New Vic Theatre

The New Vic Theatre stands in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire. It is a modern theatre in the round, built in 1986 to replace an old cinema turned playhouse. The original Victoria Theatre opened in 1962 in Hartshill, Stoke-on-Trent, after Stephen Joseph found a disused cinema for his Studio Theatre company. Peter Cheeseman became its first resident director and led the theatre for 36 years. The company gained fame for innovative productions, including plays about local subjects like The Knotty and The Fight for Shelton Bar. Peter Terson became writer in residence and wrote 22 plays for the Victoria after his first production there in 1964. The theatre’s square layout gave it excellent acoustics for chamber music. The Lindsay String Quartet performed there regularly in the 1970s. By 1985, over 280 productions had been staged before the move to the new building. The New Vic Theatre opened in Newcastle-under-Lyme with a larger auditorium seating just over 600 people. The audience still surrounds a central stage, and the musical acoustics remain strong. The theatre kept its connection to the Potteries region, opening with a play by local playwright Arthur Berry. Today, the New Vic continues to stage productions rooted in local culture. In 2023, it showed Arnold Bennett’s The Card, directed by Conrad Nelson. Peter Cheeseman retired in 1998 and was succeeded by Gwenda Hughes, then by Theresa Heskins in 2007. The theatre remains a key part of the area’s cultural life.