Chester Storyhouse to tour its Gangs of New York

Chester's Storyhouse arts centre will take its acclaimed production of The Gangs of New York on a nationwide tour with funding support from Arts Council England.

The award-winning Chester producing house has been awarded a grant through the Arts Council’s new £2.5m Incentivising Touring scheme, which aims to give more people across the country the opportunity to enjoy high-quality cultural experiences.

Written by Kieran Lynn and based on Herbert Asbury’s 1928 non-fiction book, The Gangs of New York was a hit with audiences and critics during Storyhouse's summer season at Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre in 2024. Set on the violent streets of 1850s New York, the story follows Irish immigrants arriving in America in search of a better life.

With funding assistance the show will be restaged for indoor performances, opening at Storyhouse in autumn 2027 before touring to eight or more venues.

Storyhouse creative director, Suzie Henderson, said today: “After extraordinary success in our open-air theatre, bringing this production indoors gives us the chance to deepen the storytelling and share it with audiences across the country on tour.

Operation Mincemeat, Barnum, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, Brainiac Live and The Curious Incident of the Dog In The Night Time are among other shows that will tour the UK thanks to money from Arts Council England. This second round of the scheme will take 15 dance and theatre shows on tour.

All nine English regions will benefit: ACE believes 97 per cent of the English population will be within an hour's drive of one of the touring shows, which are expected to reach 103 venues and a potential 1.4 million audience.

More scheme info here