Ambitious plans for old theatre
A RUN-down theatre will be transformed into a state-of-the-art online gaming centre.
Hundreds of thousands of pounds will be poured into Leicester’s Haymarket Theatre as civic chiefs bid to bring the 1970s-era venue into the 21st century.
The abandoned theatre is already undergoing a £3 million refit in order to stage plays, musicals, concerts, corporate events and awards nights but now it will be at the forefront of eSports.
Leicester City Council is injecting £600,000 into the venue to make it one of the the best in the country.
Spectacular gaming tournaments with prizes up to $250,000 will be taking place and there will also be a new National Training Theatre, working in partnership with Leicester College.
Central to the plans is a partnership with leading Leicester-based eSports business ESL UK, which broadcasts live tournaments to fans around the world.
There are competitions for hundreds of games, with the biggest four for ESL right now being League of Legends, Counter-Strike, Hearthstone and Dota 2.
As well as featuring live gaming action on the huge stage in front of 900-strong audiences, the venue will have a purpose-built broadcasting suite, supported by fibre optic cabling throughout.
Leicester city mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said the upgraded theatre would be the icing on the cake for a revamped Haymarket shopping centre.
The new-look centre will include: a new 67 room Travelodge hotel, new, out-of-ours lift access to the hotel, theatre and car park costing between £300,000 and £500,000, £7 million scheme to pedestrianise and improve Belgrave Gate and Churchgate in front of the theatre.
The council is tied to the Haymarket Theatre on a 99-year lease, but the venue will be managed by an independent, fivestrong team of industry specialists.
The extra £600,000 investment in the theatre will go on improving public areas, changing rooms, toilets and bar areas, and support TV-quality broadcasting.
Sir Peter said: “Since we initially decided to do the refurbishment of the theatre, a number of exciting things have happened, including moving forward with improvements to the public space in Belgrave Gate next year.
“The other thing that has changed is the growth of eSports, which now gives the theatre new potential, different to the original proposals, exciting as they were.
“That gives us the chance to bring something new and sophisticated to the theatre.
“So I have decided to invest significantly in the car park – one of the grottiest in the city – and somewhat more in the theatre to bring it up to the level of sophistication needed for eSports.
“The Haymarket is going to be ESL’s showcase venue, for something that is now a worldwide phenomenon – and the last thing we want is people coming to see it live going into a building that is a bit bleak and a car park that is grotty.”
James Dean is the managing director of ESL UK, which currently operates from a warehouse off Saffron Lane in the city.
He will host at least 10 competitions at the Haymarket in the first year, and plans to move his offices to the city centre.
He said: “What’s happening at the Haymarket is perfectly timed.
“It’s going to be industry leading, and we think our first production there will be early next year.
“I would expect this to generate revenues in the hundreds of thousands of pounds for the Haymarket, and the biggest competition we have hosted so far in Leicester was worth £250,000.
“Competitive gaming is a new type of entertainment and works on the premise that kids naturally want to watch it – whether that’s a big tournament or a one-off “influencer” playing on-line.
“There are a huge number of theatrical aspects to our productions, so we need a big stage to be able to do it.
“The big thing we are adding will be a TV gallery so it can all be streamed out to a massive audience.”