Venue: Marlowe Theatre
Address: The Friars, Canterbury, Kent, CT1 2AS, England
Town: Canterbury, GB

The Marlowe Theatre is a 1,200-seat theatre in Canterbury named after playwright Christopher Marlowe, who was born and attended school in the city. It was named a Stage Awards, 2022 UK Theatre of the Year. The Marlowe Trust, a not for profit company and registered charity, operates the theatre. A theatre opened on St Margaret's Street, Canterbury shortly before World War I but was converted to the Central Picture Cinema in the 1920s. That building reopened as The Marlowe Theatre in 1949, originally for amateur dramatics, and then repertory. After financial difficulties in 1981, it was demolished the following year to make way for the Marlowe Arcade of Whitefriars Shopping Centre. The Marlowe's second home, in The Friars, was built in 1933, by Oscar Deutsch's Odeon Cinema business as the Friars Cinema. On 11 May 1944 the film A Canterbury Tale received its world premiere there. The cinema was renamed the Odeon in 1955. During the late 1970s and early 1980s Canterbury Odeon hosted a number of major acts, including The Cure and Joy Division. The building was purchased and renovated by Canterbury City Council, at a cost of £2.35 million, and opened as the second Marlowe Theatre in July 1984. The theatre lacked capacity for major touring works and the long rake of seating was less suitable for theatre than cinema. It closed for redevelopment on 22 March 2009. The Muse of Poetry statue outside the building references Christopher Marlowe as the Muses' darling, surrounded by characters from his plays. It was relocated to stand outside the Marlowe Theatre in 1993 and unveiled by Ian McKellen. Canterbury City Council was advised moving would cost more than redeveloping on the existing site and in 2005, approved a new Marlowe Theatre. It appointed Keith Williams architect for the project. 2008 budget cost was £25.6 million, of which £17 million was to come from the council. The scheme provided additional parking spaces for people with disabilities and a landscaped walk by the