| Lichfield Garrick | |
|---|---|
The Lichfield Garrick |
|
| Address | Castle Dyke |
| City | Lichfield, Staffordshire |
| Architect | Short and Associates |
| Owned by | Lichfield District Council |
| Capacity | 480 seats |
| Type | Regional theatre |
| Opened | 1 July 2003 |
| Years active | 9 |
| Previous names | Civic Hall |
| Production | Garrick Rep Company |
| www.lichfieldgarrick.com | |
The Lichfield Garrick is a modern, purpose built theatre[1] in Lichfield, a city in Staffordshire, England
The main auditorium seats 480 people and the Studio seats 157 people. The theatre is named after the actor David Garrick, who was brought up in Lichfield.
The Garrick's program includes a variety of touring shows as well as its own Rep company productions. It is also used extensively for plays and musicals by local amateur companies. Like most British theatres the Garrick also plays host to an annual Christmas pantomime. The current Artistic Director is Adrian Jackson.
Contents |
The new £5.5 million theatre opened in July 2003 replacing the old Arts centre and Civic Hall. The project received over £1.4 million from the European Structural Funds Program.[2] The architect was Alan Short, founder of Short & Associates. As well as adding a fly tower and orchestra pit to the main auditorium, the theatre was remodelled, so that new front of house areas could be built, better backstage access provided and a studio theatre included. It is architecturally notable for its unique natural ventilation system, which is an award-winning eco-friendly design. In 2004 it won the Green Apple Award for Environmental Best Practice and CIBSE Project of the Year, among others.[3] However, the building received a mixed response from the public, with some people arguing the theatre's design was not in keeping with the character of Lichfield.
The first production, The Recruiting Officer, was directed by and starred Corin Redgrave. George Farquhar is said to have written some of the play while staying at the George Hotel in Lichfield. It was also the first play that David Garrick performed in.
The Garrick Rep Company [4] was formed in 2005 with the aim of providing theatre goers with powerful and exciting performances, produced in-house at the Garrick Theatre. Early productions were presented under the name of RDC Productions.
| Year | Play | Cast | Director | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Bouncers | Tom Roberts, Mark Jardine, Simon Naylor, Andrew Dickinson | Alice Bartlett & Simon West | ||
| April in Paris | Tom Roberts, Sarah Kirkland | Alice Bartlett | |||
| Frankenstein | Tom Roberts, Sarah Kirkland, Rob Glyn-Jones | Alice Bartlett | |||
| 2007 | Waiting for Godot | Mark Jardine, Russell Richardson, Phil Yarrow, Steve Edwin | Alice Bartlett | ||
| Satin 'n' Steel | Tom Roberts, Rebecca Reaney | Alice Bartlett | |||
| Look Back in Anger | Ben Warwick, Emily Bowker, Giles Faulkner, Lydia Bewley, Robert Austin | Adam Barnard | |||
| A Midsummer Night's Dream | Ben Warwick, Emily Bowker, Giles Faulkner, Lydia Bewley | Adam Barnard | |||
| 2008 | Cold Comfort Farm | Hannah Jayne Stretton, Edward Elks, Georgina Stamp, Alexander D’Andrea, Robert Pass | Kim Gillespie | In association with The Lichfield Players | |
| Two | Mark Jardine, Janet Bamford | Alasdair Harvey | |||
| Shirley Valentine | Beverley Hills | Alasdair Harvey | |||
| Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? | Matthew Kelly, Tracey Childs, Mark Farrelly, Louise Kempton | Andrew Hall | Transferred to Trafalgar Studios, The West End | ||
| 2009 | Fur Coat and No Knickers | Sam Millard, Mark Grady, Richard Loosemore | Kim Gillespie | In association with The Lichfield Players | |
| Ladies' Day | Joanna Bacon, Lorraine Cheshire, Abigail Longstaffe, Sean McKenzie, Liz Simmons | Alasdair Harvey | |||
| The Entertainer | John Ashton, Gerry Hinks, Lin Blakley, Emily Pennant-Rea, Robert Pass | Andrew Hall | |||
| 2010 | Brassed Off | Matthew Stathers, Rachel Matthews, Charlie Buckland, Janet Bamford | Chris Rolls | In association with The Lichfield Players | |
| The Blue Room | Ty Glaser, Robert Curtis | Alasdair Harvey | |||
| Haunting Julia | Christopher Timothy, Richard O'Callaghan, Dominic Hecht | Andrew Hall |
In June 2009, a public campaign was started against what was called "the misappropriation of council funding at the Garrick." [5] It was claimed "the facility is focused on the arts when its predecessor, the Civic Hall, catered for a wider variety of community events." However, in response to this many Lichfeldians came out in support of the venue.[6]