The Swan Theatre is a theatre currently run by the Worcester Theatres Charitable Trust in

Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Engl ...

, England. It is the official residence of the Worcester Repertory Company, Swan Youth Theatre and Young Rep. It stages drama, music, dance and spoken word as well as being hired out to local, regional and national amateur groups. It was built in 1965 and was designed by Henry Gorst. The Swan Theatre was built a decade after the demolition of the Worcester Theatre Royal, which was condemned due to fire damage. The theatre has undergone two major refurbishments since it was built. One in the late 1970s which added a studio theatre, office spaces and workshop space and another in 2009. The 2009 refurbishment installed air-handling in the theatre's main house as well as the removal of asbestos and the inclusion of a public balcony in the bar and foyer area. In addition to the 350 seat main house auditorium the theatre has a 50 seat studio space, The Vesta Tilley Studio, named after Music Hall star and

born performer,

Vesta Tilley Matilda Alice Powles, Lady de Frece (13May 186416September 1952) was an English music hall performer. She adopted the stage name Vesta Tilley and became one of the best-known male impersonators of her era. Her career lasted from 1869 until 19 ...

Directors

Since the opening of the theatre there have been nine directors. Since the founding of the Worcester Repertory Company in 1967 the Artistic Director of the

WRC WRC may refer to: Broadcasting stations * WRC-TV, a television station (virtual channel 4, digital channel 34) licensed to Washington, D.C., United States * Several radio stations in the Washington, D.C. area: ** WWRC, a radio station (570 AM) l ...

has been the de facto Director of the Swan Theatre, serving both as the Administrative and Artistic head of the company. , - ''* Director of the Swan Theatre only.'' ''** Founding Director of the Worcester Repertory Company.'' The theatre has had many Associate and Assistant Directors which have included

Phyllida Lloyd Phyllida Christian Lloyd, (born 17 June 1957) is an English film and theatre director and producer. Her theatre work includes directing productions at the Royal Court Theatre and Royal National Theatre, and opera director for Opera North and ...

CBE, David Wood OBE, Richard Digby Day, Paul Clarkson, and Sam Walters.

Patrons

There have been four Patrons of the theatre since its opening. Dame Peggy Ashcroft, John Doyle, Lord Faulkner of Worcester and its current patron,

Imelda Staunton Dame Imelda Mary Philomena Bernadette Staunton (born 9 January 1956) is an English actress and singer. After training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Staunton began her career in repertory theatre in 1976 and appeared in various theatre pr ...

CBE. Imelda Staunton's professional debut was at the Swan Theatre with the Worcester Repertory Company and she became the Patron during the Golden Anniversary of the theatre in 2015.

Rufus Norris Sir Rufus John Norris (born 16 January 1965) is a British theatre and film director, who was the artistic director and chief executive of the National Theatre from 2015 to 2025. He received the Society of London Theatre Special Award in 2025 f ...

, the current Director of the National Theatre serves as the Swan Youth Theatre and Young Rep's patron. Rufus Norris was a member of the Swan Youth Theatre before making his professional debut with the Worcester Repertory Company, appearing in John Doyle's production of ''Cabaret''.

References

{{coord, 52.1967544, -2.2289751, display=title Theatres in Worcestershire Buildings and structures in Worcester, England