
129:
50:
46:
31:
30:
This article is about the theatre in
Newcastle-under-Lyme. For the theatre in Woking, see
8:
294:"The Card review – a sparkling adaptation of Arnold Bennett's rags-to-riches comic novel"
233:
255:
196:
57:. The theatre opened in 1986, replacing a converted cinema, the Victoria Theatre in
229:
217:
172:
86:
145:
74:
62:
417:
399:
386:
157:
54:
376:
115:
78:
140:
roots. One of the plays in its re-opening season was by local playwright
103:
364:
152:
228:
277:
Martin Banham (1992). "Victoria
Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent".
377:
Pen drawing of the
Victoria Theatre, Hartshill, 1975
415:
160:, (who had earlier premiered the play with the
107:, about the closure of a local steelworks, and
343:Note: ironically, in (locally-born) Bennett's
144:. In 2023, the theatre showed a production of
34:. For other theatres with a similar name, see
276:
238:The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre
136:The New Vic continues to keep close to its
27:Theatre in Newcastle-under-Lyme, England
125:performed there regularly in the 1970s.
291:
244:
14:
416:
285:
168:, one of Stoke-on-Trent's six towns).
81:. He found it in a disused cinema in
270:
252:"New Vic Theatre: Past Productions"
222:
24:
211:
114:The first production of a play by
25:
445:
356:
195:. New Vic Theatre. Archived from
36:Victoria Theatre (disambiguation)
337:
311:
292:Brennan, Clare (4 June 2023).
279:The Cambridge Guide to Theatre
185:
156:, whose Artistic Director was
13:
1:
434:Producing theatres in England
281:. Cambridge University Press.
178:
7:
98:North Staffordshire Railway
10:
450:
68:
29:
424:Theatres in Staffordshire
232:and Peter Found (1996).
218:New Vic Theatre: History
323:www.claybodytheatre.com
346:Anna of the Five Towns
123:Lindsay String Quartet
429:Newcastle-under-Lyme
130:Newcastle-under-Lyme
73:In the early 1960s,
51:Newcastle-under-Lyme
47:theatre in the round
32:New Victoria Theatre
396: /
45:is a purpose-built
400:53.0161°N 2.2145°W
325:. Claybody Theatre
319:"Claybody People:"
16:(Redirected from
441:
411:
410:
408:
407:
406:
405:53.0161; -2.2145
401:
397:
394:
393:
392:
389:
368:
367:
365:Official website
350:
341:
335:
334:
332:
330:
315:
309:
308:
306:
304:
289:
283:
282:
274:
268:
267:
265:
263:
254:. Archived from
248:
242:
241:
230:Phyllis Hartnoll
226:
220:
215:
209:
208:
206:
204:
189:
162:Claybody Theatre
150:
21:
449:
448:
444:
443:
442:
440:
439:
438:
414:
413:
404:
402:
398:
395:
390:
387:
385:
383:
382:
363:
362:
359:
354:
353:
342:
338:
328:
326:
317:
316:
312:
302:
300:
290:
286:
275:
271:
261:
259:
258:on 3 March 2013
250:
249:
245:
234:"Terson, Peter"
227:
223:
216:
212:
202:
200:
191:
190:
186:
181:
173:Peter Cheeseman
148:
87:Peter Cheeseman
71:
43:New Vic Theatre
39:
28:
23:
22:
15:
12:
11:
5:
447:
437:
436:
431:
426:
380:
379:
374:
358:
357:External links
355:
352:
351:
336:
310:
284:
269:
243:
221:
210:
183:
182:
180:
177:
146:Arnold Bennett
102:The Fight for
75:Stephen Joseph
70:
67:
63:Stoke-on-Trent
26:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
446:
435:
432:
430:
427:
425:
422:
421:
419:
412:
409:
378:
375:
373:on 9 May 2024
372:
366:
361:
360:
348:
347:
340:
324:
320:
314:
299:
295:
288:
280:
273:
257:
253:
247:
239:
235:
231:
225:
219:
214:
199:on 3 May 2024
198:
194:
188:
184:
176:
174:
169:
167:
163:
159:
158:Conrad Nelson
155:
154:
147:
143:
139:
134:
131:
126:
124:
119:
117:
112:
110:
109:Jolly Potters
106:
105:
99:
95:
90:
88:
84:
80:
76:
66:
64:
60:
56:
55:Staffordshire
52:
48:
44:
37:
33:
19:
381:
344:
339:
327:. Retrieved
322:
313:
301:. Retrieved
298:The Observer
297:
287:
278:
272:
260:. Retrieved
256:the original
246:
237:
224:
213:
201:. Retrieved
197:the original
187:
170:
151:
142:Arthur Berry
135:
127:
120:
116:Peter Terson
113:
108:
101:
96:, about the
93:
91:
79:in the round
72:
42:
40:
403: /
262:28 February
104:Shelton Bar
418:Categories
388:53°00′58″N
179:References
94:The Knotty
391:2°12′52″W
193:"History"
171:In 1998,
138:Potteries
83:Hartshill
59:Hartshill
371:Archived
153:The Card
69:History
18:New Vic
329:14 May
303:14 May
203:20 May
166:Fenton
149:'s
331:2024
305:2024
264:2013
205:2024
41:The
164:in
49:in
420::
321:.
296:.
236:.
111:.
100:,
65:.
61:,
53:,
369:'
333:.
307:.
266:.
240:.
207:.
38:.
20:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.