064 VENUE
“Our primary objective was to deliver an economically viable, 1,200 capacity auditorium, with an updated
and future-proofed infrastructure, as it has to easily accommodate the anticipated diverse programme of touring shows now and in the future. So far, future scheduling already includes internationally renowned
opera companies, West End musicals, international ballet, ice shows and a circus.”
Image by Helene Binet
has clearly worked very hard to address objections and today there must surely be few that would see the new theatre gone. Funding came from a mix of public and private contributions with Canterbury City Council’s £17 million leading the fund. Kent County Council and SEEDA also supported the project. However what is most notable, and a testament to the client’s management of the project, is the success of a major fundraising campaign, set up by The New Marlowe Theatre Development Trust, which raised an impressive £4.5 million. The campaign attracted Royal Patron HRH The Earl of Wessex together with a number of other high profi le names including Orlando Bloom, Joanna Lumley, Jools Holland, Timothy West and Prunella Scales. The Marlowe is sited slap bang in the centre of the old town. There’s a strong sense of civic pride - its public-facing façade opens onto a large sloping apron that extends out toward the high street. Behind this is a colonnaded, two-storey, glass-fronted foyer area whose
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height, according to architect Keith Williams, directly correlates to the height of the surrounding historic buildings. Somehow this detail avoids that uncomfortable feeling of overwhelming scale one some- times gets when modern buildings are unceremoniously plonked into historic architectural environments. And that’s not the only nod Williams has made to the adjacent built environment. Acknowledging the proximity of Canterbury’s famous Cathedral, he’s also fashioned a modern day spire from what could have remained an ugly yet essential fl y tower. Mesh faced, it refl ects the changing colour of the sky and the changing time of the day. Under a blue sky and a good sunset it sparkles. Inside the double-height foyer, a generous square staircase leads up to some spectacular views across the town and Kent countryside. The clean lines and fi nishes of the walls, bars and balconies of the mezzanine walkways belie a richly detailed and clever architectural concept, both in terms of the experience it offers its audience and
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