On this day, 30 November 1973, the Leicester Haymarket Theatre had its grand opening ceremony. Although the first show was on Wednesday 17 October – The Recruiting Officer.

Sir Ralph Richardson officially opened the theatre. The event was a star-studded evening, with many prominent civic leaders, actors, and theatre trustees in attendance.

Sir Ralph Richardson unveiled a specially commissioned sculpture of a Haywain to the public, and he expressed his hope that it would be a good luck token for the theatre.

Dozens of actors and actresses who have had the privilege of performing on stage in the city were in attendance, including the late Anne Stallybrass, who played Mrs Onedin in ‘The Onedin Line', and Leicestershire actor Bill Maynard.

Companies of actors who performed plays and other entertainments have been coming to Leicester as early as 1530. They played their music in churches, on balconies overlooking tavern yards, and outdoors, including by the East Gates of the city where wagons from the countryside came to sell hay. In the Haymarket, actors would sometimes stand up on the wagons and use them as improvised stages to perform for the crowd. From 1563 onwards, performances were permitted at the Guildhall, and Richard Burbage is documented to have acted in Shakespeare plays at the Guildhall.

In 1750, John Bass built a theatre on the Haymarket site. This theatre was used for plays, balls, concerts and other entertainments. As the popularity of the theatre grew, it became evident that a larger building was needed. A new theatre, The Playhouse, opened in 1800, right next door to the Assembly Rooms. For many years, this was the case until 1836, when the Theatre Royal was constructed. This was followed by the Amphitheatre (used for circus performances), the Royal Opera House, and then in 1900, The Palace was built.

This was the time when popular theatre, musicals, operettas and music hall were at their peak. However, over time audiences slowly dwindled, and theatre after theatre was forced to shut down. By 1958, Leicester had only one theatre, The Little Theatre.

The Phoenix Theatre opened in 1963 to meet the needs of theatre lovers in the city and surrounding countryside. Despite a lack of space and many vital backstage facilities, the company built up an enviable reputation as an exciting and enterprising company.

The Phoenix had changed its role by 1973 to become a Youth Theatre. Finally, Leicester got the new, modern, fully equipped theatre it deserved: The Haymarket.

The architectural firm Building Design Partnership worked with the City Architect to come up with the design for the theatre. After that, the Leicester Theatre Trust ran the theatre. The Haymarket theatre could accommodate seven-hundred people, and the large thrust stage projected into the auditorium. In this innovative design, the audience was situated on three sides of the stage, and even those in the split-level balcony, which was lower down on each side, shared this feeling of closeness with the actors.

Each performance would have considerable time in the repertoire, with new productions introduced at a rate of approximately one per month. The policy of having a mix of programmes meant there would always be something on at the Haymarket to suit all tastes, ages and moods.

A car park was built into the theatre complex, which was guaranteed to take the entire audience's cars, and was just a short step from the theatre entrance.

For many years, the Haymarket Theatre symbol was a traditional horse-drawn wagon, laden with hay. The image could be seen on promotional materials, such as posters and programmes, as well as other printed matter. It was designed to remind us that our modern new theatre is situated on the historic site of Leicester's old Hay Market, and that some of the earliest theatrical performances in the city used a humble hay cart as a stage.

The theatre has been a popular form of entertainment for centuries, and Leicester's theatre has progressed and changed along with the times. In 1973, we could proudly say that we had one of the most innovative and well-designed theatres in the world, which was also equipped with the latest technology. Many West East productions originate from Leicester. Now sadly, it is no longer with us.

The Theatre had to close for a short period between 2003 and 2004 due to financial difficulties. The last production in 2006 before the theatre's closure was 'The Wizard of Oz', featuring Helena Blackman and Ceri Dupree. After it closed, the building was decommissioned. A new building, called 'Curve', was being built to replace it.

For many years, the Haymarket Theatre remained empty. The City Council had grand plans to reopen the venue in the summer of 2011, converting it into a £6.5 million Youth Centre catering for 13 to 19 year-olds. However, these plans never came to fruition.  The Government had pledged a £5 million grant, but Leicester's City Council said they could not afford to share the running costs, leaving the project underfunded.

However, after an 11 year closure, Leicester City Council decided to spend £3.6 million to re-equip the derelict Theatre and bring it back into theatrical use for the public to enjoy again. Haymarket Consortium Limited re-opened the Theatre in the spring of 2018 after a brief period of renovation.

The Theatre boasted the largest stage in England. The primary auditorium was given a facelift and could now accommodate up to 900 people comfortably. The sloped seating and great views of the stage were kept, while still giving the original Haymarket vibe and atmosphere. The programme for the upcoming season included a variety of touring productions and one-night stands. The Christmas of 2018 was special for the Theatre, as it staged its first in-house Christmas production of 'Treasure Island', written specially for the Theatre by Sandi Toksvig and her sister Jenifer Toksvig with music by David Perkins.

The 902-seat theatre has been closed and out of use since the previous operator went into administration and decided to give the lease back to the council in May of 2021.