The Marlowe

How Theatres Trust's advocacy work helped protect a city's locally-loved theatre and supported the venue's vision of a greener future. 

When the repertory company running the original Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury ceased trading, Theatres Trust vigorously opposed the demolition of the building. The local MP David Crouch was our Deputy Chair at the time, having put forward the Private Members Bill a decade earlier that led to our creation. He played an active role in the campaign to ensure that the old theatre was replaced.

In 1982 Canterbury Council purchased an old Odeon cinema to adapt into a new theatre for the town. This opened two years later, serving the town well until the early 2000s, when it became clear that it needed to be redeveloped to meet the needs of modern touring productions and audiences.

We gave our support to the exciting new scheme by Keith Williams Architects with theatre consultants Charcoalblue for rebuilding of the Marlowe Theatre. The plans included a new studio space as well as enhanced facilities throughout the theatre. The Marlowe Theatre as we know it today opened in October 2011 and is a popular thriving venue.

In 2021, we awarded the Marlowe a £20,000 grant from our Theatres Improvement Scheme in association with The Wolfson Foundation towards installing solar panels on its roof, helping to power the theatre and reduce its carbon footprint. A year later, Marlowe updated us that the project had saved enough energy to power 70 shows or to make 1,750,000 cups of tea.

This case study was produced as part of our Fifty@50 campaign to mark our 50th anniversary in 2026.

Photo credit: The Marlowe, Canterbury