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

A heady mix of comedy and Greek tragedy, with a smattering of girl power – are on offer on stage at Storyhouse on Saturday 6 August, courtesy of a Chester-based theatre group. Sunrise Productions theatre group are getting ready to bring their own unique take on ancient Greek tragedy Antigone to the Garrett Theatre at Storyhouse on Saturday. Crown and Clan Divided is an adaptation of the classic tale penned by Sophocles as part of the Oedipus trilogy and first performed around 441BC. Cast and crew are currently in rehearsals for the production, which will run at 2pm and 7.30pm on Saturday 6 Aug ..read more

By Paul Crofts Rehearsals are underway as a Chester theatre company prepares to bring a play with a spooky flavour to the stage in the city. Against The Grain are set to stage The Weir by Conor McPherson at The Live Rooms in Chester from Tuesday 9 August to Thursday 11 August at 7.30pm. The play marks a welcome return to the popular city centre venue for the company, which previously staged co-founder Mark Newman’s twisted comedy Mr Dumpling last year. The cast of The Weir in rehearsals for the play which will be staged at The Live Rooms in Chester Following on from the success of Mr Dump ..read more

Following a long absence due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Chester Operatic Society made a successful return to Storyhouse this week with a production of Me and My Girl. We Are Chester’s Paul Crofts went along on opening night to bring us this review. Having seen Singing in The Rain, Chester Operatic Society‘s previous production at Storyhouse, back in 2018, I was really looking forward to seeing them finally return to the stage with Me and My Girl. Described as “the happiest show in town”, Me and My Girl tells the story of apologetically unrefined Cockney costermonger, Bill Snibson (Dan Cole ..read more

By Angela Ferguson It still feels like a bit of a novelty to head out to watch some live theatre. Is it just me or has the pandemic brought home just how important it is to be able to get together with other people in a communal and happy space? I’ve missed the welcome distraction of the theatre, and since lockdown restrictions have eased I have steadily been filling my boots by enjoying some superb performances from local theatre groups such as AgainstTHEGRAIN Theatre Company and Chester Little Theatre. And this felt like another happy little step on the journey of rediscovering the magic of ..read more

By Lily Smith Members of the University of Chester’s rowing team have taken part in the prestigious British Universities and Colleges Sport 2022 Rowing Regatta. The team enjoyed their annual camping trip at the event, held at Holme Pierrepont, Nottingham. After months of intensive training on Chester’s River Dee, the hard work from UOC’s rowers paid off as they proudly represented the university amidst competition from numerous other university and college rowing teams. The bank holiday weekend saw the club attend the three-day regatta, which is a highlight of Chester University’s rowing club ..read more

By Lily Smith Independent bottleshop, taproom and craft beer bar, That Beer Place is celebrating a successful opening week at its highly anticipated new Chester city centre venue. The new home of That Beer Place has opened on Foregate Street. Owners Lisa and Dale Lord have converted the former bridal store into a new two-storey home for their business, with the bottleshop and taproom on the ground floor and a tasting room on the first floor. The couple first opened the business in Chester Market back in 2018, during a time when the market was struggling to attract new customers. The spaci ..read more