Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre

Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre stands in Chester’s Victorian Grosvenor Park, a Grade II* listed green space in the heart of the city. Each summer it hosts an eight-week repertory season, staging plays in the round inside a temporary theatre built anew every year. The first production in 2010 used a simple wooden platform, while later seasons introduced a horseshoe thrust stage and finally a full in-the-round layout with terraced seating. About forty per cent of the seats sit under cover, and some terraces double as picnic areas where hampers and drinks can be bought. The theatre’s capacity is 535, and in 2011 it was named among Britain’s best open-air venues by Countryfile magazine. The theatre grew from Chester Performs, a company that began with Much Ado About Nothing in 2010. In 2017 Chester Performs became part of Storyhouse, a cultural centre created from the refurbished Odeon building. Storyhouse now produces three shows each summer that open indoors before transferring outside to Grosvenor Park. The outdoor season also includes a new one-act play devised, written and performed by a company of sixteen- to twenty-four-year-olds. Visitors find a circular stage surrounded by tiered seating, with a mix of bench rows and picnic terraces. The park’s mature trees frame the space, and the temporary structure is dismantled each autumn after the final performance. Programme notes and reviews are kept on the theatre’s website, offering a record of past productions.