Curve Theatre

How Theatres Trust's support shaped plans for a new theatre

We are blessed in the UK with a wide variety of different types of theatres, whether that’s their size, their programming or architecture. Today in our Fifty@50 campaign, we want to highlight a theatre that is unique amongst the country’s theatres.

Curve Theatre in Leicester is the only theatre that has no traditional backstage area. This means that visitors to the theatre can see the full theatre making process.

The theatre was built through a partnership between Leicester City Council, East Midlands Development Agency, Leicester Shire Economic Partnership and The Leicester Theatre Trust with funding from National Lottery and Arts Council England.

Curve was a replacement for The Leicester Theatre Trust’s venue Leicester Haymarket Theatre, and was envisaged as the centrepiece to the new cultural quarter in the council’s plans for culture-led regeneration of the inner-city area St George’s South.

Theatres Trust met with the leadership team at The Leicester Theatre Trust to understand their artistic vision for the Curve and suggested similar projects from other sectors as inspiration.

There were a few teething problems with the initial plans, as some technical elements of the design would have caused operational issues for the theatre. Theatres Trust worked closely with colleagues at the Association of British Theatre Technicians (ABTT) to suggest solutions that would still fit with the theatre’s ambitions.

We were delighted when the theatre opened in 2008 and have enjoyed seeing the Curve cement its position with the UK theatre ecology with its reputation for bold productions and co-productions.

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

Photo credit: Ian Grundy