How Storyhouse CEO Petra Deer grew Storyhouse to $14.5M revenue with a 132 person team in 2025.

Storyhouse is a multi award winning library, theatre, cinema, restaurant, community and creative hub. The pioneering new library within Storyhouse, where members of the community work alongside city librarians, has the longest opening hours of any UK public library and is open every day until 11pm. Storyhouse is a charity and offers over 2,000 activities each year for local marginalised groups, including autism friendly colouring sessions, sewing groups for refugees and regular classes for isolated and older communities. The organisation houses a nationally-acclaimed theatre company with home-produced stage shows each year, and runs the country’s most successful regional open-air theatre company, Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre, in the city’s main park, and an open-air cinema, Moonlight Flicks. Storyhouse produces and is home to a number of festivals each year, including Chester Literature Festival, WayWord children’s literature Festival, Storyhouse Women, Storyhouse Childless, Storyhouse Elders, Storyhouse Queer and Kaleidoscope Festival for people living with a disability. Young Storyhouse works with the regions most disadvantaged young people to gain employability skills.

Last updated Jun 18, 2025