In 1963,
Leicester City Council (LCC), identifying a gap in cultural provision for live performances, built a 262-seat theatre in Leicester, The Phoenix Theatre, intended as a temporary solution until a more permanent theatre could be built. The theatre's architect was Richard Bryant. The theatre's roster of directors includes Clive Perry,
Michael Bogdanov, Chris Martin, Ian Giles, Sue Pomeroy, Graham Watkins, Paul Wetherby and Adrian Bean, and actors such as
Nigel Bennett, Roberta Kerr,
Heather Sears, Perry Cree,
Anthony Hopkins and
Greta Scacci. The theatre was intended to serve the Leicester community by presenting both "in house" productions and touring companies, including dance and small-scale theatre productions for Leicestershire. Notable in the touring work were productions about the
travelling community and about
substance abuse. The early 1980s were the theatre's most active period, when it employed some eighty people. The company included a main acting troupe, a touring company called "Flying Phoenix", and a touring dance company, "Phoenix Dance". It developed new writers, notably Sue Townsend, and premiered many productions that went on to national acclaim, such as
The Hobbit and
The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the theatre hosted annual revues performed by the Leicester University Revue & Theatre Society (R.A.T.S.), featuring cult comedy performers such as Nick "Tubby" Griffiths. In 1973, a permanent theatre, the
Haymarket Theatre, was built. Support for the Phoenix Theatre continued to keep it operational. It was renamed the
Phoenix Arts Centre in 1973 and functioned alongside the Haymarket until 1987, when financial issues forced the LCC to reconsider its support. A decision to close the centre was averted in 1988 by support from Leicester Polytechnic (now
De Montfort University) and the LCC, and while the Phoenix was no longer a producing theatre, it continued as a venue for contemporary art, film and live performances. The Phoenix faced closure in the summer of 2009, to be replaced by a new building,
Phoenix Square, in the Cultural Quarter of the city. However, local musician Julian Wright campaigned successfully to stop LCC from selling. In June 2009, the council asked for bids from arts groups for a five-year lease. Under the lease terms, films and professional theatre productions would not be permitted, so as not to compete with Phoenix Square and Leicester's new Curve Theatre, respectively. The winning bid, announced on 12 November, was made by a group comprising
Leicester College and four local music promoters. Social enterprise organisation Leicester Stride, a major element in one of the other bids, was invited to play a part in the centre's future. On 6 March 2010, the
Leicester Mercury announced that the centre was renamed the
Upper Brown Street campus of Leicester College. Leicester property developer Norman Gill gave £25,000 towards refurbishment through the Norman Gill Charitable Trust. The theatre re-opened in 2010. As well as performances from Leicester College and students in Performing Arts and Music and Sound courses, the Upper Brown Street venue hosts shows and acts from external performers. In 2011, Upper Brown Street presented its first full-scale musical production,
Hairspray. The production was created by Leicester College students. Prior to this, first-year students performed
Stephen Sondheim's
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. In 2015, the theatre was re-branded as the
Sue Townsend Theatre, which coincided with the opening of Curve's production of
The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole. To honour the late playwright, students produced a version of
Womberang. == Productions, events and shows ==