Gordon Craig Theatre

The Gordon Craig Theatre stands in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, inside the Stevenage Arts & Leisure Centre on Lytton Way. Edward Gordon Craig, the theatre practitioner, was born less than a mile away, and the theatre takes his name. Designed to host orchestral concerts, theatrical events, films and organ recitals, it has a plain fan-shaped auditorium with excellent sightlines. The stage measures up to 12.2 metres wide with a depth of 7.62 metres, and the building once featured orange cladding nicknamed ‘Gorbing’s orange box’. The theatre opened in 1975 and was officially inaugurated in February 1976 by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. The venue celebrates fifty years of pantomimes and performances in 2025, marking the milestone with a gala event and a return to its first pantomime, Dick Whittington & His Cat. It regularly presents plays, opera, dance, comedy and family shows, alongside productions by local amateur groups. The English Sinfonia made the theatre their home from 1997 to 2006, commissioning a work by Michael Nyman and hosting conductors such as Julian Lloyd Webber and Evelyn Glennie. Saturday morning children’s shows, featuring Jack Mayes and his puppet Hairy Harry, ran from 1975 until 1993. Visitors find a rehearsal room, scenic workshop, wardrobe, café, bar and art gallery within the building. A 1932 Christie theatre organ, originally from Liverpool, has been installed since 1987 and remains playable. The Concert Hall nearby, converted from a gymnasium, seats 1,200 and hosts live music and comedy. Local groups like the Stevenage Lytton Players and the Stevenage Symphony Orchestra regularly perform on the stage. The theatre continues to provide a stage for schools, choirs and community organisations across the region.