Phoenix Arts Centre
Encyclopedia
Upper Brown Street is a theatre
in the city centre
of Leicester
, England
. The centre hosted live shows and films of the arthouse and world cinema
genres. In 2010 it was reborn as an important music training and performance venue under a new name.
In the 1963 Leicester City Council
(LCC) decided there was a gap in cultural provision. As a solution they built the Phoenix Theatre, a 262-seat theatre in the heart of Leicester, responsible for showing live performances. This was intended to be a temporary solution until a more permanent theatre could be established.
Early artistic directors included Clive Perry and Michael Bogdanov, and actors such as Richard Eyre (now a director) and Anthony Hopkins have all performed in the venue.
In 1973 a permanent theatre called the Haymarket Theatre (Leicester)
was built. Fortunately there was such support for the Phoenix Theatre that it remained functional and worked alongside the Haymarket until 1987. At this time financial issues forced LCC to reconsider the position of the Phoenix Theatre and the decision for closure was taken.
However, in 1988, with support from Leicester Polytechnic (now De Montfort University
) and LCC, the theatre was rejuvenated and re-named ‘Phoenix Arts Centre’ (P.A.C). P.A.C changed roles and stopped being a producing theatre, becoming a venue for contemporary art, film and live performances.
The centre was due to close in the summer of 2009 and be replaced by a new building Phoenix Square
in the Cultural Quarter of the city. However, a campaign to save the Phoenix sprang up in the spring and was successful in stopping Leicester City Council from selling it off to the highest bidder as they had planned. In June 2009 the Council asked for bids from arts groups to grant the winner a five-year lease. Under the terms of the agreement film and professional theatre will not be permitted as they might compete with Phoenix Square
and Leicester's new theatre Curve
respectively. The winning bid, announced on November 12, was made by a group comprising Leicester College
and four local music promoters. Social enterprise organisation Leicester Stride, a major element in one of the other bids, has been invited to play a part in the centre's future.
On March 6, 2010, the Leicester Mercury
announced that the centre had been renamed the Upper Brown Street campus of Leicester College. Leicester property developer Norman Gill has given £25,000 towards the refurbishment via his Norman Gill Charitable Trust.
As well as performances from Leicester College learners on Performing Arts and Music and Sound courses, the Upper Brown Street venue hosts shows and acts from external performers.
An artistic cabaret show, ‘The Spectacular’, took place on Friday 22 October 2010 from 7 – 11pm as part of the Leicester Oxjam
Festival. This brought together a diverse line up of talented acts and artists to entertain the audience. Headlining the show was ‘The Make it Nice Brothers’ aka Naim Cortazzi and Frank Benbini
who returned to Leicester to bust out their party grooves after trailblazing around Europe with the Fun Lovin Criminals.
In 2011 Upper Brown Street saw its first full scale musical production (Hairspray) since the theatre re-opened in 2010. The musical was a hit with the public and saw the much loved characters of Tracy, Corny Collins and Edna. The production was created by Leicester College students from all courses.
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Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
in the city centre
Leicester City Centre
Leicester City Centre is an area covering the core inner city area and central business district of the city of Leicester, England. It is roughly delineated from Leicester's suburbs by the A594, Leicester's inner ring road....
of Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The centre hosted live shows and films of the arthouse and world cinema
World cinema
World cinema is a term used primarily in English language speaking countries to refer to the films and film industries of non-English speaking countries. It is therefore often used interchangeably with the term foreign film...
genres. In 2010 it was reborn as an important music training and performance venue under a new name.
History
Leicester City Council
Leicester City Council is a unitary authority responsible for local government in the city of Leicester, England. It consists of 54 councillors, representing 22 wards in the city, overseen by a directly elected mayor. It is currently controlled by the Labour Party and has been led by Mayor Sir...
(LCC) decided there was a gap in cultural provision. As a solution they built the Phoenix Theatre, a 262-seat theatre in the heart of Leicester, responsible for showing live performances. This was intended to be a temporary solution until a more permanent theatre could be established.
Early artistic directors included Clive Perry and Michael Bogdanov, and actors such as Richard Eyre (now a director) and Anthony Hopkins have all performed in the venue.
In 1973 a permanent theatre called the Haymarket Theatre (Leicester)
Haymarket Theatre (Leicester)
The Haymarket Theatre was a theatre in Leicester, England, based in the Haymarket Shopping Centre on Belgrave Gate in Leicester city centre. The theatre closed at the end of 2006 and has been replaced by the Curve Theatre...
was built. Fortunately there was such support for the Phoenix Theatre that it remained functional and worked alongside the Haymarket until 1987. At this time financial issues forced LCC to reconsider the position of the Phoenix Theatre and the decision for closure was taken.
However, in 1988, with support from Leicester Polytechnic (now De Montfort University
De Montfort University
De Montfort University is a public research and teaching university situated in the medieval Old Town of Leicester, England, adjacent to the River Soar and the Leicester Castle Gardens...
) and LCC, the theatre was rejuvenated and re-named ‘Phoenix Arts Centre’ (P.A.C). P.A.C changed roles and stopped being a producing theatre, becoming a venue for contemporary art, film and live performances.
The centre was due to close in the summer of 2009 and be replaced by a new building Phoenix Square
Phoenix Square
Phoenix Square is a cinema in the city centre of Leicester, England. The centre hosts digital exhibitions and films of the arthouse and world cinema genres...
in the Cultural Quarter of the city. However, a campaign to save the Phoenix sprang up in the spring and was successful in stopping Leicester City Council from selling it off to the highest bidder as they had planned. In June 2009 the Council asked for bids from arts groups to grant the winner a five-year lease. Under the terms of the agreement film and professional theatre will not be permitted as they might compete with Phoenix Square
Phoenix Square
Phoenix Square is a cinema in the city centre of Leicester, England. The centre hosts digital exhibitions and films of the arthouse and world cinema genres...
and Leicester's new theatre Curve
Curve
In mathematics, a curve is, generally speaking, an object similar to a line but which is not required to be straight...
respectively. The winning bid, announced on November 12, was made by a group comprising Leicester College
Leicester College
Leicester College is a further education College in Leicester, England. It is one of the largest and most successful colleges in the UK, with more than 26,000 learners, 1,600 staff, plus an annual budget of £51million....
and four local music promoters. Social enterprise organisation Leicester Stride, a major element in one of the other bids, has been invited to play a part in the centre's future.
On March 6, 2010, the Leicester Mercury
Leicester Mercury
The Leicester Mercury is a British regional newspaper, owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust, for the city of Leicester and the counties of Leicestershire and Rutland...
announced that the centre had been renamed the Upper Brown Street campus of Leicester College. Leicester property developer Norman Gill has given £25,000 towards the refurbishment via his Norman Gill Charitable Trust.
As well as performances from Leicester College learners on Performing Arts and Music and Sound courses, the Upper Brown Street venue hosts shows and acts from external performers.
An artistic cabaret show, ‘The Spectacular’, took place on Friday 22 October 2010 from 7 – 11pm as part of the Leicester Oxjam
Oxjam
Oxjam is a charity music festival in the United Kingdom that raises money for Oxfam, whose mission is to fight poverty worldwide. Events are held in multiple cities across the United Kingdom, normally in the month of October...
Festival. This brought together a diverse line up of talented acts and artists to entertain the audience. Headlining the show was ‘The Make it Nice Brothers’ aka Naim Cortazzi and Frank Benbini
Frank Benbini
Frank Benbini , born in Leicester, United Kingdom, is the drummer in the Fun Lovin' Criminals, following on from their original drummer Steve "O" Borovini and Maxwell "Mackie" Jayson...
who returned to Leicester to bust out their party grooves after trailblazing around Europe with the Fun Lovin Criminals.
In 2011 Upper Brown Street saw its first full scale musical production (Hairspray) since the theatre re-opened in 2010. The musical was a hit with the public and saw the much loved characters of Tracy, Corny Collins and Edna. The production was created by Leicester College students from all courses.
Past/Production/Events Shows
- Opening production, 1963, The Matchmaker by Thornton Wilder, directed by Clive Perry.
- Captain Christmas and the Evil Adults (1982), Written by Sue TownsendSue Townsend-Adrian Mole series:* The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13¾ , her best selling book, and the best-selling new British fiction book of the 1980s.* The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole * The True Confessions of Adrian Albert Mole...
- The Hobbit (1984), written by J.R.R. Tolkien, adapted by Rony Robinson and Graham Watkins. Original score by Stephanie Nunn.
- The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13¾The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13¾For the TV-series, see The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13¾ is the first book in the Adrian Mole series of comedic fiction, written by Sue Townsend. The book is written in a diary style, and focuses on the worries and regrets of a teenager who believes himself...
, Premier in 1984, Written by Sue TownsendSue Townsend-Adrian Mole series:* The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13¾ , her best selling book, and the best-selling new British fiction book of the 1980s.* The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole * The True Confessions of Adrian Albert Mole... - The Joe OrtonJoe OrtonJohn Kingsley Orton was an English playwright.In a short but prolific career lasting from 1964 until his death, he shocked, outraged and amused audiences with his scandalous black comedies...
Project, (2007) - Hairspray: The Musical (2011)
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