GL events UK provides a fully-covered, all-seater, temporary auditorium of tiered audience seating for guests attending theatrical performances, stand-up comedy and musical shows during the outdoor theatre season at Cheshire’s historic Gawsworth Hall.
Visitors to Gawsworth, a picture-perfect village nestling on the edge of the Peak District, might be struck by the pastoral loveliness of the rural landscape; which features characteristic black and white timber-framed houses, lily pools, walled cottage gardens, and a dignified parish church. But, as night falls, they might be even more surprised to hear laughter, cheering, or the sounds of dramatic and musical performances drifting across the formal lawns of Gawsworth Hall, the Tudor manor house at the heart of the village.
Since 1969, the Richards family, devoted owners and managers of the Hall, have curated and produced an eclectic programme of outdoor summer musical, operatic and theatrical performances and concerts. With the garden theatre programme for 2017 including works by Shakespeare and interpretations of Jane Austen, as well as musical theatre, live music by a range of artists, orchestras and tribute acts, star comedians and touring opera productions; it’s little surprise that events at Gawsworth Hall continue to grow, both in scale and popularity.
For four years, GL events’ seating team has supported the family in the creation of Gawsworth Hall’s temporary summer garden theatre. Thanks to our creative and cost-effective audience seating for outdoor performances, we are able to install more than 900 comfortable tiered seats upon the sloping lawns of Gawsworth Hall’s formally landscaped rose gardens. The auditorium is completely covered with weather-proof, rigid roof panels, and incorporates internal and external staircases, creating three convenient points of access for spectators, as well as handrails and a covered walkway for members of the audience entering and exiting the auditorium from the rear.
Our seating installation is a firm favourite among audiences at Gawsworth Hall, some of whom have attended performances in family and social groups for decades. Event-goers picnic in the Hall’s Grade II listed parklands and inner gardens, and combine their visit with a tour of the family home. Elizabeth Richards is very much involved in welcoming guests to the open-air theatre, while her sons Rupert and Jonathan can be found tearing tickets on the main gate and serving locally-sourced refreshments in the Hall’s Orchard Tea Rooms. This friendly, welcoming, intimate atmosphere is extended to GL events’ seating installation, where event-goers make themselves at home, choosing and reserving their seats for the evening with cushions and blankets!
