Difference between revisions of "Entertainment/Theatre"

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Playwrights
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== Genres ==
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'''Commedia dell’arte'''
  
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''Absurd Person Singular'' – '''Alan Ayckbourn''' (born 1939)
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Commedia dell’arte is an Italian Renaissance form that is best known as a style that features characters wearing half masks. Commedia troupes would perform anywhere an audience could be gathered. The 17th century was the golden era for commedia dell’arte as Italian comics dominated the European stage.
  
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''The Norman Conquests'' trilogy – ''Table Manners'', ''Living Together'', ''Round and Round the Garden'' by Alan Ayckbourn
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The first documented appearance of a woman on stage was by actress Vincenza Armani in around 1566 but the most famous First Actress was Isabella Andreini, wife of Francesco Andreini of Il Gelosi, first appearing on stage in 1576.
  
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''Bedroom Farce'', ''Body Language'', ''Absent Friends'', ''Sisterly Feelings'' – Alan Ayckbourn
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The development of English pantomime was strongly influenced by commedia dell'arte.
  
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''Antigone'' – play by '''Jean Anouilh'''
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<u>Stock characters</u>
  
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''Becket'', ''Medee'' – Jean Anouilh
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Pierrot – is a sad clown with a white face who wears a loose white blouse with large buttons and wide white pantaloons.
  
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''Sergeant Musgrave’s Dance'' – '''John Arden'''
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Pantalone – is generally an old merchant, often wealthy and esteemed, at other times completely ruined, yet always an old man in every detail, with business skills.
  
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''The Admirable Crichton'' – '''JM Barrie''' (1860 – 1937)
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Arlecchino (Harlequin) – is a faithful valet or servant, but in this context he is also the clown. Arlecchino's costume usually comprised a jacket and trousers with colourful and irregular patches, with a white felt hat with a rabbit or fox tail and a belt with a wooden spatula (or 'slap stick').
  
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''The Little Minister'' – play by JM Barrie
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Colombina – is usually cast as a mischievous maid, a comic but not always virtuous figure, with a best friend (and sometimes lover) of Arlecchino.
  
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''Quality Street'' is a comedy in four acts by JM Barrie. The play was so popular that Quality Street chocolates and caramels were named after it
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Pulcinella – resembles a cockerel. He has a beaked nose and wears a baggy, white outfit.
  
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''One Man, Two Guvnors'' is a play by '''Richard Bean''', an English adaptation of ''Servant of Two Masters'', a 1743 Commedia dell'arte comedy play by the Venetian playwright Carlo Goldoni
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Il Dottore (The Doctor) – is usually dressed in the traditional style of a medieval doctor, with a huge black suit. He wears a mask over half of his face that highlights his bulbous nose. Il Dottore is a comic personage originally from "well-fed and learned" Bologna.
  
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'''Pierre Beaumarchais''' (1732 – 1799) Figaro plays are ''Le Barbier de Seville'', ''Le Mariage de Figaro'', and ''La Mere coupable'' (The Guilty Mother)
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Il Capitano (The Captain) – wears a military uniform and is usually a vainglorious, deceitful and braggart soldier.
  
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''The Knight of the Burning Pestle'' is a play by '''Francis Beaumont''', first performed in 1607
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Brighella – is a shrewd servant n the 'Zanni' genre. His costume is that of a servant, but usually with several short green stripes on a white background on both shirt and trousers.
  
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''Waiting for Godot'', subtitled ''A Tragicomedy in Two Acts'', is an absurdist play by '''Samuel Beckett''' (1906 – 1989), written in the late 1940s and first published in 1952. Beckett originally wrote the play in French. The plot concerns Vladimir (also called Didi) and Estragon (also called Gogo), who arrive at a pre-specified roadside location in order to await the arrival of someone named Godot. Vladimir and Estragon, who appear to be tramps, pass the time in conversation, and sometimes in conflict. Other characters include Pozzo and Lucky
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Zanni – is a group of characters but can refer to a specific character. This character was drawn from the lower classes of the time, the peasant or migrant worker who worked in Venetian society as a servant.
  
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‘Nothing to be done’ – opening line of ''Waiting for Godot''
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'''Bunraku'''
  
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''Endgame, Happy Days'' – Samuel Beckett
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Founded in Osaka in the beginning of the 17th century, Bunraku is a traditional Japanese dramatic art form featuring large puppets operated by onstage puppeteers with a narrative that is recited from offstage. The puppets have heads, hands, and feet of wood attached to a bodiless cloth costume.
  
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''What Where'' – last play by Samuel Beckett
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'''Kabuki'''
  
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''A Question of Attribution'' – '''Alan Bennett''' (born 1934). Based on Anthony Blunt's role in the Cambridge Spy Ring and, as Surveyor of the Queen's Pictures, personal art advisor to Queen Elizabeth II
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Kabuki is a form of traditional Japanese drama with highly stylized song, mime, and dance, now performed only by male actors, using exaggerated gestures and body movements to express emotions, and including historical plays, domestic dramas, and dance pieces. Kabuki is thought to have originated in the very early Edo period, when founder Izumo no Okuni formed a female dance troupe in 1603.
  
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''An Englishman Abroad'' – Alan Bennett. Concerns meetings between Coral Brown and Guy Burgess
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'''Noh'''
  
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''Writing Home'' – Alan Bennett
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Noh originated in Japan in the 14th century. It is a major form of classical Japanese dance-drama having a heroic theme, a chorus, and highly stylized action, costuming, and scenery. The iconic masks represent the roles such as ghosts, women, deities, and demons.
  
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''The Uncommon Reader'' – Alan Bennett, about the Queen chancing on a mobile library
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'''Theatre of the Absurd'''
  
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''The History Boys'' – Alan Bennett, is about a group of Sheffield sixth formers trying to get into Oxbridge during the eighties
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Plays of absurdist fiction, written by several playwrights from the late 1940s to the 1960s, as well as the theatre which has evolved from their work. Term coined by Martin Esslin. Playwrights commonly associated with the Theatre of the Absurd include Samuel Beckett, Harold Pinter, Tom Stoppard, and Edward Albee.
  
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''Forty Years On'' – Alan Bennett’s first play in the West End
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'''Epic Theatre'''
  
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''The Habit of Art'' – a 2009 play by Alan Bennett, centered on a fictional meeting between WH Auden and Benjamin Britten while Britten is composing the opera ''Death in Venice''
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A 20th century movement that emphasizes the audience's perspective and reaction to the piece through a variety of techniques that deliberately cause them to individually engage in a different way. The purpose of epic theatre is not to encourage an audience to suspend their disbelief, but rather to force them to see their world as it is. Pioneered by Bertolt Brecht.
  
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''The Madness of George III'' – Alan Bennett
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'''Theatre of Cruelty'''
  
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''GBH'' – play by '''Alan Bleasdale'''
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A form of surrealist theatre originated by Antonin Artaud that emphasises the cruelty of human existence by portraying sadistic acts and intense suffering.
  
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''A Man for All Seasons'' – '''Robert Bolt'''. The plot is based on the true story of Sir Thomas More
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'''Experimental Theatre'''
  
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''The Caucasian Chalk Circle'', ''Life of Galileo'', ''Mother Courage and her Children'', ''The Private Lives of the Master Race'', ''Good Woman of Setzuan'' – '''Bertolt Brecht''' (1898 – 1956)
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A general term for various movements in Western theatre that began in the late 19th century with Alfred Jarry and his Ubu plays as a rejection of both the age in particular and, in general, the dominant ways of writing and producing plays.
  
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''The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui'' – play by Bertolt Brecht
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'''Morality play'''
  
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''The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahogonny'' – Bertolt Brecht. Born in Germany
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A kind of allegorical drama having personified abstract qualities as the main characters and presenting a lesson about good conduct and character, popular in the 15th and early 16th centuries.
  
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''The Romans in Britain'' – '''Howard Brenton'''
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'''Mystery play'''
  
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''Hobson’s Choice'' – '''Harold Brighouse'''. The plot revolves around Willie Mossop, a gifted, but unappreciated shoemaker employed by the domineering Henry Horatio Hobson. He is bullied by Hobson's eldest daughter, Maggie into marrying her and setting up in a shop of his own
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A popular medieval play based on biblical stories. The plays were often performed together in cycles which could last for days. Also known as a miracle play.
  
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''Boeing Boeing'' is a classic French farce by '''Marc Camoletti'''. The London production of the play opened at the Apollo Theatre in 1962 and then transferred to the Duchess Theatre in 1965. It closed after a highly successful run that stretched over seven years and 2035 performances. The play was revived in London in 2007, this time at the Comedy Theatre
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'''Shadow puppetry'''
  
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''Ivanov'' – first play by '''Anton Chekhov''' (1860 – 1904)
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An ancient form of storytelling which uses flat articulated cut-out figures (shadow puppets) which are held between a source of light and a translucent screen. The most significant historical centres of shadow puppetry theatre have been China, Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent. Also known as shadow play.
  
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''The Seagull'' – Anton Chekhov. Tragi-comedy about unrequited love, which revolves around the actress Arkadina
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== Awards ==
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'''Tony Awards'''
  
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''Uncle Vanya'', ''The Three Sisters'', ''The Cherry Orchard'' – Chekhov
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The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League.
  
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Olga, Irina and Masha – Chekhov’s ''Three Sisters''
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The award was founded in 1947 by a committee of the American Theatre Wing headed by Brock Pemberton. The award is named after Antoinette Perry, nicknamed Tony, an actress, director, producer and co-founder of the American Theatre Wing, who died in 1946.
  
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''The Duel'' – Chekhov
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The 1st Tony Awards was held on 6 April 1947, at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York City.
  
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''Serious Money'', ''Cloud Nine'', ''Top Girls'' – '''Caryl Churchill'''
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The trophy consists of a medallion, with faces portraying an adaptation of the comedy and tragedy masks, mounted on a black base with a pewter swivel. Designed by Herman Rosse.
  
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''La Machine Infernale'' – '''Jean Cocteau'''
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<u>Records</u>
  
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''The Mourning Bride'' (1697), ''The Way of the World'' (1700) – plays by '''William Congreve'''
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Most awards by a single production – ''The Producers'' (2001) with 12 awards
  
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“Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, nor hell a fury like a woman scorned” – from ''The Mourning Bride''
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Most nominations by a single production – ''Hamilton'' (2016) with 16 nominations
  
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''Love for Love'' – William Congreve
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Most awards for an individual – Hal Prince with 21 awards
  
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'''Pierre Corneille''' (1606 – 1684) was a French tragedian. He earned the valuable patronage of Cardinal Richelieu, who was trying to promote classical tragedy along formal lines, but later quarrelled with him, especially over his best-known play ''Le Cid'' about a medieval Spanish warrior
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'''Laurence Olivier Awards'''
  
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''Poor Little Rich Girl'' – '''Noel Coward''' (1899 – 1973)
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Also known as the Olivier Awards, they are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre. The awards were originally known as the Society of West End Theatre Awards, but they were renamed in honour of Laurence Olivier in 1984.
  
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''Hay Fever'', ''Private Lives'', ''The Vortex'' – Noel Coward
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The awards were established in 1976.
  
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''Hay Fever'' – set in an English country house in the 1920s, and deals with the four eccentric members of the Bliss family and their outlandish behaviour when they each invite a guest to spend the weekend
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<u>Records</u>
  
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''Private Lives'' – the plot revolves around a divorced couple, Amanda and Elyot, who bump into each other on a honeymoon trip in Deauville with their respective new spouses
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Most awards ever received by a musical – ''Matilda'' (2012) and ''Hamilton'' (2018), both with 7 awards
  
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''Blithe Spirit'' (1941) is a comic play written by Noel Coward which takes its title from Shelley's poem ''To a Skylark'' (‘Hail to thee, blithe Spirit! / Bird thou never wert’). The action of the play centres on socialite Charles Condomine being haunted by the ghost of his first wife Elvira following a seance
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Most awards ever received by a play – ''Harry Potter and the Cursed Child'' (2017) with 9 awards
  
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''There Are Bad Times Just Around the Corner'' – Noel Coward
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Most competitive awards by an individual – William Dudley (designer), Judi Dench (actress) and Matthew Bourne (choreographer), each with 7 awards
  
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''Design for Living'' – Noel Coward
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'''Moliere Award'''
  
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''The Family Reunion'' – '''TS Eliot'''
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The Moliere Award is the national theatre award of France.
  
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''The Vagina Monologues'' – play written by '''Eve Ensler'''
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The awards were established in 1987.
  
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''Accidental Death of an Anarchist'' – '''Dario Fo''' (born 1926)
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== West End theatres ==
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'''Adelphi Theatre''' (Strand) was founded in 1806 as the Sans Pareil (‘Without Compare’), by merchant John Scott. In 1819 it was reopened under its present name, which was adopted from the Adelphi Buildings opposite, on the Strand.
  
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Dario Fo's anti-Iraq war play ''Peace Mom'' featured Frances de la Tour as mother Cindy Sheehan
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'''Aldwych Theatre''' (Aldwych) was built as a pair with the Waldorf Theatre (now called the Novello Theatre), both being designed by W.G.R. Sprague. It opened in 1905. Aldwych farces were a series of twelve stage farces presented at the Aldwych Theatre, nearly continuously from 1923 to 1933. Most of the farces were written by Ben Travers.
  
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''Alphabetical Order'' – '''Michael Frayn''' (born 1933)
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'''Ambassadors Theatre''' (West Street) is a small theatre, seating a maximum of 444 people. ''The Mousetrap'' played at the theatre from 1952 to 1974.
  
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''Copenhagen'' is a play by Michael Frayn, based around an event that occurred in Copenhagen in 1941, a meeting between the physicists Bohr and Heisenberg
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'''Apollo Theatre''' (Shaftesbury Avenue) opened in 1901. In 2013, part of the auditorium's ornate plasterwork ceiling collapsed during a performance of ''The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time'', injuring 88 people.
  
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''Headlong'', ''Clouds'', ''Donkey’s Years'', ''Noises Off'' – plays by Michael Frayn
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'''Apollo Victoria Theatre''' (Wilton Road) opened in 1930 as a cinema and variety theatre. Currently the home of the musical ''Wicked'', which has played at the venue since 2006.
  
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''Noises Off'' – comedy about a touring theatre company’s struggle to stage a farce
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'''Arts Theatre''' (Great Newport Street) opened in 1927 as a members-only club.
  
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''The Miracle Worker'' – play by '''William Gibson''', based on the work of Helen Keller
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'''Cambridge Theatre''' (Earlham Street) is currently the home of ''Matilda the Musical'', which has played at the venue since 2011.
  
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''The Government Inspector'' (also translated as ''The Inspector General'') (1836) – '''Nikolai''' '''Gogol'''
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'''Criterion Theatre''' (Jermyn Street) was home to productions of the Reduced Shakespeare Company from 1996 to 2005. Charles Wyndham became the manager and lessee in 1875.
  
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''The Lion in Winter'' is a 1966 Broadway play by '''James Goldman'''
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'''Dominion Theatre''' (Tottenham Court Road) was home to the musical ''We Will Rock You'', which played at the theatre from 2002 until 2014.
  
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''She Stoops to Conquer'' – '''Oliver Goldsmith'''
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'''Duchess Theatre''' (Catherine Street) opened in 1929. The theatre is built with the stalls below street level.
  
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''She Stoops to Conquer'' was initially titled ''Mistakes of a Night''
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'''Duke of York’s Theatre''' (St. Martin’s Lane) opened in 1892 as the Trafalgar Square Theatre, and was renamed the Trafalgar Theatre in 1894. The following year, it became the Duke of York's to honour the future King George V.
  
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''Six Degrees of Separation'' is a 1990 play by '''John Guare'''. It explores the existential premise that everyone in the world is connected to everyone else in the world by a chain of no more than six acquaintances
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'''Fortune Theatre''' (Russell Street) has hosted the long running play ''The Woman in Black'' since 1989.
  
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''Slag'' – first play by '''David Hare'''
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'''Garrick Theatre''' (Charing Cross Road) is named after the stage actor David Garrick. It opened in 1889.
  
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''Pravda'', ''Plenty'', ''Licking Hitler'', ''The Absence of War'' – David Hare
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'''Gielgud Theatre''' (Shaftesbury Avenue) was designed by W.P.R. Sprague and opened in 1906 as the Hicks Theatre. In 1909 it was renamed the Globe Theatre. In 1994 the theatre was renamed the Gielgud Theatre in honour of John Gielgud.
  
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''The Judas Kiss'' – David Hare. Concerns Oscar Wilde’s scandal
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'''Gillian Lynne Theatre''' (Drury Lane) was formerly the New London Theatre. In 2018, the theatre was officially renamed in honour of Gillian Lynne. It is the first theatre in the West End of London to be named after a non-royal woman. The theatre was home to the musical ''Cats'' from 1981 to 2002.
  
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''Skylight'' – David Hare
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'''Harold Pinter Theatre''' (Panton Street) was known as the Comedy Theatre until 2011.
  
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''Stuff Happens'' is a play by David Hare, written in response to the Iraq War. The title is inspired by Donald Rumsfeld's response to widespread looting in Baghdad
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'''Her Majesty’s Theatre''' (Haymarket) was established by architect and playwright John Vanbrugh, in 1705, as the Queen's Theatre. The name of the theatre changes with the gender of the monarch. The present building was constructed in 1897 for actor-manager Herbert Beerbohm Tree. ''The Phantom of the Opera'' has been playing at the theatre since 1986.
  
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''Billy Elliot, The Pitmen Painters'' – plays by '''Lee Hall'''
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'''London Palladium''' (Argyll Street) was built in 1910, and was redesigned by Frank Matcham. Between 1955 and 1969 ''Sunday Night at the London Palladium'' was held at the venue.
  
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''Cooking with Elvis'' is dark comedy by Lee Hall
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'''Lyceum Theatre''' (Wellington Street) served as the English Opera House from 1816 to 1830. Since 1999, the theatre has hosted ''The Lion King''.
  
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''Rope'' – play by '''Patrick Hamilton'''
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'''Lyric Theatre''' (Shaftesbury Avenue) opened in 1888. It is the oldest surviving theatre in Shaftesbury Avenue.
  
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''The Dresser'' – '''Ronald Harwood'''  
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'''Noel Coward Theatre''' (St. Martin’s Lane) opened in 1903 as The New Theatre. In 1973 it was renamed the Albury Theatre, and in 2006 it became the Noel Coward Theatre.
  
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''Tom & Viv'' is a play by British playwright, '''Michael Hastings''', which tells the story of the relationship between the American poet, T. S. Eliot, and his first wife, Vivienne Haigh-Wood Eliot
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'''Novello Theatre''' (Aldwych) was opened as the Waldorf Theatre in 1905, and was known as the Strand Theatre between 1913 and 2005. Renamed in honour of Ivor Novello, who lived in a flat above the theatre from 1913 to 1951. Since 2012, the theatre has hosted ''Mamma Mia!''
  
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''The Little Foxes'', ''The Children’s Hour'' – '''Lillian Hellman'''
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'''Palace Theatre''' (Shaftesbury Avenue) opened as the Royal English Opera House. Richard D'Oyly Carte, producer of the Gilbert and Sullivan operas, commissioned the theatre in the late 1880s. Since 2016, the theatre has hosted ''Harry Potter and the Cursed Child''.
  
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''The Fifth Column'' – only full-length play by '''Ernest Hemingway'''
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'''Phoenix Theatre''' (Charing Cross Road) has hosted ''Come from Away'' since 2019.
  
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''The Woman in Black'' – play based on a '''Susan Hill''' novel
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'''Piccadilly Theatre''' (Denman Street) opened in 1928.
  
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''Ghosts'', ''Hedda Gabler'' – '''Henrik Ibsen''' (1828 – 1906)
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'''Playhouse Theatre''' (Craven Street) was built as the Royal Avenue Theatre and opened in 1882.
  
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''A Doll’s House'' – Ibsen. Nora Helmer is the tragic heroine
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'''Prince Edward Theatre''' (Old Compton Street) opened in 1930. Named after Prince Edward (at the time Prince of Wales, briefly Edward VIII and later Duke of Windsor).
  
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''Catalina'' – first work by Ibsen
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'''Prince of Wales Theatre''' (Coventry Street) was established in 1884 and rebuilt in 1937. Named for the future Edward VII. Since 2013, the theatre has hosted ''The Book of Mormon''.
  
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''The Wild Duck'', ''The'' ''Master Builder'' – Ibsen
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'''Savoy Theatre''' (Strand) opened in 1881 and was built by Richard D'Oyly Carte as a showcase for the comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan, which became known as the Savoy operas as a result. The theatre was the first public building in the world to be lit entirely by electricity. While the theatre was being renovated in 1990, a fire gutted the building. It was reopened in 1993.
  
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''An Enemy of the People'' – play by Ibsen
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'''Shaftesbury Theatre''' (Shaftesbury Avenue) opened in 1911 as the New Prince’s Theatre. it was the last theatre to be built in Shaftesbury Avenue.
  
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''Peer Gynt'' – Ibsen. His sweetheart is Solveig
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'''Sondheim Theatre''' (Shaftesbury Avenue) was designed by W.P.R. Sprague and was built as a twin to the neighbouring Hicks Theatre (now the Gielgud Theatre). Known as the Queen’s Theatre from 1907 to 2019, when it was renamed in honour of Stephen Sondheim. Since 2004, the theatre has hosted ''Les Miserables''.
  
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''The Alchemist'' – '''Ben Jonson''' (1572 – 1637). Follows three confidence tricksters
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'''St Martin's Theatre''' (West Street) has staged the production of ''The Mousetrap'' since 1974, making it the longest continuous run of any show in the world.
  
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''Volpone'', or ''The Fox'', is a black comedy by Ben Jonson first produced in 1606. A merciless satire of greed and lust, it remains Jonson's most-performed play, and it is among the finest Jacobean comedies
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'''Theatre Royal, Drury Lane''' (Catherine Street) is the most recent in a line of four theatres dating back to 1663, making it the oldest theatre site in London still in use.
  
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''Bartholomew Fair'', ''A Tale of a Tub'' – Ben Jonson
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'''Trafalgar Theatre''' (Whitehall) was built in 1930 with interiors in the Art Deco style as the Whitehall Theatre; it regularly staged comedies and revues. It was converted into a television and radio studio in the 1990s, before returning to theatrical use in 2004 as Trafalgar Studios. In May 2020, planning permission was granted to return the premises to a 630-seat theatre, and the theatre reopened in July 2021 as the Trafalgar Theatre, the new home of the musical ''Jersey Boys''.
  
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''Every Man in his Humour'' – Ben Johnson
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'''Vaudeville Theatre''' (Strand) held mostly vaudeville shows and musical revues in its early days. It opened in 1870 and was rebuilt twice.
  
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''Exiles'' – '''James Joyce'''’s only play
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'''Victoria Palace Theatre''' (Victoria Street) was designed by Frank Matcham and opened in 1911. Since 2017, the theatre has hosted ''Hamilton''.
  
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''Blasted'', ''Cleansed'', ''4.48 Psychosis'' – '''Sarah Kane'''
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'''Wyndham’s Theatre''' (St. Martin’s Court) was opened by actor and theatre proprietor Charles Wyndham in 1899.
  
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''Chimerica'' is a play by the British dramatist '''Lucy Kirkwood'''. It draws its title from the term Chimerica, referring to the predominance of China and America in modern geopolitics
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Longest-running shows (as of 21 November 2023)
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{| class="wikitable"
 +
|Title
 +
|Performances
 +
|Currently running at
 +
|-
 +
|''The Mousetrap''
 +
|28,735
 +
|St. Martin’s Theatre
 +
|-
 +
|''Les Miserables''
 +
|15,000
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|Sondheim Theatre
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|-
 +
|''The Phantom of the Opera''
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|14,255
 +
|Her Majesty’s Theatre
 +
|-
 +
|''The Woman in Black''
 +
|13,232
 +
|Closed in 2023
 +
|-
 +
|''Blood Brothers''
 +
|10,013
 +
|Closed in 2012
 +
|}
  
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''Up the Junction'' – '''Ken Loach'''
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== Outside the West End ==
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'''Almeida Theatre''' is located off Upper Street, in Islington. Opened in 1980.
  
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''Blood Wedding'', ''The House of Bernarda Alba'' – plays by '''Federico Garcia Lorca'''
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'''Ashcroft Theatre''' is located within the Fairfield Halls, Croydon. The theatre was named after Croydon-born Dame Peggy Ashcroft.
  
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'''Maurice Maeterlinck''' (1862 – 1949) was a Belgian poet (born in Ghent), playwright, and essayist writing in French. The main themes in his work are death and the meaning of life
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'''Barbican Theatre''' is part of the Barbican Centre. Designed exclusively by and for the Royal Shakespeare Company.
  
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''Pelleas and Melisande'' is a Symbolist play by Maurice Maeterlinck about the forbidden, doomed love of the title characters. It was first performed in 1893
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'''Donmar Warehouse''' is a small not-for-profit theatre in Covent Garden. Theatrical producer Donald Albery formed the Donmar company in 1953. The Donmar became an independent producing house in 1992 with Sam Mendes as artistic director.
  
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''The Blue Bird'' – Maurice Maeterlinck
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'''Gate Theatre''' is above the Prince Albert pub in Notting Hill. It has 75 seats.
  
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''Glengarry Glen Ross'' a 1984 Pulitzer Prize and Tony-winning play by '''David Mamet'''. A group of Chicago real-estate salesmen try to sell worthless Florida swampland
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'''Hackney Empire''' was built as a music hall in 1901, designed by the architect Frank Matcham.  
  
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''Speed-the-Plow'' – David Mamet satire about Hollywood
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'''Kiln Theatre''' (formerly the '''Tricycle Theatre''') opened on the Kilburn High Road in 1980. The theatre presents a wide range of plays reflecting the cultural diversity of the area. The name was changed from the Tricycle Theatre to Kiln Theatre in 2018.
  
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''Tamburlaine the Great'', ''The Jew of Malta'' – '''Christopher Marlowe''' (1564 – 1593)
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'''Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith''' was originally a music hall established in 1888.
  
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''The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus'' – Christopher Marlowe. Includes the line “the face that launched a thousand ships”. Helen of Troy, Lucifer and the Pope all appear. Published in 1604. ''Faust'' enters a pact with the devil, pledging his soul in exchange for earthly power and knowledge and ''24 years'' of service
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'''Menier Chocolate Factory''' is located in a former 1870s Menier Chocolate Company factory in Southwark Street.
  
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''Dido, Queen of Carthage'' – first play by Christopher Marlowe
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'''The Old Vic''' is a not-for-profit theatre located on The Cut, near the South Bank. It was founded in 1818 by the actor William Barrymore as the Royal Coburg Theatre. In 1833 it was renamed the Royal Victorian Theatre after the heir to the throne Princess Victoria. In 1880, under the ownership of Emma Cons, it became The Royal Victoria Hall and Coffee Tavern. Kevin Spacey was artistic director from 2003 to 2015. Matthew Warchus has been artistic director since 2015,
  
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''Edward II'', ''The Massacre at Paris'' – Christopher Marlowe
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'''Royal Court Theatre''' is located in Sloane Square. In 1956 it was acquired by and remains the home of the English Stage Company and is notable for its contributions to contemporary theatre.
  
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''The Factory Girls'' – '''Frank McGuinness'''
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'''The Royal National Theatre''' (generally known as the National Theatre) is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company. From its foundation in 1963 until 1976, the company was based at the Old Vic theatre in Waterloo. Located on the South Bank, it is an example of brutalist architecture and was designed by architects Sir Denys Lasdun and Peter Softley. It contains three stages, which opened individually between 1976 and 1977 –
  
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''Borstal Boy'' is a play adapted by '''Frank McMahon''' from the 1958 autobiographical novel of Irish nationalist Brendan Behan of the same title
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'''Olivier Theatre''' – is named after Laurence Olivier. Main auditorium, modelled on the ancient Greek theatre at Epidaurus
  
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''The Crucible'' – '''Arthur Miller''' (1915 – 2005), inspired by McCarthy witch hunts
+
'''Lyttleton Theatre''' – is named after Oliver Lyttelton, the National Theatre's first board chairman
  
−
Willy Loman – title character in ''Death of a Salesman''
+
'''Dorfman Theatre''' – is named after Lloyd Dorfman (philanthropist and chairman of Travelex Group. It was formerly known as the Cottesloe Theatre (named after Lord Cottesloe, Chairman of the South Bank Theatre Board).
  
−
''A View from the Bridge'', ''All My Sons'' – Arthur Miller
+
Artistic directors of the National Theatre – Laurence Olivier (1963–1973), Peter Hall (1973–1988), Richard Eyre (1988–1997), Trevor Nunn (1997–2003), Nicholas Hytner (2003–2015), Rufus Norris (2015–)
  
−
''After the Fall'' is a deeply personal view of Arthur Miller's own experiences during his marriage to Marilyn Monroe (1956–1961)
+
'''Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre''' was established in 1932. The theatre’s annual 18-week season is attended by over 140,000 people each year.
  
−
''Resurrection Blues'' – Arthur Miller
+
'''Sadler's Wells Theatre''' is located in Clerkenwell. The present-day theatre is the most recent of six theatres that have existed on the same site since 1683. Richard Sadler opened a ‘Musick House’ and the name Sadler's Wells originates from his name and the rediscovery of monastic springs on his property. Sadler's Wells is today renowned as one of the world's leading dance venues.
  
−
''Le Malade Imaginaire'' (1673), ''Le Misanthrope'' (1666) – '''Moliere''' (1622 – 1673), born Jean-Baptiste Poquelin
+
'''Shakespeare's Globe''' is a reconstruction of the Globe Theatre, on the South Bank. The original Globe Theatre was built in 1599 by the playing company to which Shakespeare belonged, using timber from an earlier theatre, The Theatre, that had been built by Richard Burbage's father, James Burbage, in Shoreditch in 1576. It was destroyed by fire in 1613 during a performance of ''Henry VIII''. A theatrical cannon, set off during the performance, misfired, igniting the wooden beams and thatching.
  
−
''Dom Juan'' is French play based on the tale of Don Juan, by Moliere. It is the last part in Moliere's trilogy of hypocrisy, after ''The School for Wives'' and ''Tartuffe'' (the hypocrite). It was first performed in 1665
+
At the instigation of Sam Wanamaker, a new Globe theatre was built according to an Elizabethan plan. The structural design was carried out by Buro Happold. It opened in 1997 and now stages plays every summer. The site also includes the '''Sam Wanamaker Playhouse''', an indoor theatre which opened in 2014. Mark Rylance was appointed as the first artistic director of the modern Globe in 1995.
  
−
''The Bourgeois Gentleman'' – Moliere. The music was composed by Jean-Baptiste Lully
+
'''Theatre Royal Stratford East''' is the home of the Theatre Workshop company, famously associated with Joan Littlewood
  
−
Moliere had his own troupe of actors
+
'''Young Vic Theatre''' is located on The Cut, near the South Bank. Opened in 1970. The theatre performs both new writing and classic plays, the latter often in innovative productions.
  
−
''Privates on Parade'' – farce by '''Peter Nichols'''
+
== Broadway ==
 +
There are 41 professional theatres, each with 500 or more seats, located in the Theater District and the Lincoln Center along Broadway, in Midtown Manhattan. Smaller theaters are referred to as off-Broadway (regardless of location), while very small venues (less than 100) are called off-off-Broadway. Most Broadway shows are musicals. The majority of Broadway theatres are owned or managed by three organizations: the Shubert Organization, which owns seventeen theatres; the Nederlander Organization, which controls nine theatres; and Jujamcyn, which owns five Broadway houses. Gershwin Theatre has the largest seating capacity of any Broadway theatre, with 1,933 seats.
  
−
''A Day in the Death of Joe Egg'' – Peter Nichols
+
The ''Ziegfeld Follies'' were a series of elaborate theatrical productions on Broadway from 1907 through 1931. It became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as ''The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air''. Inspired by the Folies Bergeres of Paris, the Ziegfeld Follies were conceived and mounted by Florenz Ziegfeld, reportedly at the suggestion of his then-wife, the entertainer Anna Held.
  
−
''The Shadow of a Gunman'' is a 1923 play by '''Sean O'Casey''' (1880 – 1964). It centres on the mistaken identity of a building tenant who is thought to be an IRA assassin. It is the first in O'Casey's ‘Dublin Trilogy’ – the other two being ''Juno and the Paycock'' (1924) and ''The Plough and the Stars'' (1926)
+
Longest-running shows (as of 14 January 2024)
−
 
+
{| class="wikitable"
−
''A Moon for the Misbegotten'' – '''Eugene O’Neill''' (1888 – 1953)
+
|Title
−
 
+
|Performances
−
''The Emperor Jones'' by Eugene O’Neill is about an African-American killer who escapes from prison to a Caribbean island where he sets himself up as emperor
+
|Currently running at
−
 
+
|-
−
Theodore Hickman – title character in ''The Iceman Cometh''
+
|''The Phantom of the Opera''
−
 
+
|13,981
−
''Mourning Becomes Electra'' – Eugene O’Neill. The story is a retelling of the ''Oresteia'' by Aeschylus
+
|Closed in 2023
−
 
+
|-
−
''Long Day’s Journey into Night'' – Eugene O’Neill, follows a turbulent day in the life of the Tyrone family in a Connecticut summer house in 1912
+
|''Chicago''
−
 
+
|10,649
−
''Loot'' – '''Joe Orton''' (1933 – 1967). The play is an extremely dark farce which satirizes the Roman Catholic Church, social attitudes to death, and the integrity of the police force
+
|Ambassador Theatre
−
 
+
|-
−
''What the Butler Saw'', ''Entertaining Mr Sloane'' – Joe Orton
+
|''The Lion King''
−
 
+
|10.268
−
Joe Orton was murdered by Kenneth Halliwell
+
|Minskoff Theatre
−
 
+
|-
−
''Look Back in Anger'' – '''John Osborne''' (1929 – 1994). Main character is Jimmy Porter
+
|''Wicked''
−
 
+
|7,807
−
''Inadmissible Evidence'', ''A Patriot for me'', ''Deva Vu'' – John Osborne plays
+
|Gershwin Theatre
−
 
+
|-
−
''The Entertainer'' – John Osborne. Central character is Archie Rice
+
|''Cats''
−
 
+
|7,485
−
'''Harold Pinter''' (1930 – 2008) was famous for his ‘Pinter pause’ which presents a subtly elliptical dialogue; often the primary things characters should address is replaced by ellipsis or dashes
+
|Closed in 2000
−
 
+
|}
−
''The Dumb Waiter'' – Harold Pinter. Two hit-men, Ben and Gus, are waiting in a basement room for their assignment
 
−
 
 
−
''The Homecoming'' – Harold Pinter. Play about the disruption caused to an all-male household when a long-absent son brings his glamorous wife home to meet the family
 
−
 
 
−
''The Hothouse'' – Harold Pinter
 
−
 
 
−
''Betrayal'' – Harold Pinter. Based on his affair with Joan Bakewell. Charts a love triangle in reverse
 
−
 
 
−
Davies is a tramp in ''The Caretaker'', by Harold Pinter
 
−
 
 
−
''Old Times'' – Harold Pinter
 
−
 
 
−
Harold Pinter wrote the screenplay for ''The French Lieutenant’s Woman'', ''The Servant'', ''The Go-Between'', and ''The Last Tycoon''
 
−
 
 
−
''Blue Remembered Hills'', ''Brimstone and Treacle'' – '''Dennis Potter''' (1935 – 1995)
 
−
 
 
−
''Lipstick on Your Collar'' – Dennis Potter
 
−
 
 
−
''Enron'' – play by '''Lucy Prebble'''
 
−
 
 
−
''An Inspector Calls'', ''I Have Been Here Before'' – '''JB Priestley'''
 
−
 
 
−
''An Inspector Calls'' takes place on a single night in 1912, focusing on the prosperous middle-class Birling family, who are visited by a man calling himself Inspector Goole
 
−
 
 
−
''Kiss of the Spider Woman'' – '''Manuel Puig''' play about two very different men who share a cell in a South American jail. Manuel Puig was born in Argentina
 
−
 
 
−
'''Jean Racine''' (1639 – 1699) was a French dramatist, one of the ‘big three’ of 17th century France, along with Moliere and Corneille
 
−
 
 
−
''Phaedra'', ''Berenice'' – Jean Racine
 
−
 
 
−
''Britannicus'' – Jean Racine
 
−
 
 
−
''French Without Tears, Flare Path'', ''Cause Célèbre'' – '''Terence Rattigan''' (1911 – 1977)
 
−
 
 
−
''The Winslow Boy'' (1946), ''The Browning Version'' (1948), ''The Deep Blue Sea'' (1952) and ''Separate Tables'' (1954) – plays by Terence Rattigan
 
−
 
 
−
''The Winslow Boy'' is based on a father's fight to clear his son's name after the boy is expelled from Osborne Naval College for stealing a five-shilling postal order
 
−
 
 
−
''The Cut'' – play by '''Mark Ravenhill'''
 
−
 
 
−
''Shopping and Fucking'' – Mark Ravenhill
 
−
 
 
−
''Cyrano de Bergerac'' – play by '''Edmond Rostand'''. Concentrates on Cyrano's love for the beautiful Roxane
 
−
 
 
−
Bergerac wrote proto-science fiction novels in the 17th century. Bergerac is a market town in the Dordogne
 
−
 
 
−
''In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play)'' – '''Sarah Ruhl'''
 
−
 
 
−
''Educating Rita'', ''Blood Brothers'', ''John, Paul, George, Ringo … and Bert'', ''Shirley Valentine'' – written by '''Willy Russell'''
 
−
 
 
−
''Mary Stuart'' is a play by '''Friedrich Schiller''' that depicts the last days of Mary, Queen of Scots
 
−
 
 
−
''Equus'' – '''Peter Shaffer'''. Stable lad is Alan Strang
 
−
 
 
−
''The Royal Hunt of the Sun'' is a 1964 theatre piece by Peter Shaffer that dramatizes the relation of two worlds entering in a conflict by portraying two characters: Atahuallpa Inca and Francisco Pizarro
 
−
 
 
−
''Amadeus'' – Peter Shaffer
 
−
 
 
−
''Major Barbara'' – '''George Bernard Shaw''' (1856 – 1950). Major in the Salvation Army, based at a shelter in West Ham
 
−
 
 
−
''Pygmalion'' was first performed in Vienna. The part of Eliza Doolittle was written for Mrs Patrick Campbell
 
−
 
 
−
''Dark Lady of the Sonnets'' – George Bernard Shaw
 
−
 
 
−
''The Doctor’s Dilemma'' – George Bernard Shaw
 
−
 
 
−
''The Apple Cart'' – George Bernard Shaw
 
−
 
 
−
''Intelligent Women’s Guide to Socialism'' – George Bernard Shaw. First Pelican book, 1937
 
−
 
 
−
George Bernard Shaw's ''Saint Joan'' was written with Sybil Thorndike in mind
 
−
 
 
−
''Mrs Warren’s Profession'' – George Bernard Shaw. Mrs. Warren was a brothel-keeper
 
−
 
 
−
''John Bull’s Other Island'' – George Bernard Shaw
 
−
 
 
−
''Back to Methuselah'' – George Bernard Shaw
 
−
 
 
−
Shaw is the only person to have been awarded both a Nobel Prize in Literature (1925) and an Academy Award (1938), for his contributions to literature and for his work on the film ''Pygmalion''
 
−
 
 
−
''The Rivals'', ''The School for Scandal'' – '''Richard Sheridan''' (1751 – 1816)
 
−
 
 
−
Anthony Absolute and Lydia Languish are characters in ''The Rivals''. Mrs. Malaprop is Lydia’s guardian
 
−
 
 
−
''The Critic'' – Sheridan
 
−
 
 
−
''Barefoot in the Park'', ''The Odd Couple'', the ''Eugene trilogy'' (comprised of ''Brighton Beach Memoirs'', ''Biloxi Blues'', and ''Broadway Bound''), ''Sweet Charity'', ''Promises'', ''The'' ''Out-of-Towners'', ''Murder by Death'', ''The Goodbye Girl'' – '''Neil Simon''' (born 1927)
 
−
 
 
−
''A Few Good Men'' – '''Aaron Sorkin'''
 
−
 
 
−
'''Tom Stoppard''' (born 1937) is an Academy Award winning British playwright. Born in Czechoslovakia as as Tomáš Straussler, he is famous for plays such as ''The Coast of Utopia'', ''The Real Thing'' and ''Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead'', and also for co-writing screenplays for ''Brazil'' and ''Shakespeare in Love''
 
−
 
 
−
''Jumpers'' – Tom Stoppard. Explores and satirizes the field of academic philosophy
 
−
 
 
−
''The Invention of Love'' – Tom Stoppard. About AE Housman
 
−
 
 
−
''Rock ‘n’ Roll'' – Tom Stoppard. The play is concerned with the significance of rock and roll in the emergence of the socialist movement in Eastern Bloc Czechoslovakia between the Prague Spring of 1968 and the Velvet Revolution of 1989. The underground Czech group The Plastic People of the Universe are held up as an ideal of resistance to Communism
 
−
 
 
−
''Arcadia'' is a 1993 play by Tom Stoppard concerning the relationship between past and present and between order and disorder and the certainty of knowledge
 
−
 
 
−
''The Father'', ''Miss Julie'', ''To Damascus'', ''A Dream Play'', ''The Ghost Sonata'' – '''August Stringberg''' (1849 – 1912)
 
−
 
 
−
'''John Millington Synge''' is best known for the play ''The Playboy of the Western World'', which caused riots in Dublin during its opening run at the Abbey theatre
 
−
 
 
−
''Riders to the Sea'' – John Millington Synge. Composer Ralph Vaughan Williams made an almost verbatim setting of the play as an opera using the same title
 
−
 
 
−
Lord Dundreary is a character of the 1858 British play ''Our American Cousin'' by '''Tom Taylor'''. Gave his name to the form of exaggeratedly bushy sideburns called dundreary whiskers
 
−
 
 
−
''Charley’s Aunt'' – a farce in three acts written by '''Brandon Thomas'''. It broke all historic records for plays of any kind, with an original London run of 1466 performances
 
−
 
 
−
''Under Milk Wood'' is a 1954 play for BBC radio by '''Dylan Thomas''', later adapted for the stage. Set in the fictional small Welsh fishing village Llareggub
 
−
 
 
−
“To begin at the beginning” – opening line of ''Under Milk Wood''
 
−
 
 
−
''Ralph Roister Doister'' is a comic play by '''Nicholas Udall''', generally regarded as the first comedy to be written in the English language, c. 1553
 
−
 
 
−
''Jeffrey Bernard is Unwell'' – '''Keith Waterhouse'''
 
−
 
 
−
''The Duchess of Malfi'' is a macabre, tragic play, written by the English dramatist '''John Webster''' (c. 1580 – c. 1634) and first performed in 1614 at the Globe Theatre in London, and published for the first time in 1623
 
−
 
 
−
''The Kitchen Sink'', ''Jumpers for Goalposts'' – plays by '''Tom Wells'''
 
−
 
 
−
''Chicken Soup with Barley'', ''Roots'', ''The Kitchen'', ''The Friends'' – plays by '''Arnold Wesker'''
 
−
 
 
−
Lady Bracknell is Algernon’s aunt in ''The Importance of Being Earnest'', ''A Trivial Comedy for Serious People'' – '''Oscar Wilde'''
 
−
 
 
−
Lady Bracknell liked cucumber sandwiches. Jack Worthing’s real name is Ernest
 
−
 
 
−
Bunbury – imaginary friend of Algernon in ''The Importance of Being Earnest''
 
−
 
 
−
''A Woman of no Importance'' – Oscar Wilde. Chief character is Mrs Arbuthnot
 
−
 
 
−
''Lady Windermere’s Fan'' is subtitled ''A Play about a Good Woman''
 
−
 
 
−
''Salome'' – Oscar Wilde. Originally written in French. Illustrated by Aubrey Beardsley
 
−
 
 
−
''Our Town'' – play by '''Thornton Wilder''', set in the fictional community of Grover's Corners, modeled on several New Hampshire towns
 
−
 
 
−
''The Skin of Our Teeth'' – Thornton Wilder
 
−
 
 
−
''A Streetcar Named Desire'' – '''Tennessee Williams''' (1911 – 1983). Desire is a district of New Orleans
 
−
 
 
−
''The Glass Menagerie'' – Tennessee Williams. Set in 1930s St Louis. About a mother’s obsessive efforts to marry off her daughter
 
−
 
 
−
''Cat on a Hot Tin Roof'' is the story of a Southern family in crisis, focusing on the turbulent relationship of a husband and wife, Brick and Maggie (‘The Cat’) Pollitt
 
−
 
 
−
''The Night of the Iguana'' – Tennessee Williams. Main character is the Reverend T. Lawrence Shannon
 
−
 
 
−
''The Rose Tattoo'', Tennessee Williams. Set in a Sicilian immigrant community in New Orleans
 
−
 
 
−
''Moon for the Misbegotten'', ''Orpheus Descending'' – Tennessee Williams
 
−
 
 
−
''Summer and Smoke'' – Tennessee Williams
 
−
 
 
−
'''William Wycherley''' was an English dramatist of the Restoration period, best known for the plays ''The Country Wife'' and ''The Plain Dealer''
 
−
 
 
−
 
 
−
London theatres
 
−
 
 
−
Richard Sadler opened a ‘Musick House’ in 1683 and the name Sadler's Wells originates from his name and the rediscovery of monastic springs on his property
 
−
 
 
−
Sadler's Wells Theatre is a major performing arts venue located in Rosebery Avenue, Clerkenwell in the London Borough of Islington. The present day theatre is the most recent of six theatres that have existed on the same site since 1683
 
−
 
 
−
Aldwych Theatre was built as a pair with the Waldorf Theatre (now called the Novello Theatre), both being designed by W.G.R. Sprague. It opened in 1905
 
−
 
 
−
Prince of Wales Theatre is on Coventry Street. It was established in 1884 and rebuilt in 1937
 
−
 
 
−
National Theatre – Olivier, Littleton and Cottesloe (to be renamed the Dorfman Theatre)
 
−
 
 
−
The Royal National Theatre (generally known as the National Theatre) in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company. From its foundation in 1963 until 1976, the company was based at the Old Vic theatre in Waterloo
 
−
 
 
−
National Theatre was designed by architects Sir Denys Lasdun and Peter Softley and contains three stages, which opened individually between 1976 and 1977
 
−
 
 
−
Artistic directors of the National Theatre – Laurence Olivier (1963–1973), Peter Hall (1973–1988), Richard Eyre (1988–1997), Trevor Nunn (1997–2003), Nicholas Hytner (2003–2015), Rufus Norris (2015–)<sup>[</sup>
 
−
 
 
−
In 1963, Kenneth Tynan was appointed as the new National Theatre Company's literary manager
 
−
 
 
−
Old Vic – founded in 1818 by the actor William Barrymore as the Royal Coburg Theatre. In 1833 it was renamed the Royal Victorian Theatre after the heir to the throne Princess Victoria. In 1880, under the ownership of Emma Cons, it became The Royal Victoria Hall And Coffee Tavern
 
−
 
 
−
The original Globe Theatre was built in 1599 by the playing company to which Shakespeare belonged, using timber from an earlier theatre, The Theatre, that had been built by Richard Burbage's father, James Burbage, in Shoreditch in 1576. It was destroyed by fire in 1613 during a performance of ''Henry the Eighth''. A theatrical cannon, set off during the performance, misfired, igniting the wooden beams and thatching.
 
−
 
 
−
At the instigation of Sam Wanamaker, a new Globe theatre was built according to an Elizabethan plan. The structural design was carried out by Buro Happold with Pentagram as the architects. It opened in 1997 under the name ‘Shakespeare's Globe Theatre’ and now stages plays every summer. Mark Rylance was appointed as the first artistic director of the modern Globe in 1995. Dominic Dromgoole took over in 2006
 
−
 
 
−
At the Globe Theatre, members of the general public who paid 1 penny apiece to watch the play while standing in the yard or ‘pit’ were sometimes referred to as ‘stinkards’
 
−
 
 
−
Different coloured flags were used to advertise the themes of plays which were to be performed at the Globe Theatre. A black flag indicated a tragedy, a white flag indicated a comedy and a red flag indicated a History
 
−
 
 
−
Vaudeville theatre – on The Strand
 
−
 
 
−
Young Vic theatre opened in 1970
 
−
 
 
−
Alelphi Theatre – founded in 1806 as the Sans Pareil (‘Without Compare’), by merchant John Scott. In 1819 it was reopened under its present name, which was adopted from the Adelphi Buildings opposite, on the Strand
 
−
 
 
−
Coliseum Theatre (also known as the London Coliseum) is on St. Martin's Lane. It opened in 1904, designed by theatrical architect Frank Matcham (designer of the London Palladium), for impresario Oswald Stoll
 
−
 
 
−
Donmar Warehouse is a small not-for-profit theatre in Covent Garden. Theatrical producer Donald Albery formed the Donmar company in 1953. The Donmar became an independent producing house in 1992 with Sam Mendes as artistic director
 
−
 
 
−
Tricycle Theatre is located on Kilburn High Road. During the last 30 years, the Tricycle has been presenting plays reflecting the cultural diversity of its community, as well as political work
 
−
 
 
−
Almeida Theatre is located, off Upper Street, in Islington
 
−
 
 
−
Blackfriars Theatre was the name given to two separate theatres located in the former Blackfriars Dominican priory in the City of London during the Renaissance. The second Blackfriars was an indoor theatre built at the instigation of James Burbage, father of Prince of Wales Theatre in Coventry Street was extensively refurbished in 2004 by Cameron Mackintosh, its current owner
 
−
 
 
−
 
 
−
Regional theatres
 
−
 
 
−
Bristol Old Vic theatre complex includes the 1766 Theatre Royal, which claims to be the oldest continually-operating theatre in England
 
−
 
 
−
Swan Theatre – in Stratford-upon-Avon
 
−
 
 
−
Steven Joseph theatre – Scarborough, was the first theatre in the round in Britain
 
−
 
 
−
Minack Theatre is an open-air theatre, constructed above a gully with a rocky granite outcrop jutting into the sea. The theatre is located near Porthcurno, four miles from Land's End. The theatre was the brainchild of Rowena Cade
 
−
 
 
−
Thorndike theatre – Leatherhead
 
−
 
 
−
Annie Horniman established the Abbey Theatre in Dublin and founded the first regional repertory theatre company in Britain at the Gaiety Theatre in Manchester
 
−
 
 
−
Abbey Theatre was founded by Lady Gregory, Edward Martyn and W.B.Yeats in 1899
 
−
 
 
−
Apollo Theatre in New York is the most famous club associated almost exclusively with black performers
 
−
 
 
−
 
 
−
The original ''The'' ''Mousetrap'' was a 30-minute radio play by Agatha Christie, ''Three Blind Mice'', presented by the BBC in honor of the late Queen Mary's (consort of George V) 80th birthday, in 1947
 
−
 
 
−
''The Mousetrap'' – started at Ambassadors Theatre in 1952, now at St. Martin’s
 
−
 
 
−
Monkswell Manor guest house – setting for ''The Mousetrap''
 
−
 
 
−
The original West End cast of ''The Mousetrap'' included Richard Attenborough as Detective Sergeant Trotter and his wife Sheila Sim as Mollie Ralston
 
−
 
 
−
Stephen Fry was appearing in Simon Gray’s ''Cell Mates'' when he disappeared in 1995
 
−
 
 
−
''Beyond the Fringe'' was a British comedy stage revue written and performed by Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, Alan Bennett and Jonathan Miller. It played in Britain's West End and on New York's Broadway in the early 1960s
 
−
 
 
−
The ''Ziegfeld Follies'' were a series of elaborate theatrical productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 through 1931. It became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as ''The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air''. Inspired by the Folies Bergeres of Paris, the Ziegfeld Follies were conceived and mounted by Florenz Ziegfeld, reportedly at the suggestion of his then-wife, the entertainer Anna Held
 
−
 
 
−
Spike Milligan appeared in Frank Dunlop's production of the play ''Oblomov''
 
−
 
 
−
''Anyone for Denis?'' – written by John Wells, who plays Denis Thatcher
 
−
 
 
−
''I’ll Say She Is'' – Broadway debut of Marx Brothers
 
−
 
 
−
''Toad of Toad Hall'' – stage version of ''The'' ''Wind in the Willows'', adapted by AA Milne
 
−
 
 
−
Theatre of the Absurd – plays of absurdist fiction, written by a number of playwrights from the late 1940s to the 1960s, as well as the theatre which has evolved from their work
 
−
 
 
−
Playwrights commonly associated with the Theatre of the Absurd include Samuel Beckett, Harold Pinter, Tom Stoppard, and Edward Albee
 
−
 
 
−
Theatre of the Absurd – term coined by Martin Esslin
 
−
 
 
−
Closet drama – a play that is not intended to be performed onstage, but read by a solitary reader or, sometimes, out loud in a small group
 
−
 
 
−
Proscenium theatre – a theatre space whose primary feature is a large archway (the proscenium arch) at or near the front of the stage
 
−
 
 
−
Fourth Wall – originally defined by Denis Diderot as the wall that separates a theatrical performance from the audience. If a character addresses the audience directly, he ‘breaks’ the wall
 
−
 
 
−
George Spelvin, Georgette Spelvin, and Georgina Spelvin are the traditional pseudonyms used in programs in American theatre by actors who don't want to be credited or whose names would otherwise appear twice because they are playing more than one role in a production
 
−
 
 
−
Walter Plinge is used in London theatre when a part has not been cast, an actor is playing two parts or an actor does not want his or her name in the programme
 
−
 
 
−
Tony Awards – named in honour of Antoinette Perry. American theatre awards
 
−
 
 
−
French National Theatre awards – named after Moliere
 

Latest revision as of 11:11, 16 January 2024

Genres

Commedia dell’arte

Commedia dell’arte is an Italian Renaissance form that is best known as a style that features characters wearing half masks. Commedia troupes would perform anywhere an audience could be gathered. The 17th century was the golden era for commedia dell’arte as Italian comics dominated the European stage.

The first documented appearance of a woman on stage was by actress Vincenza Armani in around 1566 but the most famous First Actress was Isabella Andreini, wife of Francesco Andreini of Il Gelosi, first appearing on stage in 1576.

The development of English pantomime was strongly influenced by commedia dell'arte.

Stock characters

Pierrot – is a sad clown with a white face who wears a loose white blouse with large buttons and wide white pantaloons.

Pantalone – is generally an old merchant, often wealthy and esteemed, at other times completely ruined, yet always an old man in every detail, with business skills.

Arlecchino (Harlequin) – is a faithful valet or servant, but in this context he is also the clown. Arlecchino's costume usually comprised a jacket and trousers with colourful and irregular patches, with a white felt hat with a rabbit or fox tail and a belt with a wooden spatula (or 'slap stick').

Colombina – is usually cast as a mischievous maid, a comic but not always virtuous figure, with a best friend (and sometimes lover) of Arlecchino.

Pulcinella – resembles a cockerel. He has a beaked nose and wears a baggy, white outfit.

Il Dottore (The Doctor) – is usually dressed in the traditional style of a medieval doctor, with a huge black suit. He wears a mask over half of his face that highlights his bulbous nose. Il Dottore is a comic personage originally from "well-fed and learned" Bologna.

Il Capitano (The Captain) – wears a military uniform and is usually a vainglorious, deceitful and braggart soldier.

Brighella – is a shrewd servant n the 'Zanni' genre. His costume is that of a servant, but usually with several short green stripes on a white background on both shirt and trousers.

Zanni – is a group of characters but can refer to a specific character. This character was drawn from the lower classes of the time, the peasant or migrant worker who worked in Venetian society as a servant.

Bunraku

Founded in Osaka in the beginning of the 17th century, Bunraku is a traditional Japanese dramatic art form featuring large puppets operated by onstage puppeteers with a narrative that is recited from offstage. The puppets have heads, hands, and feet of wood attached to a bodiless cloth costume.

Kabuki

Kabuki is a form of traditional Japanese drama with highly stylized song, mime, and dance, now performed only by male actors, using exaggerated gestures and body movements to express emotions, and including historical plays, domestic dramas, and dance pieces. Kabuki is thought to have originated in the very early Edo period, when founder Izumo no Okuni formed a female dance troupe in 1603.

Noh

Noh originated in Japan in the 14th century. It is a major form of classical Japanese dance-drama having a heroic theme, a chorus, and highly stylized action, costuming, and scenery. The iconic masks represent the roles such as ghosts, women, deities, and demons.

Theatre of the Absurd

Plays of absurdist fiction, written by several playwrights from the late 1940s to the 1960s, as well as the theatre which has evolved from their work. Term coined by Martin Esslin. Playwrights commonly associated with the Theatre of the Absurd include Samuel Beckett, Harold Pinter, Tom Stoppard, and Edward Albee.

Epic Theatre

A 20th century movement that emphasizes the audience's perspective and reaction to the piece through a variety of techniques that deliberately cause them to individually engage in a different way. The purpose of epic theatre is not to encourage an audience to suspend their disbelief, but rather to force them to see their world as it is. Pioneered by Bertolt Brecht.

Theatre of Cruelty

A form of surrealist theatre originated by Antonin Artaud that emphasises the cruelty of human existence by portraying sadistic acts and intense suffering.

Experimental Theatre

A general term for various movements in Western theatre that began in the late 19th century with Alfred Jarry and his Ubu plays as a rejection of both the age in particular and, in general, the dominant ways of writing and producing plays.

Morality play

A kind of allegorical drama having personified abstract qualities as the main characters and presenting a lesson about good conduct and character, popular in the 15th and early 16th centuries.

Mystery play

A popular medieval play based on biblical stories. The plays were often performed together in cycles which could last for days. Also known as a miracle play.

Shadow puppetry

An ancient form of storytelling which uses flat articulated cut-out figures (shadow puppets) which are held between a source of light and a translucent screen. The most significant historical centres of shadow puppetry theatre have been China, Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent. Also known as shadow play.

Awards

Tony Awards

The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League.

The award was founded in 1947 by a committee of the American Theatre Wing headed by Brock Pemberton. The award is named after Antoinette Perry, nicknamed Tony, an actress, director, producer and co-founder of the American Theatre Wing, who died in 1946.

The 1st Tony Awards was held on 6 April 1947, at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York City.

The trophy consists of a medallion, with faces portraying an adaptation of the comedy and tragedy masks, mounted on a black base with a pewter swivel. Designed by Herman Rosse.

Records

Most awards by a single production – The Producers (2001) with 12 awards

Most nominations by a single production – Hamilton (2016) with 16 nominations

Most awards for an individual – Hal Prince with 21 awards

Laurence Olivier Awards

Also known as the Olivier Awards, they are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre. The awards were originally known as the Society of West End Theatre Awards, but they were renamed in honour of Laurence Olivier in 1984.

The awards were established in 1976.

Records

Most awards ever received by a musical – Matilda (2012) and Hamilton (2018), both with 7 awards

Most awards ever received by a play – Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (2017) with 9 awards

Most competitive awards by an individual – William Dudley (designer), Judi Dench (actress) and Matthew Bourne (choreographer), each with 7 awards

Moliere Award

The Moliere Award is the national theatre award of France.

The awards were established in 1987.

West End theatres

Adelphi Theatre (Strand) was founded in 1806 as the Sans Pareil (‘Without Compare’), by merchant John Scott. In 1819 it was reopened under its present name, which was adopted from the Adelphi Buildings opposite, on the Strand.

Aldwych Theatre (Aldwych) was built as a pair with the Waldorf Theatre (now called the Novello Theatre), both being designed by W.G.R. Sprague. It opened in 1905. Aldwych farces were a series of twelve stage farces presented at the Aldwych Theatre, nearly continuously from 1923 to 1933. Most of the farces were written by Ben Travers.

Ambassadors Theatre (West Street) is a small theatre, seating a maximum of 444 people. The Mousetrap played at the theatre from 1952 to 1974.

Apollo Theatre (Shaftesbury Avenue) opened in 1901. In 2013, part of the auditorium's ornate plasterwork ceiling collapsed during a performance of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, injuring 88 people.

Apollo Victoria Theatre (Wilton Road) opened in 1930 as a cinema and variety theatre. Currently the home of the musical Wicked, which has played at the venue since 2006.

Arts Theatre (Great Newport Street) opened in 1927 as a members-only club.

Cambridge Theatre (Earlham Street) is currently the home of Matilda the Musical, which has played at the venue since 2011.

Criterion Theatre (Jermyn Street) was home to productions of the Reduced Shakespeare Company from 1996 to 2005. Charles Wyndham became the manager and lessee in 1875.

Dominion Theatre (Tottenham Court Road) was home to the musical We Will Rock You, which played at the theatre from 2002 until 2014.

Duchess Theatre (Catherine Street) opened in 1929. The theatre is built with the stalls below street level.

Duke of York’s Theatre (St. Martin’s Lane) opened in 1892 as the Trafalgar Square Theatre, and was renamed the Trafalgar Theatre in 1894. The following year, it became the Duke of York's to honour the future King George V.

Fortune Theatre (Russell Street) has hosted the long running play The Woman in Black since 1989.

Garrick Theatre (Charing Cross Road) is named after the stage actor David Garrick. It opened in 1889.

Gielgud Theatre (Shaftesbury Avenue) was designed by W.P.R. Sprague and opened in 1906 as the Hicks Theatre. In 1909 it was renamed the Globe Theatre. In 1994 the theatre was renamed the Gielgud Theatre in honour of John Gielgud.

Gillian Lynne Theatre (Drury Lane) was formerly the New London Theatre. In 2018, the theatre was officially renamed in honour of Gillian Lynne. It is the first theatre in the West End of London to be named after a non-royal woman. The theatre was home to the musical Cats from 1981 to 2002.

Harold Pinter Theatre (Panton Street) was known as the Comedy Theatre until 2011.

Her Majesty’s Theatre (Haymarket) was established by architect and playwright John Vanbrugh, in 1705, as the Queen's Theatre. The name of the theatre changes with the gender of the monarch. The present building was constructed in 1897 for actor-manager Herbert Beerbohm Tree. The Phantom of the Opera has been playing at the theatre since 1986.

London Palladium (Argyll Street) was built in 1910, and was redesigned by Frank Matcham. Between 1955 and 1969 Sunday Night at the London Palladium was held at the venue.

Lyceum Theatre (Wellington Street) served as the English Opera House from 1816 to 1830. Since 1999, the theatre has hosted The Lion King.

Lyric Theatre (Shaftesbury Avenue) opened in 1888. It is the oldest surviving theatre in Shaftesbury Avenue.

Noel Coward Theatre (St. Martin’s Lane) opened in 1903 as The New Theatre. In 1973 it was renamed the Albury Theatre, and in 2006 it became the Noel Coward Theatre.

Novello Theatre (Aldwych) was opened as the Waldorf Theatre in 1905, and was known as the Strand Theatre between 1913 and 2005. Renamed in honour of Ivor Novello, who lived in a flat above the theatre from 1913 to 1951. Since 2012, the theatre has hosted Mamma Mia!

Palace Theatre (Shaftesbury Avenue) opened as the Royal English Opera House. Richard D'Oyly Carte, producer of the Gilbert and Sullivan operas, commissioned the theatre in the late 1880s. Since 2016, the theatre has hosted Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

Phoenix Theatre (Charing Cross Road) has hosted Come from Away since 2019.

Piccadilly Theatre (Denman Street) opened in 1928.

Playhouse Theatre (Craven Street) was built as the Royal Avenue Theatre and opened in 1882.

Prince Edward Theatre (Old Compton Street) opened in 1930. Named after Prince Edward (at the time Prince of Wales, briefly Edward VIII and later Duke of Windsor).

Prince of Wales Theatre (Coventry Street) was established in 1884 and rebuilt in 1937. Named for the future Edward VII. Since 2013, the theatre has hosted The Book of Mormon.

Savoy Theatre (Strand) opened in 1881 and was built by Richard D'Oyly Carte as a showcase for the comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan, which became known as the Savoy operas as a result. The theatre was the first public building in the world to be lit entirely by electricity. While the theatre was being renovated in 1990, a fire gutted the building. It was reopened in 1993.

Shaftesbury Theatre (Shaftesbury Avenue) opened in 1911 as the New Prince’s Theatre. it was the last theatre to be built in Shaftesbury Avenue.

Sondheim Theatre (Shaftesbury Avenue) was designed by W.P.R. Sprague and was built as a twin to the neighbouring Hicks Theatre (now the Gielgud Theatre). Known as the Queen’s Theatre from 1907 to 2019, when it was renamed in honour of Stephen Sondheim. Since 2004, the theatre has hosted Les Miserables.

St Martin's Theatre (West Street) has staged the production of The Mousetrap since 1974, making it the longest continuous run of any show in the world.

Theatre Royal, Drury Lane (Catherine Street) is the most recent in a line of four theatres dating back to 1663, making it the oldest theatre site in London still in use.

Trafalgar Theatre (Whitehall) was built in 1930 with interiors in the Art Deco style as the Whitehall Theatre; it regularly staged comedies and revues. It was converted into a television and radio studio in the 1990s, before returning to theatrical use in 2004 as Trafalgar Studios. In May 2020, planning permission was granted to return the premises to a 630-seat theatre, and the theatre reopened in July 2021 as the Trafalgar Theatre, the new home of the musical Jersey Boys.

Vaudeville Theatre (Strand) held mostly vaudeville shows and musical revues in its early days. It opened in 1870 and was rebuilt twice.

Victoria Palace Theatre (Victoria Street) was designed by Frank Matcham and opened in 1911. Since 2017, the theatre has hosted Hamilton.

Wyndham’s Theatre (St. Martin’s Court) was opened by actor and theatre proprietor Charles Wyndham in 1899.

Longest-running shows (as of 21 November 2023)

Title Performances Currently running at
The Mousetrap 28,735 St. Martin’s Theatre
Les Miserables 15,000 Sondheim Theatre
The Phantom of the Opera 14,255 Her Majesty’s Theatre
The Woman in Black 13,232 Closed in 2023
Blood Brothers 10,013 Closed in 2012

Outside the West End

Almeida Theatre is located off Upper Street, in Islington. Opened in 1980.

Ashcroft Theatre is located within the Fairfield Halls, Croydon. The theatre was named after Croydon-born Dame Peggy Ashcroft.

Barbican Theatre is part of the Barbican Centre. Designed exclusively by and for the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Donmar Warehouse is a small not-for-profit theatre in Covent Garden. Theatrical producer Donald Albery formed the Donmar company in 1953. The Donmar became an independent producing house in 1992 with Sam Mendes as artistic director.

Gate Theatre is above the Prince Albert pub in Notting Hill. It has 75 seats.

Hackney Empire was built as a music hall in 1901, designed by the architect Frank Matcham.

Kiln Theatre (formerly the Tricycle Theatre) opened on the Kilburn High Road in 1980. The theatre presents a wide range of plays reflecting the cultural diversity of the area. The name was changed from the Tricycle Theatre to Kiln Theatre in 2018.

Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith was originally a music hall established in 1888.

Menier Chocolate Factory is located in a former 1870s Menier Chocolate Company factory in Southwark Street.

The Old Vic is a not-for-profit theatre located on The Cut, near the South Bank. It was founded in 1818 by the actor William Barrymore as the Royal Coburg Theatre. In 1833 it was renamed the Royal Victorian Theatre after the heir to the throne Princess Victoria. In 1880, under the ownership of Emma Cons, it became The Royal Victoria Hall and Coffee Tavern. Kevin Spacey was artistic director from 2003 to 2015. Matthew Warchus has been artistic director since 2015,

Royal Court Theatre is located in Sloane Square. In 1956 it was acquired by and remains the home of the English Stage Company and is notable for its contributions to contemporary theatre.

The Royal National Theatre (generally known as the National Theatre) is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company. From its foundation in 1963 until 1976, the company was based at the Old Vic theatre in Waterloo. Located on the South Bank, it is an example of brutalist architecture and was designed by architects Sir Denys Lasdun and Peter Softley. It contains three stages, which opened individually between 1976 and 1977 –

Olivier Theatre – is named after Laurence Olivier. Main auditorium, modelled on the ancient Greek theatre at Epidaurus

Lyttleton Theatre – is named after Oliver Lyttelton, the National Theatre's first board chairman

Dorfman Theatre – is named after Lloyd Dorfman (philanthropist and chairman of Travelex Group. It was formerly known as the Cottesloe Theatre (named after Lord Cottesloe, Chairman of the South Bank Theatre Board).

Artistic directors of the National Theatre – Laurence Olivier (1963–1973), Peter Hall (1973–1988), Richard Eyre (1988–1997), Trevor Nunn (1997–2003), Nicholas Hytner (2003–2015), Rufus Norris (2015–)

Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre was established in 1932. The theatre’s annual 18-week season is attended by over 140,000 people each year.

Sadler's Wells Theatre is located in Clerkenwell. The present-day theatre is the most recent of six theatres that have existed on the same site since 1683. Richard Sadler opened a ‘Musick House’ and the name Sadler's Wells originates from his name and the rediscovery of monastic springs on his property. Sadler's Wells is today renowned as one of the world's leading dance venues.

Shakespeare's Globe is a reconstruction of the Globe Theatre, on the South Bank. The original Globe Theatre was built in 1599 by the playing company to which Shakespeare belonged, using timber from an earlier theatre, The Theatre, that had been built by Richard Burbage's father, James Burbage, in Shoreditch in 1576. It was destroyed by fire in 1613 during a performance of Henry VIII. A theatrical cannon, set off during the performance, misfired, igniting the wooden beams and thatching.

At the instigation of Sam Wanamaker, a new Globe theatre was built according to an Elizabethan plan. The structural design was carried out by Buro Happold. It opened in 1997 and now stages plays every summer. The site also includes the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, an indoor theatre which opened in 2014. Mark Rylance was appointed as the first artistic director of the modern Globe in 1995.

Theatre Royal Stratford East is the home of the Theatre Workshop company, famously associated with Joan Littlewood

Young Vic Theatre is located on The Cut, near the South Bank. Opened in 1970. The theatre performs both new writing and classic plays, the latter often in innovative productions.

Broadway

There are 41 professional theatres, each with 500 or more seats, located in the Theater District and the Lincoln Center along Broadway, in Midtown Manhattan. Smaller theaters are referred to as off-Broadway (regardless of location), while very small venues (less than 100) are called off-off-Broadway. Most Broadway shows are musicals. The majority of Broadway theatres are owned or managed by three organizations: the Shubert Organization, which owns seventeen theatres; the Nederlander Organization, which controls nine theatres; and Jujamcyn, which owns five Broadway houses. Gershwin Theatre has the largest seating capacity of any Broadway theatre, with 1,933 seats.

The Ziegfeld Follies were a series of elaborate theatrical productions on Broadway from 1907 through 1931. It became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air. Inspired by the Folies Bergeres of Paris, the Ziegfeld Follies were conceived and mounted by Florenz Ziegfeld, reportedly at the suggestion of his then-wife, the entertainer Anna Held.

Longest-running shows (as of 14 January 2024)

Title Performances Currently running at
The Phantom of the Opera 13,981 Closed in 2023
Chicago 10,649 Ambassador Theatre
The Lion King 10.268 Minskoff Theatre
Wicked 7,807 Gershwin Theatre
Cats 7,485 Closed in 2000
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