Join the We Are Chester team as we live blog the Storyhouse Women weekend. We’ll be here to bring you all the latest on the event, which runs on Saturday, 2 and Sunday, 3 March. Our reporting team today are Success Agor, Modupe Ajetumobi, Jason Campbell, Rasika Udagama and Saptha Kannachankandy, with editor, Angela Ferguson. ‘That’s a wrap!’ Well, as Storyhouse Women draws to a close for another year, it’s time to take our leave with memories of a fun and also thought-provoking weekend of events and activities. Thank you for joining us as we have been live blogging from a number of the talks ..read more

By Angela Ferguson Christmas is fast approaching and at this time of year the We Are Chester team love nothing more than to head out to some of the many festive events happening in and around the city over the coming weeks. Whether you enjoy wandering around the Christmas Market with a mulled wine while admiring the festive lights and colourful Alpine chalets or you’re heading out to any of the upcoming Christmas shows and concerts, we should have something for everyone in our Yuletide guide here. The rock ‘n’ roll panto returns to Theatr Clwyd in Mold, with this year’s offering being Sleeping ..read more

Words: Angela Ferguson | Photos: Stuart Evans and Paul Crofts I made my way to Chester Little Theatre on a day when Chester was ravaged by Storm Babet, like most of the country. The roads had calmed down a bit here in Chester but it was a cold and wet evening and it was testament to the draw of Chester’s Against The Grain theatre company that there was still practically a full house for this sold out show, despite the challenging conditions we’d been experiencing. The team at Against The Grain don’t pull any punches with their choice of plays and this one was no exception, with the hard hittin ..read more

Disley Theatrical Productions have certainly arrived with a bang, or should that be a BOOM ..read more

Words by Angela Ferguson and photos by Pamela Raith Photography Has it really been five years since the last cycle of the Chester Mystery Plays? Time flies when you’re in a city with a history spanning 2000 years. And so here we are again, well into the run of the 2023 cycle of this slice of Chester’s incredible heritage. The Mystery Plays are very special, indeed. For Chester, they are far more than just a tradition or a piece of theatre. They are a shining example of community – and how people from all walks of life can come together, forget their troubles for a few hours and forge bonds whi ..read more

Words and photos: Paul Crofts Having visited Chester Visual Arts pre-pandemic exhibitions, including those curated in the old Chester Library on Northgate Street (now Coachworks Arcade), I was absolutely delighted to receive an invitation from We Are Chester founder and editor Angela Ferguson to attend the preview evening for their latest exhibition which is being staged in the vacant H&M store in the Grosvenor Shopping Centre. Launched in 2016, local art charity, Chester Visual Arts set a clear vision to bring world-class art to Chester, positioning the city and wider region as a leading ..read more

With several events happening across the city in celebration of the King’s Coronation, We Are Chester’s Paul Crofts headed to the Town Hall Square in Chester as a special Coronation Concert organised by the Lord Mayor of Chester was staged to mark the historic event. Words and Pictures by Paul Crofts With a purpose-built stage erected, seating laid out, and the sun beating down, an absolutely packed Town Hall Square took on the form of an open-air concert venue on Sunday 7 May for The Lord Mayor’s Coronation Concert. Put together by well-known local musical director, composer and choir leader ..read more

Words and photos: Paul Crofts With the camp, cult classic The Rocky Horror Show making a welcome return to Storyhouse following its original visit in 2019, writer Paul Crofts went along once again to join in the fun. Having seen The Rocky Horror Show at Storyhouse back in 2019, I was certainly looking forward to seeing it again, not least because of the feelgood factor it creates even before curtain up. Arriving at Storyhouse, there was already a party atmosphere with audience members milling around the bar area, many in full costume. It’s clear that many of the audience were di ..read more

After nearly 30 years in the making, the much-heralded Northgate development is finally a reality and Chester has a new market hall. We Are Chester’s Paul Crofts went along to the new market, which is now open and bustling with people, for a sneak peek. When our editor and founder Angela Ferguson invited me to join her at the official opening of the new Chester Market, it took me all of two seconds to say yes. On entering the newly opened Exchange Square, located off Northgate Street and accessed via the central arch of Coachworks Arcade (the old Library to you and I), we were greeted by a mer ..read more

I can’t say I’ve ever experienced a visit to the theatre quite like this haunting production of award-winning play The Weir. Once again, Chester’s Against The Grain have pulled it out the bag with this innovative and immersive piece of thought-provoking theatre. The Live Rooms on City Road in Chester is best known for being a live music venue and it does give this former rock chick a bit of a Buckley Tivoli vibe, harking back to the many visits made to that legendary North Wales music venue during my misspent youth. I didn’t know quite how this would pan out as a theatrical venue but it worked ..read more