The Origins of the Potteries' Victoria Theatre by Les Powner - book

The Origins of the Potteries' Victoria Theatre

Author Dr. Leslie Powner (Keele University)

Published by Arnold Bennett Society

The early beginnings of the Victoria Theatre in Stoke on Trent reveal a fascinating tale that begins with an appetite to establish a civic theatre after WW2.

It tells of the impact of local and national politics upon that wish and how the hope of this wish was brought to life.

It describes a project which brought two theatre men together, Stephen Joseph and Peter Cheeseman. They converted the original Victoria cinema in Hartshill, Stoke on Trent into a ground-breaking first permanent theatre in the round in the UK.

The book charts the changes and ups and downs of the partnerships and talks about some of the notable characters who played at the theatre with Peter Cheeseman as its first artistic director.

This book will be a good read for people with Arnold Bennett, Arthur Berry and Stoke on Trent creative history interests.