Live Theatre Company

Live Theatre

Live Theatre, in August 2010
Address	Broad Chare, Quayside Newcastle upon Tyne UK
Opened	1982
Website
www.live.org.uk

Live Theatre formerly Live Theatre Company is a theatre and company based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England.

It was founded in Tyneside in 1973 by Val McLane, Geoff Gillham and Dave Clark. The company originally toured its work regionally to non-traditional theatre settings, such as community halls and working men's clubs. The company was creating plays and stories that were relevant to the North East community and sought to break down barriers by presenting this work to ordinary working-class people within their own communities.

The company has been based in Newcastle Quayside since 1982, expanding over the years to occupy the current premises which combine converted warehouses and Almshouses to create a unique building which houses a theatre auditorium, café bar, rehearsal spaces and administrative offices. Live Theatre also took over the lease of a new warehouse building on Broad Chare, immediately adjacent to the previous theatre. In 2007 Live Theatre underwent a further capital development. It now combines state-of-the-art facilities in a unique historical setting, including an intimate cabaret style theatre, a studio theatre, renovated rehearsal rooms, a series of dedicated writer’s rooms as well as a thriving café, bar and gastro pub, The Broad Chare, all in a beautifully restored and refurbished complex of five Grade II listed buildings.

Live Theatre develops new writing talent in the region. The company has enjoyed significant relationships with many writers such as CP Taylor, Tom Hadaway, Alan Plater and, more recently, Peter Flannery, Michael Chaplin, Peter Straughan, Julia Darling, Lee Hall, Sean O'Brien and Karen Laws. Many plays have been commissioned and produced over the years which are now known nationally and internationally, such as Close The Coalhouse Door, Cooking with Elvis, Operation Elvis and And a Nightingale Sang.