Storyhouse
Vicky Andrews
Storyhouse is the jewel in the crown for Chester’s arts scene, home to two theatres, a cinema, library, restaurant and bars, all housed inside a rejuvenated art deco building.
When the £37m facility opened in May 2017, more than a million visitors walked through its doors in the first year. The critics love it too and Storyhouse has won multiple awards, including the UK’s Most Welcoming Theatre 2019/20.
The original building opened in 1936 as an Odeon and there’s a nod to this in the classic design of the new boutique cinema, with its plush red velvet seats. Storyhouse also runs the popular Moonlight Flicks season of open-air film screening and in 2020 the enormous 30ft Airscreen ventured out on the road to Chester Cathedral, Chester FC’s Deva Stadium and The Carriage Shed.
Storyhouse is home to a nationally-acclaimed theatre company, and artistic director Alex Clifton has previously worked at the National Theatre, English National Opera and RADA.
Storyhouse produces and is home to a number of specialist festivals each year, including Chester Literature Festival, WayWord half-term festival, Storyhouse Women, Young Takeover, Kaleidoscope Festival and Storyhouse Festival of Languages.
