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Arts Theatre

January 01, 1970

For the theatre in Adelaide, see The Arts Theatre, Adelaide.

The Arts Theatre is a theatre in Great Newport Street, in Westminster, Central London.

Arts Theatre
AddressGreat Newport Street
London, WC2
United Kingdom
Coordinates51°30′43″N 0°07′39″W / 51.511944°N 0.1275°W / 51.511944; -0.1275
Public transit Leicester Square
OwnerConsolidated Development[1]
OperatorJJ Goodman Ltd.
TypeWest End theatre
Capacity350
ProductionThe Choir of Man
Construction
Opened20 April 1927; 97 years ago (1927-04-20)
ArchitectP. Morley Holder
Website
www.artstheatrewestend.co.uk

History edit

It opened on 20 April 1927 as a members-only club for the performance of unlicensed plays, thus avoiding theatre censorship by the Lord Chamberlain's office. It was one of a small number of committed, independent theatre companies, including the Hampstead Everyman, the Gate Theatre Studio and the Q Theatre, which took risks by producing a diverse range of new and experimental plays, or plays that were thought to be commercially non-viable on the West End. The theatrical producer Norman Marshall referred to these as 'The Other Theatre' in his 1947 book of the same name.

 
Arts Theatre in 2011

The theatre opened with a revue by Herbert Farjeon entitled Picnic, produced by Harold Scott and with music by Beverley Nichols. Its first important production was Young Woodley by John Van Druten, staged in 1928, which later transferred to the Savoy Theatre when the Lord Chamberlain's ban was lifted. In 1938, a four-week revival of the Stokes brothers' Oscar Wilde, starring Francis L. Sullivan and produced by Ronald Adam, opened on 25 October. This coincided with a Broadway production of the play. In 1940 the ballet La fête étrange was staged at the theatre, choreographed by Andrée Howard. It has subsequently been performed over 200 times by The Royal Ballet, and by Scottish Ballet.[2]

In 1942, Alec Clunes and John Hanau took over the running of the theatre and for ten years produced a wide range of plays, winning a reputation as a 'pocket national theatre'. In 1946, Clunes teamed with author Peter Elstob to raise £20,000, which eventually put the theatre on a sound financial footing.[3]

Ronnie Barker made his West End début at the production of Mourning Becomes Electra at the Arts Theatre in 1955 which was directed by Sir Peter Hall, with whom Barker had worked at the Oxford Playhouse. Barker remained a West End actor for some years, appearing in numerous plays between 1955 and 1968. These included two performances each night as he played a gypsy in Listen to the Wind at the Arts Theatre in 1955. In August 1955, aged 24, Hall directed the English-language premiere of Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot at the theatre.[4] This was an important turning point in modern theatre for Britain. Subsequently, from 1956 to 1959, Hall ran the Arts Theatre.

Between April 1962 and January 1967 the Arts Theatre was known as the New Arts Theatre.[5]

From 1967 to 1999 the Arts also became a home for the Unicorn children's theatre, under the direction of its founder Caryl Jenner. She took over the lease, initially for six years.[6] Meanwhile, adult performances continued in the evening, including Tom Stoppard's satirical double-bill Dirty Linen and New-Found-Land which, opening in June 1976, ran for four years at the Arts.

The theatre's lease was taken over by a consortium of UK and US producers in 2000 for a five-year period, and it was relaunched as a West End theatre with the anniversary production of Julian Mitchell's play Another Country, directed by Stephen Henry. Notable productions during this time included Closer to Heaven, the Jonathan Harvey/Pet Shop Boys musical, and The Vagina Monologues.

In 2011, the theatre was taken over by JJ Goodman and led by Artistic Director Mig Kimpton under the business management of Louis Hartshorn. The Arts now operates as the West End's smallest commercial receiving house, seating a maximum of 350 in a two-tier basement auditorium.[7]

In 2014, Louis Hartshorn took over from Mig Kimpton as Executive Director and alongside long standing business partner Brian Hook as Producer. Expanding over an additional floor the Arts Theatre now houses two rehearsal rooms and a 60-capacity studio theatre 'Above the Arts'.

Productions edit

References edit

Citations
  1. ^ Prynn, Jonathan (17 April 2008). "Soho street to be turned into a hotel". Evening Standard.
  2. ^ La fête étrange, Oxford Reference
  3. ^ "Peter Elstob". 30 July 2002.
  4. ^ Hall, Peter (24 August 2005). "Godot almighty". The Guardian. Guardian News and Media Limited. Retrieved 4 December 2007.
  5. ^ Who's Who in the Theatre (14th and 15th editions)
  6. ^ "Jenner, Caryl [real name Pamela Penelope Ripman] (1917–1973), theatre director and manager". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. 2004. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/68210. ISBN 978-0-19-861412-8. Retrieved 31 October 2020. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  7. ^ New Management for London's Arts Theatre
  8. ^ Gaye 1967, p. 93
  9. ^ Atkinson, Brooks (2 May 1955). "Theatre: South Abroad: Green's Play of Civil War Seen in London". The New York Times.
  10. ^ Wearing 2014, p. 364
  11. ^ Wearing 2014, pp. 453–454
  12. ^ Wearing, J. P. (2014). The London stage 1950-1959 : a calendar of productions, performers, and personnel (Second ed.). Lanham. p. 577. ISBN 978-0-8108-9307-8. OCLC 880349749.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  13. ^ Gaye 1967, p. 203
  14. ^ Hope-Wallace, Philip (17 November 1964). "Review: In White America". The Guardian.
Sources
  • Earl, John; Sell, Michael (2000). Guide to British Theatres 1750–1950. Theatres Trust. pp. 99–100. ISBN 0-7136-5688-3.
  • Gaye, Freda, ed. (1967). Who's Who in the Theatre: A Biographical Record of the Contemporary Stage (14th ed.). New York, NY: Pitman Publishing Corporation. OCLC 1036920599.
  • Hartnoll, Phyllis, ed. (1983). The Oxford Companion to the Theatre. Oxford. ISBN 0-19-211546-4.
  • Herbert, Ian, ed. (1981). Who's Who in the Theatre (Vols. 1 and 2) (17th ed.). Gale. ISBN 0-8103-0234-9.
  • Marshall, Norman (1947). The Other Theatre. London: John Lehmann.
  • Trewin, J.C.; Trewin, Wendy (1986). The Arts Theatre, London, 1927–1981. Society for Theatre Research. ISBN 0-85430-041-4.
  • Wearing, J. P. (2014). The London Stage 1950–1959: A Calendar of Productions, Performers, and Personnel. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-0-8108-9307-8.

External links edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Arts Theatre, London.
  • Official website
  • Arts Theatre Programmes
  • The Arts Theatre and Unicorn Theatre Archive is held by the Victoria and Albert Museum Theatre and Performance Department.

January 01, 1970
arts, theatre, theatre, adelaide, adelaide, theatre, great, newport, street, westminster, central, london, addressgreat, newport, streetlondon, wc2united, kingdomcoordinates51, 511944, 1275, 511944, 1275public, transitleicester, squareownerconsolidated, develo. For the theatre in Adelaide see The Arts Theatre Adelaide The Arts Theatre is a theatre in Great Newport Street in Westminster Central London Arts TheatreAddressGreat Newport StreetLondon WC2United KingdomCoordinates51 30 43 N 0 07 39 W 51 511944 N 0 1275 W 51 511944 0 1275Public transitLeicester SquareOwnerConsolidated Development 1 OperatorJJ Goodman Ltd TypeWest End theatreCapacity350ProductionThe Choir of ManConstructionOpened20 April 1927 97 years ago 1927 04 20 ArchitectP Morley HolderWebsitewww wbr artstheatrewestend wbr co wbr uk Contents 1 History 2 Productions 3 References 4 External linksHistory editIt opened on 20 April 1927 as a members only club for the performance of unlicensed plays thus avoiding theatre censorship by the Lord Chamberlain s office It was one of a small number of committed independent theatre companies including the Hampstead Everyman the Gate Theatre Studio and the Q Theatre which took risks by producing a diverse range of new and experimental plays or plays that were thought to be commercially non viable on the West End The theatrical producer Norman Marshall referred to these as The Other Theatre in his 1947 book of the same name nbsp Arts Theatre in 2011 The theatre opened with a revue by Herbert Farjeon entitled Picnic produced by Harold Scott and with music by Beverley Nichols Its first important production was Young Woodley by John Van Druten staged in 1928 which later transferred to the Savoy Theatre when the Lord Chamberlain s ban was lifted In 1938 a four week revival of the Stokes brothers Oscar Wilde starring Francis L Sullivan and produced by Ronald Adam opened on 25 October This coincided with a Broadway production of the play In 1940 the ballet La fete etrange was staged at the theatre choreographed by Andree Howard It has subsequently been performed over 200 times by The Royal Ballet and by Scottish Ballet 2 In 1942 Alec Clunes and John Hanau took over the running of the theatre and for ten years produced a wide range of plays winning a reputation as a pocket national theatre In 1946 Clunes teamed with author Peter Elstob to raise 20 000 which eventually put the theatre on a sound financial footing 3 Ronnie Barker made his West End debut at the production of Mourning Becomes Electra at the Arts Theatre in 1955 which was directed by Sir Peter Hall with whom Barker had worked at the Oxford Playhouse Barker remained a West End actor for some years appearing in numerous plays between 1955 and 1968 These included two performances each night as he played a gypsy in Listen to the Wind at the Arts Theatre in 1955 In August 1955 aged 24 Hall directed the English language premiere of Samuel Beckett s Waiting for Godot at the theatre 4 This was an important turning point in modern theatre for Britain Subsequently from 1956 to 1959 Hall ran the Arts Theatre Between April 1962 and January 1967 the Arts Theatre was known as the New Arts Theatre 5 From 1967 to 1999 the Arts also became a home for the Unicorn children s theatre under the direction of its founder Caryl Jenner She took over the lease initially for six years 6 Meanwhile adult performances continued in the evening including Tom Stoppard s satirical double bill Dirty Linen and New Found Land which opening in June 1976 ran for four years at the Arts The theatre s lease was taken over by a consortium of UK and US producers in 2000 for a five year period and it was relaunched as a West End theatre with the anniversary production of Julian Mitchell s play Another Country directed by Stephen Henry Notable productions during this time included Closer to Heaven the Jonathan Harvey Pet Shop Boys musical and The Vagina Monologues In 2011 the theatre was taken over by JJ Goodman and led by Artistic Director Mig Kimpton under the business management of Louis Hartshorn The Arts now operates as the West End s smallest commercial receiving house seating a maximum of 350 in a two tier basement auditorium 7 In 2014 Louis Hartshorn took over from Mig Kimpton as Executive Director and alongside long standing business partner Brian Hook as Producer Expanding over an additional floor the Arts Theatre now houses two rehearsal rooms and a 60 capacity studio theatre Above the Arts Productions editRosmersholm with Marius Goring and Lucie Mannheim 1948 Too True to Be Good with Marius Goring and Lucie Mannheim 1948 The Cherry Orchard with Marius Goring 1948 South 8 9 10 1955 The Children s Hour 11 1955 Templeton 12 1958 In White America 13 14 1964 Elegies 7 14 November 2004 A Guide to Sexual Misery Jan to Apr 2011 Woody Sez The Life amp Music of Woody Guthrie Jan to Apr 2011 Eve Ferret Sings Mar 2011 David Wood s Storytime April 2011 Face to Face at the Arts series with Stephen Mangan May 2011 Bette and Joan May to Jun 2011 Eve Ferret Sings Again Jun 2011 Seussical with Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens Dec 2012 The Tailor Made Man with Faye Tozer Mike McShane and Dylan Turner Feb to Apr 2013 Seussical with Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens Nov 2013 Ghost Stories February 2014 to March 2015 Bad Jews March to June 2015 Annie JR August 2015 USHERS The Front of House Musical October to November 2015 The Blues Brothers Xmas Special November 2015 to January 2016 All That Fall April to May 2016 A View from Islington North May to July 2016 American Idiot July to November 2015 July to September 2016 Murder Ballad September to December 2016 A Christmas Carol with Simon Callow December 2016 to January 2018 Toyer Saturday Night Shout The Show Girls F king Men Hotel Follies Catwalk Confidential Cymbeline A Christmas Carol Daisy Pulls It Off Nunsense A Men Naked Boys Singing A Man of No Importance Party Oddsocks Present Romeo and Juliet Shirley Jones Wet Weather Cover The Complete Works of William Shakespeare abridged Lillies on the Land The Music of the Blues Brothers A Tribute Park Avenue Cat Milked Six Oh My Goddess The Female Edit The Wipers Times The Toxic Avenger Oleanna The Choir of Man 9 November 2021 3 April 2022 Bonnie and Clyde 9 April 2022 10 July 2022 The Choir of Man 1 October 2022 present Austentatious November 2022 present References editCitations Prynn Jonathan 17 April 2008 Soho street to be turned into a hotel Evening Standard La fete etrange Oxford Reference Peter Elstob 30 July 2002 Hall Peter 24 August 2005 Godot almighty The Guardian Guardian News and Media Limited Retrieved 4 December 2007 Who s Who in the Theatre 14th and 15th editions Jenner Caryl real name Pamela Penelope Ripman 1917 1973 theatre director and manager Oxford Dictionary of National Biography online ed Oxford University Press 2004 doi 10 1093 ref odnb 68210 ISBN 978 0 19 861412 8 Retrieved 31 October 2020 Subscription or UK public library membership required New Management for London s Arts Theatre Gaye 1967 p 93 Atkinson Brooks 2 May 1955 Theatre South Abroad Green s Play of Civil War Seen in London The New York Times Wearing 2014 p 364 Wearing 2014 pp 453 454 Wearing J P 2014 The London stage 1950 1959 a calendar of productions performers and personnel Second ed Lanham p 577 ISBN 978 0 8108 9307 8 OCLC 880349749 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint location missing publisher link Gaye 1967 p 203 Hope Wallace Philip 17 November 1964 Review In White America The Guardian Sources Earl John Sell Michael 2000 Guide to British Theatres 1750 1950 Theatres Trust pp 99 100 ISBN 0 7136 5688 3 Gaye Freda ed 1967 Who s Who in the Theatre A Biographical Record of the Contemporary Stage 14th ed New York NY Pitman Publishing Corporation OCLC 1036920599 Hartnoll Phyllis ed 1983 The Oxford Companion to the Theatre Oxford ISBN 0 19 211546 4 Herbert Ian ed 1981 Who s Who in the Theatre Vols 1 and 2 17th ed Gale ISBN 0 8103 0234 9 Marshall Norman 1947 The Other Theatre London John Lehmann Trewin J C Trewin Wendy 1986 The Arts Theatre London 1927 1981 Society for Theatre Research ISBN 0 85430 041 4 Wearing J P 2014 The London Stage 1950 1959 A Calendar of Productions Performers and Personnel Lanham Rowman amp Littlefield ISBN 978 0 8108 9307 8 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Arts Theatre London Official website Arts Theatre Programmes The Arts Theatre and Unicorn Theatre Archive is held by the Victoria and Albert Museum Theatre and Performance Department Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Arts Theatre amp oldid 1189608216, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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