International stage for Chester unveiled
The curtain has opened on a new initiative being launched in Chester, aimed at putting the city’s performing arts programme on the international map. Chester Performs is the new organisation responsible for the development of the performing arts in Chester.
Chester Performs is overseeing the development of the city’s new performing arts centre, which will open in 2011; and is set to challenge audiences with a series of high profile performing arts events and community projects. Its aim is to broaden horizons and raise the level of expectation in the performing arts; both in and around the city and county; and in anticipation for the new centre.
The new performing arts centre, which will have a new name before opening, will be a producer and commissioner of the highest quality performances in music, drama, dance and new media. This means that music and dance in particular will play a much larger role in the city than previously.
Chairman of Chester Performs, Geoff Clifton said:
“Together with the city and with Northgate developers ING, we are planning a performing arts centre of international renown, which is also a truly open resource for the city and the region. The centre will be led, not just by a committed management team, but also by the artists and the community themselves. This will ensure recognition for its work and will encourage local communities to develop interests and careers in the creative industries. It is hoped that this approach will set the centre as a model of good practice in its field. There will be a high international content in the performances, which will feature a number of premieres and commissioned work made especially, with our partners, for the centre.”
With the closure of The Chester Gateway Theatre, the city has no full-time professional performance venue. This gives Chester Performs, along with the region’s artists and communities, the opportunity to stage work in non-traditional spaces, non-building based spaces. Cutting edge performances will take place over at venues such as Chester’s streets, by the River Dee and on the Roman walls. These projects will involve street performers and aerial artists, musicians, dancers, actors, visual and sonic artists, installations and performance art. Free of the limitation often imposed by four walls, these events will be adventurous and challenging, resulting in an exciting three-year audience development programme.
Following on from the Chester Gateway Theatre’s youth programme, “Gateway Live”, Chester Performs is due to unveil a new programme of work, starting in the autumn, for young people that will involve music and dance as well as drama, with opportunities to start new performance projects. Participants will have the opportunity to take part, alongside communities and professional artists, in many of the performance projects planned. Chester Performs are working with members of the youth theatre throughout the summer term and will stage a performance in July.
Chester Performs is supported by new grants from Chester City Council, Arts Council of England (Northwest) and Cheshire County Council.
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Background
The seating capacity of the new performance centre addresses a gap in the market in the northwest, which has very few spaces available for music and dance at this size. It will be ideal for small orchestral and chamber concerts, contemporary music and jazz, contemporary dance as well as providing the ideal size for challenging, quality drama. The centre will show regular art house films in the second space. The new centre will have three spaces, the main space holding just over 550 seats; the second 160 and the third a more casual space for rehearsals and hospitality. The main space will have acoustics designed for classical music as well as drama and the seating layout is designed to be intimate yet with no poor sightlines.
Chester Performs Contact: Andrew Bentley Mob: 07793 725414
Press Contacts: Jane Harrad-Roberts Mob: 07785 395705 Phil Brotherhood Mob: 07884 493370 Tel: 01244 330000
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