The Past Sets the Scene
Live Theatre is one of Newcastle’s cultural jewels. Hidden just off the Quayside on Broad Chare, the complex weaves together former warehouses, almshouses, and part of Trinity House into a warm, enveloping home for performance.
Overview
The redevelopment combined the Grade II* listed theatre on the Quayside with the adjacent Grade II Maritime Museum to create a unified cultural landmark. SPACE repurposed and expanded the existing buildings to provide an intimate theatre, rehearsal studios, and writers’ rooms, connecting them through a new circulation route anchored by a light-filled atrium and stairwell spanning four floors. The adjoining museum was incorporated to form a double-height rehearsal room, studio spaces, and galleries, while the main auditorium was remodelled with a new balcony to enhance capacity and performance quality. Throughout, the historic fabric was preserved and carefully integrated with contemporary interventions that meet modern production needs. Visitors are also now welcomed by warm red brick walls and an airy atrium that leads through to the bar and a cosy undercroft, creating what Joint CEO Jacqui Kell describes as “a building that wraps its arms around you from the moment you arrive.”
- Year 2008
- Location Newcastle Upon Tyne
- Client Live Theatre
- Project Sectors Culture & Heritage
Design Approach
SPACE carefully reimagined the historic buildings while respecting conservation requirements. Disused and derelict rooms were transformed into writers’ studios, rehearsal spaces, and offices. A former alleyway was enclosed to create a new entrance and circulation route, featuring a bar and café. The focal point is a light-filled atrium and stairwell, with a lift connecting all four floors. The main auditorium was remodelled and expanded, adding a balcony while retaining cabaret tables in homage to the theatre’s touring-club origins. The resulting sequence of spaces links the buildings together, allowing audiences to flow through it with ease.
Result
The building has become a beloved part of Newcastle’s quayside and remains fully booked for plays, workshops, and rehearsals. The project allowed the theatre to welcome more writers and artists, and it sparked relationships with local businesses; the 21 Hospitality Group now operates two food and drink venues on-site. Live Theatre remains a cherished community resource where tickets can be as little as six pounds, proving that a heritage building can be both accessible and forward‑looking. Nearly two decades on, Live Theatre continues to serve its visitors and the city alike.
People
Nuturing young creative minds across the regionFor audiences, writers, and performers, Live Theatre provides a network of spaces that nurture creativity and community. The remodelled auditorium and studio theatre offer stages of different scales, while rehearsal rooms and writers’ studios provide space for developing new work. Its youth theatre programme, now the largest free group of its kind in the region, has grown from around twenty members to 172, welcoming young people aged ten to twenty-five to explore acting, writing, and backstage skills.
Visitors can enjoy the bar, café, and gallery, or simply spend time in the warm, inclusive atmosphere that artists and audiences often describe as uniquely Newcastle. The Broad Chare pub and St Vincent Wine Bar, both operating within the complex, add to its everyday life, making it a place where culture and conversation meet. For SPACE, revisiting Live Theatre for events such as annual festivals is a reminder that the building continues to serve the people and stories that define the North East.
“Some come to perform, some to write, some simply to build confidence and make friends: it’s a place that welcomes everyone.”
Jacqui Kell
CEO of Live Theatre
Planet
Respecting the conservation area through natural, local resourcesThe redevelopment preserved historic fabric and reduced the need for new materials by reusing existing walls, roofs, and floors. Adaptive reuse of the Grade II* buildings locked in embodied carbon while reducing waste. The light atrium allows natural daylight to penetrate deep into the building, reducing reliance on artificial lighting. By respecting the conservation area and using locally sourced materials where repairs were required, the project balanced heritage conservation with environmental responsibility.
Place
Standing as an example of how heritage can uphold modern cultureSituated between Newcastle’s Quayside and the Law Courts, Live Theatre has long been part of the city’s cultural fabric. Its collection of listed warehouses and almshouses sits behind bars, coffee shops, and offices, yet its warm brick walls and glass atrium offer a world apart. Today, the theatre continues to attract locals and visitors, offering an affordable introduction to performing arts and a platform for emerging talent. The building’s reimagined spaces stand as an example of how heritage architecture can support modern cultural life and stimulate economic activity in the city. The redevelopment has reinforced its presence in the city’s cultural landscape whilst enabling Live Theatre to stage larger and more ambitious productions. It now welcomes performances that might once have been beyond its capacity, bringing distinctive stories and voices to the North East.
Credits
- Photography Elliot Harris
- Design Team Grant Bramwell, Phil Lloyd
