The Marlowe Theatre opened in St Margaret’s Street, just before the First World War.  In the 1920s, it was then turned into a cinema called the Central Picture Theatre. The cinema failed to compete with the other new cinemas and the building became a theatre once more, to be used by amateur dramatics groups. In 1949 the city council purchased it, with the aim of turning it into Canterbury's first Marlowe Theatre.

The Marlowe Theatre was operated as a repertory theatre, first by the council and then, by an independent trust. It became insolvent in 1981 and was subsequently demolished to make way for the Marlowe Arcade shopping centre.

Determined to keep theatre alive in Canterbury, the city council then decided to purchase The Odeon Cinema in The Friars and convert it into Canterbury's second Marlowe Theatre. After 25 successful years, the second Marlowe Theatre closed in March 2009 with a gala performance.

The third Marlowe Theatre opens in October 2011 and so will begin a new era of theatre-going in Canterbury.

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