Theatre Royal Stratford East
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The Theatre Royal Stratford East is a theatre in Straford in the London Borough of Newham, which opened in 1884. Since 1953, it has been the home of the Theatre Workshop company. The theatre was designed by architect James George Buckle,[1] who was commissioned to design the theatre by the Actor/Manager Charles Dillon in 1884. It opened on December 17th 1884 with a performance of Richelieu by Lytton Strachey. The theatre was refurbished in 1902 by Frank Matcham.
In 2005 the Theatre Royal Stratford East made history by having the first British Black musical to transfer to Londons West End, where it played at the Apollo Theatre. Recently the theatre produced a musical version of the cult Jamaican film The Harder They Come. This production was written by the film director Perry Henzel and was one of the most successful productions in the theatre's history.
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[edit] Artistic directors
[edit] Joan Littlewood (1953-1979)
The Theatre Royal became famous under the management of Gerry Raffles (1928-1975), who worked with director Joan Littlewood on such productions as A Taste of Honey and Oh! What a Lovely War. In 1975, her collaborator and partner, Gerry Raffles died of diabetes, and in 1979, a devastated Joan Littlewood moved to France, never to direct again.
[edit] Philip Hedley (1979-2004)
Philip Hedley had worked as an assistant to Joan Littlewood for some years, and took over the artistic directorship on her departure from the theatre. He continued her educational work, and engaged with new Asian and Black audiences, as the local demographic changed. The theatre continued Littlewood's agenda to portray and express the experience of local people in East London.
In 1999, he began the Musical Theatre Initiatives scheme to encourage new writing in musical theatre. In 2004, after 25 years as artistic director, he retired.
[edit] Kerry Michael (2004-continues)
Kerry Michael joined Stratford East in 1997, as an associate director. He became director in September 2004. His manifesto is to bring London's new communities to the stage, and portray their experiences as second and third generation emigrants.[1]
[edit] Bibliography
- Coren, Michael - Theatre Royal: 100 Years of Stratford East - Quartet, 1984 ISBN 0-7043-2474-1
