Our history

Two sites, three buildings and 100+ years of theatre in Canterbury.

The Marlowe Theatre’s story begins when a small theatre, the Empire, opens on St Margaret’s Street in Canterbury.

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The theatre is converted into a 719-seat cinema, the Central Picture Theatre, which later becomes part of the ABC chain.

Another cinema opens on Friars Street – the Friars Cinema (later renamed the Odeon), which hosts the premiere of Powell and Pressburger’s A Canterbury Tale in 1944.

The St Margaret’s Street cinema closes after suffering wartime bomb damage, and the building becomes the first iteration of the Marlowe Theatre.

The original Marlowe Theatre closes, and its St Margaret’s Street building is demolished in 1982 to make room for the Marlowe Arcade shopping centre.

Canterbury City Council buys the former Odeon on Friars Street, which had closed the previous year, and begins converting it into a theatre.

Following a two-year, £2.35m programme of renovations, the former Odeon reopens on 8 July as the second Marlowe Theatre.

The Marlowe Memorial, Edward Onslow Ford’s 1891 statue The Muse of Poetry and four surrounding statuettes, is unveiled by Ian McKellen in its new location outside the theatre.

The Marlowe Theatre closes on 22 March after a 25-year run in the former Odeon – making way for a new £25.6m theatre, designed by architect Keith Williams.

The third Marlowe Theatre opens on 4 October with a gala performance attended by Prince Edward. The building contains a much-improved 1,200-capacity main house, plus a studio space for new work.

The Marlowe’s education programme moves into its new home in the Hospital of St Mary of the Poor Priests, a Grade I-listed building dating to 1220.

The Marlowe Theatre moves out of council control for the first time and becomes an independent charitable trust.

The Marlowe is crowned Theatre of the Year at The Stage Awards, and also wins the Workforce Award at the UK Theatre Awards.

Amy Rosenthal’s The Party Girls launches Marlowe Theatre Productions, the Marlowe’s producing division.

Want to know more about our history? Visit our archive or get in touch with the team.

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