Guys and Dolls. Sweeney Todd. The Rock n Roll Panto. These are just three of the many amazing shows that have taken place at Ipswich’s prestigious New Wolsey Theatre.
However, things haven’t always been so glitz and glam.
Some 20 years ago, the town centre theatre was in a state of disrepair following a sudden closure.
But one man, with the help of his partner, took on the mammoth project of reopening the theatre – reinjecting some much-needed life and sparkle into it.
Meet Peter Rowe. Artistic director of the New Wolsey, Peter and his partner Sarah joined the organisation back in 2000, and for the last 21 years have been at its helm, running the ins and outs of what has gone on to become one of the country’s most successful regional theatres.
But how did he manage to pull it off?
To get to know the man behind the stage, it’s best to start at the beginning.
Originally hailing from Surrey, Peter Rowe was born in Kingston-upon-Thames. And it was one fateful family day out as a child that eventually led him to discover the magical world of theatre.
“I was around eight or nine, and my family were on a trip to London one wet Saturday. My dad, on the spur of the moment, got us tickets for the musical Oliver which was playing in the West End. Because it was raining so hard, we ducked into the box office, asked if they had any tickets left.
“We were seated right at the top, and I remember looking down on this stage, and how magic the whole world below felt. And that’s how my love of theatre started,” he explains.
Following that chance trip to the West End, Peter began to immerse himself in the world of theatre, and spent his formative years acting.
“As a teenager, I was part of youth theatre at The Thorndike Theatre in Leatherhead. We would create a show and tour it through schools and colleges in the area, working alongside a professional director or musical director. That was a great taster in finding out what stage life was really like.”
Following that, Peter went on to study at Cambridge where he continued to act. But it was his time in higher education that sparked his love for more behind-the-scenes endeavours.
“I began directing a couple of plays while I was at university. At the time, I didn’t know I could direct – but I knew I could direct better than I could act! I remember during the second show I directed, I really enjoyed sitting there and watching an audience respond to the work we did on the stage,” he says.
Following his graduation, Peter was intent on securing a role anywhere that allowed him to work in theatre. His first job was assistant manager at The Almost Free Theatre on London’s Rupert Street, and he soon found himself working as a stage manager.
It was during his time as a stage manager at the Orange Tree Theatre in Richmond that Peter received a regional training director scheme award, which took on trainees to help run a regional theatre.
“I was offered the choice between two – The Thorndike in Leatherhead where I’d done my youth work, or the Wolsey in Ipswich.”
Peter however opted for the former - and his journey to Suffolk wasn’t due to begin just yet.
After making a name for himself in the theatre circuit, Peter took up a role at The Bubble in London where he then met his partner Sarah.
The two fell in love, and worked together for a year or two.
“I eventually got a job at Gateway Theatre in Chester as artistic director, so Sarah, our two-year-old and I moved to the north west. She got a job at the Theatr Clwyd in north Wales, and eventually I did some freelancing before becoming artistic director at the Everyman in Liverpool.”
But at the turn of the millennium, the two were ready to take on a new challenge and work together once again – and the bright lights of Ipswich beckoned.
The Wolsey Theatre had unfortunately closed its doors, and an artistic director was needed to help reopen it and bring it back to its feet.
“The job listing was originally for one person, but we both mulled it over and thought if they wanted to reopen the theatre, it would be a big ask and they’d certainly need more than one person.
“So we came down and pitched the two of us for the role, rather than one. I’d be a part-time artistic director, Sarah would be a full-time chief executive, and we’d work together.”
The interview panel was so impressed with the proposition, they hired the duo instantly.
But what was it about a tired theatre in the heart of Ipswich that attracted the pair?
“There were two things for us. Firstly, the theatre itself. We thought the auditorium was a really good size and interesting shape. There’s a great dynamic between the audience and the stage, and anyone who’s been there knows there’s not a bad seat in the house. Everyone feels really close to the action.”
The other attraction was how much of a blank slate the theatre was, allowing the two to really put their mark on it.
“Nobody was employed – it had been completely mothballed, meaning we could start from scratch, and create our own ethos and organisation.
“We moved down and threw everything we had at it. We both said to each other that if it doesn’t work in 18 months, we’ll pack up and move elsewhere - but we’ll certainly give it our best shot.”
And the rest, as they say, is history.
The pair got the keys to the theatre in the summer of 2000, and in just six months took the venue from a shell of its former self, to a brand-spanking new arts centre that was ready to put on shows for the community once again.
“There was a hell of a lot of work to do on it though, and a lot of cleaning had to be done before we could start. The stage was full of costumes that had been dumped there, and there were lots of old sets and props inside too.
“In fact, the theatre closed so quickly that the coffee cups, newspapers and books that people were reading that day were still on their desks. It was like the Mary Celeste.”
Following a huge clear out and after hiring a new senior management team, Peter and Sarah were ready to throw open the doors to what became The New Wolsey.
“Before we took it on, the theatre had a loyal following, and people were keen to come back and see how things were going.”
And in February 2001, the first show to hit the stage of the revived theatre was Sweeney Todd.
An instant sell out, the musical production was a collaboration between the Theatre Royal in York and the Mercury Theatre in neighbouring Colchester, and ran for four-and-a-half weeks.
“It was quite a bold opening production as it’s a big – but quite dark – musical, and maybe not an obvious choice,” he says.
But people bought tickets in droves, and there was definitely an appetite for theatre in Ipswich once again.
“The demise of the previous regime had been difficult, and left a really bad taste with a lot of people, so when we did reopen people were keen to see what was going on. It certainly took a while to get away from the negative association that the closure of the theatre had brought.”
But once the doors opened, the lights came on, and the curtains lifted – it was show time.
And ever since, the New Wolsey has been a prominent part of the East Anglian theatre scene, staging hundreds of shows with Peter directing many of them, and writing some too.
But what have been some of his career highlights?
“Honestly, it’s really difficult to pinpoint because I'm fond of so many of them,” he muses.
“Sweeney Todd was of course a big one as it was the opening production, and a musical that I personally think is one of the best that’s ever been written. It was an amazing opportunity to reopen the theatre with that one in particular.”
The New Wolsey has become known within the regional theatre scene for its productions using actor-musicians – a style that Peter is especially fond of, whereby actors combine performance with playing a musical instrument.
“In 2005 we put on Sugar, which is the musical of ‘Some Like It Hot’. We had an incredible cast of some of the best actor-musicians we’ve ever worked with, and they did a fantastic job of it.
“And for our 10th anniversary show, we put on a run of performances of Guys and Dolls. And the great thing about using actor-musicians is that it’s quite unique. We opened the show with the cast playing gangsters and instead of pulling machine guns out of their cases, they pulled out instruments. I thought that worked incredibly well.”
Other fantastic productions under Peter’s belt include the iconic Rock n Roll Panto, Leader of the Pack, Little Shop of Horrors, Our House, and a whole host of original productions such as Midsummer Songs which was written by Peter and his writing partner Ben Goddard.
“I also really enjoyed both of the football shows we put on,” he adds.
The shows he’s referring to are the 2018 production of Our Blue Heaven, and its 2021 follow-up, Never Lost At Home.
Both written by Peter, these followed the story of Ipswich Town Football Club’s meteoric rise and subsequent win in the 1978 FA Cup, and 1981 UEFA Cup respectively.
“It’s been fantastic to get audiences into the theatre that might not have come in before. Both of the football shows got a lot of Ipswich Town supporters in, and it was great to see the former town players supporting it and coming on at the end of the show as well.”
In addition Peter and Sarah not only revived the theatre, but also extended it.
Recently they’ve added the beautiful and striking NW2 to the town – the New Wolsey’s accessible community theatre space.
“We refer to it as the ‘NW campus’, along with The Bowl which is our outdoor theatre space that we set up earlier this year. It just feels good to take what was a mothballed organisation, and spin it into such a good state of health.”
The foyer and front of house have also had a complete makeover – and it certainly hasn’t gone unnoticed.
“People are gobsmacked, and I’m not surprised. It’s such a transformation, and it has a very different feel to what was there before. It’s gone down incredibly well with people both coming back to the theatre, and those who are new to it.”
Peter, Sarah, and The New Wolsey as a whole have been riding high for 20 years. And what an incredible two decades it’s been.
But that all soon came crashing down at the start of 2020 when the world was unexpectedly plunged into lockdown due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Theatres across the globe were forced to close, and as the lights dimmed, so did the future of the arts.
“Lockdown was incredibly hard. We, like all performance organisations, were fearful for our future. We had to make people redundant, and it was incredibly painful to let people go.
“And for those of us who remained, there was a sort of existential crisis among us. What sense did it make to work in a theatre when there was no work to put on? That had a big effect on people’s mental health and anxiety levels.”
Peter kept himself busy by writing three new shows throughout lockdown alongside his writing partners Paul Sirett and Ben Goddard, something that proved therapeutic during the unpredictable time.
“I also did a lot of walking and cycling, too. We’re so blessed in this part of the world, especially with the lovely coastlines.”
But for Peter and his staff, the biggest cure of all was to get back on stage, and being able to perform after extended periods of time off proved to be the perfect remedy.
“When we did our short run of The Snow Queen last Christmas, everyone felt healthier because we were doing what we’re here to do – which is get people into the theatre, putting on a show for them and seeing the big smiles across their faces. It’s the best form of therapy for us.”
And while Peter is the first admit there’s still a sense of hesitancy in terms of returning to the theatre, he remains largely positive.
“I think there’s a way to go, we’re all still so uncertain about how the future will go, and I think there’s going to be some more bumps in the road. Audience confidence has a long way to go still, but I think the appetite is there. Even stronger, in fact, as people have been deprived of theatre for so long.”
Being an optimist and seeing the light at the end of the tunnel is what Peter does best - and he certainly envisages a bright future for the sector.
“I think we’ll see more collaborations between theatres. That’s one of the things we’ve promoted since 2000, doing as many co-productions as possible. And as financial pressures deepen, it just makes sense for theatres to work together and extend the life of their shows, rather than putting them in the bin after a three-week run.”
Currently, Peter is working on a production entitled ‘The Birds and Bees’ which is due to debut this upcoming spring.
“It’s a collaboration between us, the Norwich Theatre Royal, and the Theatre Royal in Bury. There’s a nice network of East Anglian theatres co-producing for the first time, and I hope that goes from strength to strength,” he explains.
“The work I like doing the most is shows that have a sense of community celebration within them. If the audience shrinks, there is a danger that theatre will become a niche activity, so I hope the big celebratory shows will bring people of different backgrounds and cultures together, witnessing the same story on stage. I hope East Anglia becomes full of shows like that.”
After 21 years of running one of the country’s most beloved regional theatres, Peter and Sarah are gracefully stepping down in spring 2022, and are looking to pass the baton on.
But why?
“It’s just the right time, really. Sarah and I have been running the New Wolsey a lot longer than anyone else has run a regional theatre in the country, and we’ve had a great time doing it.
“It was a fantastic decision to come down and take a crack at it, but we’ve come to that stage of our lives where we think it’s time to give someone else a chance,” he says.
The two however are not turning their backs on Ipswich entirely.
“We’re not moving - I’ll go back to freelancing as a writer and director, and Sarah is likely to go on working with Ramps on the Moon, the organisation that the theatre has been at the centre of.”
Job applications are currently open, and the two are busy planning 2022’s calendar of events, with their successor expected to take the reins from 2023 onwards.
Whoever takes on the New Wolsey certainly has some big shoes to fill.
To find out more about the theatre, visit wolseytheatre.co.uk
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