Theatre celebrates 40th anniversary
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How the theatre looks
today. Picture submitted by Frances Moran.
Kent University’s Gulbenkian
Theatre celebrates its 40th birthday this summer. Today,
it's not only the cultural hub of the campus, but a firm
favourite with the community for the wide range of productions it
stages. In the 1970s the Gulbenkian’s success led the university to
introduce its degree programmes in drama and theatre studies - now
a flourishing department.
Dee Ashworth (pictured left) arrived in 1984
to take up the post of technical director and took over as director
in 1994, just as the professional programme began to blossom and
the opportunity to diversify arrived.
Now the Gulbenkian offers pretty
well everything, from drama, dance and music, to comedy, children’s
shows and talks.
Mr Ashworth says part of the
theatre’s popularity lies with its thrust stage design which means
all 343 seats are good and offer a perfect view of the
performers.
"As a result we have a fabulous
relationship between the audience and those on stage and this
intimacy makes such a difference, especially in the shows which
have just one or two people," he said.
Listen: Dee Ashworth
speaks to Adam Williams about the 40th anniversary
Mr Ashworth said he was keen to get
across the message that the Gulbenkian was not a private theatre
for the university. "It is open to the community and we really do
want more people to come up and visit us and see our shows," he
said.
With the closure of the Marlowe,
local groups such as Herne Bay and Canterbury Operatic Societies
have turned to the Gulbenkian for their productions, something
which Mr Ashworth is particularly pleased with.
"We see the Marlowe and the
Gulbenkian as complementing each other," he said.
For more memories and
coverage of the Gulbenkian's 40th anniversary, see this
week's Kentish Gazette.
Friday, May 29 2009
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