HAMPSTEAD THEATRE

'Hampstead Theatre' is a theatre in Hampstead, in the London Borough of Camden. It specialises in commissioning and producing new writing.

Contents

Formation of the Company

Temporary accommodation

New building

Artistic directors

Playwrights

External links

Formation of the Company

The original theatre (The Hampstead Theatre Club) was created in a Scout Hall in 1959. James Roose-Evans was the first Artistic Director. The 1959 season included ''The Dumb Waiter'' and ''The Room'' by Harold Pinter, Eugene Ionesco's ''Jacques'' and ''The Sport of My Mad Mother'' by Ann Jellicoe.

Temporary accommodation

In 1962 the company moved to a portacabin in Swiss Cottage where it remained for nearly 40 years.

New building

In 2003 the new, purpose-built Hampstead Theatre opened in Swiss Cottage. The main auditorium sits between 150 and 325 people. There is also a studio theatre - ''The Michael Frayn Space''.

Artistic directors

★ James Roose-Evans (1959-71)

★ Vivian Matalon

★ Michael Rudman

★ David Aukin

★ Michael Attenborough

★ Jenny Topper

★ Anthony Clark (since 2003)

Playwrights

Playwrights who have had their early work produced at the theatre include:

★ Simon Block

★ Michael Frayn

★ Brian Friel

★ Terry Johnson

★ Hanif Kureishi

★ Mike Leigh

★ Abi Morgan

★ Rona Munro

★ Tamsin Oglesby

★ Harold Pinter

★ Philip Ridley

★ Shelagh Stephenson

★ Debbie Tucker Green

★ Crispin Whittell

★ Roy Williams

External links

★ Hampstead Theatre Official website

★ [1] 2003 interview with Artistic Director Jenny Topper by Aleks Sierz