What We Do
The Marlowe Kit project
Grade I & Grade II
The Marlowe Theatre’s Marlowe Kit project is housed in Canterbury’s medieval Hospital of St Mary of the Poor Priests, which was founded c.1220 to provide care for sick priests before being rebuilt in 1373. Although the building has been enlarged and altered since, a significant amount of its early structure remains, including the open Great Hall, chapel and undercroft. Since the hospital closed in the 17th century the building has been used as a workhouse, school, police station, and most recently, a museum owned by Canterbury City Council, which closed in 2017. The Marlowe Theatre has been using it on a short lease basis since then as a performing arts learning centre.
The Marlowe Theatre is one of the country’s leading regional theatres, bringing world-class productions and performers to Kent as well as co-producing shows and presenting new theatre. The theatre became an independent charity in 2018 and earns 98% of its income, attracting around 420,000 visitors a year. The theatre’s ambition is to restore and develop the Poor Priests Hospital to become a permanent Learning Centre (named ‘The Kit’, after Christopher Marlowe). The building will host their creative workshops, youth theatre, associate schools programme, and planned co-delivery of Canterbury College's Performing Arts course. When not in use, the Great Hall, chapel and historic rooms will be open to visitors, along with a publicly accessible riverside cafe/bar.
AHF awarded a Project Viability Grant in August 2020 to help the Marlowe develop, test, and cost their project plans, including extensive consultation with potential users and work to engage young people with the historic building. With their detailed appraisal, business case and concept designs in place, the Marlowe are now starting to approach other funders.
About us & our work - The Marlowe (marlowetheatre.com)
Image Credits
OmegaGeo and The Other Richard
AHF Funding
Project Viability Grant - £15,000 (2020)
