Editing Norwich (section)

===Theatres===
[[File:St Swithin's church in St Benedicts Street, Norwich.jpg|thumb|[[Norwich Arts Centre]], opened in 1977, on St Benedict's Street]]
[[File:Norwich Theatre Royal.JPG|thumb|The [[Theatre Royal, Norwich|Theatre Royal]], Norwich's largest theatre]]
[[File:NorwichPlayhouse (cropped).JPG|thumb|[[Norwich Playhouse]] on St George's Street]]

Norwich has theatres ranging in capacity from 100 to 1,300 seats and offering a wide variety of programmes. The [[Theatre Royal, Norwich|Theatre Royal]] is the largest and has been on its present site for nearly 250 years, through several rebuildings and many alterations. It has 1,300 seats and hosts a mix of national touring productions including musicals, dance, drama, family shows, stand-up comedians, opera and pop.

The [[Maddermarket Theatre]] opened in 1921 as the first permanent recreation of an [[Elizabethan theatre]]. The founder was [[Nugent Monck]] who had worked with [[William Poel]]. The theatre is a [[Shakespearean]]-style playhouse and has a [[seating capacity]] of 310. [[Norwich Puppet Theatre]] was founded in 1979 by Ray and Joan DaSilva as a permanent base for their touring company and was first opened as a public venue in 1980, following the conversion of the medieval church of St James in the heart of Norwich. Under subsequent artistic directors — Barry Smith and Luis Z. Boy — the theatre established its current pattern of operation. It is a nationally unique venue dedicated to puppetry, and currently houses a 185-seat raked auditorium, the 50-seat Octagon Studio, workshops, an exhibition gallery, shop and licensed bar. It is the only theatre in the Eastern region with a year-round programme of family-centred entertainment. [[Norwich Arts Centre]] theatre opened in 1977 in St Benedict's Street and has a capacity of 290. The [[Norwich Playhouse]], which opened in 1995 and has a seating capacity of 300, is a venue in the heart of the city and one of the most modern performance spaces of its size in East Anglia.

The Garage studio theatre seats up to 110 in a range of layouts, or can be used for standing events for up to 180. Platform Theatre is in the grounds of the City College Norwich. Productions are staged mainly in the autumn and summer months. The theatre is raked and seats about 250. On 20 April 2012, it held a large relaunch event with an evening performance, showcasing it with previews of coming performances and scenes from past ones.<ref>[http://www.ccn.ac.uk/news/new-building-boost-creative-arts-city-college-norwich City College Norwich] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120406070519/http://www.ccn.ac.uk/news/new-building-boost-creative-arts-city-college-norwich |date=6 April 2012}} Retrieved 23 March 2012.</ref>

The Whiffler Theatre, built in 1981, was given to the people of Norwich by the local newspaper group Eastern Daily Press. It is an open-air facility in Norwich Castle Gardens, with fixed-raked seating for up to 80 and standing for another 30 on the balcony. The stage is brick-built and has its dressing rooms set in a small building to stage left. The Whiffler mainly plays small Shakespeare productions. [[Sewell Barn Theatre]] is the smallest theatre in Norwich and has a seating capacity of just 100. The auditorium features raked seating on three sides of an open acting space. This staging helps to draw the audience closer into the performance.

Public performance spaces include the Forum in the city centre, with a large open-air [[amphitheatre]] for performances of many types throughout the year. Additionally, the [[cloister]]s of Norwich Cathedral are used for open-air performances as part of an annual Shakespeare festival.<ref>[http://www.cathedral.org.uk/whats-on/shakespeare-in-the-cloisters-2013-tour.aspx Shakespeare in the cloisters] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130121155413/http://www.cathedral.org.uk/whats-on/shakespeare-in-the-cloisters-2013-tour.aspx |date=21 January 2013}} Retrieved 13 December 2012.</ref>