Almeida Theatre
The Almeida Theatre on 14 April 2007
Address	Almeida Street
City	Islington, London
Designation	Grade II listed
Architect	Roumieu and Gough
Owned by	Almeida Theatre trust
Capacity	325 seat on two levels
Type	Studio theatre
Opened	1833 as reading rooms
Rebuilt	1982 as theatre 2000 Burrell Foley Fischer
Previous names	1833 Islington Literary and Scientific Society 1875 Wellington Club
Production	Short seasons
Almeida Theatre
	Coordinates: 51°32′22″N 0°06′12″W / 51.5395, -0.1032

The Almeida Theatre is a studio theatre with an international reputation, and was founded in 1980. It takes its name from the street in which it is located off Upper Street, in the London Borough of Islington. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 678 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (848 × 750 pixel, file size: 209 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Photo of the Almeida Theatre in Islington taken by me, Burnley, on April 14, 2007. ... Arms of Islington London Borough Council Islington Town Hall Islington is a borough of London to the north of the City of London, west of Hackney, east of Camden, and south of Haringey. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... The Forth Bridge, designed by Sir Benjamin Baker and Sir John Fowler, opened in 1890, and now owned by Network Rail, is designated as a Category A listed building by Historic Scotland. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ... The current route of the A1 (red) and the historic route of the Great North Road (blue). ... Arms of Islington London Borough Council Islington Town Hall Islington is a borough of London to the north of the City of London, west of Hackney, east of Camden, and south of Haringey. ...

History

The Islington Literary and Scientific Society was established in 1833 and first met in Mr. Edgeworth's academy, on Upper Street. Its object was to spread knowledge through lectures, discussions, and experiments, politics and theology being forbidden. A building was erected in 1837 in Wellington (later Almeida) Street, designed by Roumieu and Gough in a stuccoed Grecian style. It included a library, with 3,300 volumes in 1839, reading room, museum, laboratory, and lecture theatre seating 500. The subscription was 2 guineas a year. The library was sold off in 1872 and the building sold or leased in 1874 to the Wellington Club, which occupied it until 1886. In 1885 the hall was used for concerts, balls, and public meetings. The Salvation Army bought the building in 1890, renamed it the Wellington Castle barracks, and remained there until 1955. The building became a factory and showroom for Beck's British Carnival Novelties for a few years from 1956 then remained empty until in 1978 a campaign began to turn it into a theatre. A public appeal was launched in 1981 and a festival of avant-garde theatre and music was held there and at other Islington venues in 1982, and the successful permanent theatre founded. ^[1] Shield of The Salvation Army The Salvation Army is a non-military evangelical Christian organisation. ...

From its foundation it sought to produce new writing and revivals to a high standard, and having established an international reputation, it remains a key London theatre. It was conceived by Lebanese-born, Oxford-educated Pierre Audi in 1978, after he had acquired a the derelict building in a then-unfashionable part of Islington near the Kings Cross railway station, just north of Central London. It was reconfigured for use as a 300-seat theatre. This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... For other uses, see Islington (disambiguation). ... Kings Cross station is a railway station in the Kings Cross district of north east central London. ... Central London is a much-used but unofficial and vaguely defined term for the most inner part of London, the capital of England. ...

It is a non-profit producing theatre whose productions regularly play to packed houses and frequently transfer to the West End (14 between 1990 and 2002) and to Broadway. ^[2] Its repertoire consists of work by major playwrights, old and new, British and foreign, including many by Shakespeare. It has acquired an artistic reputation comparable to the leading theatres in central London and, as noted by playwright David Hare, "it reinvented the European repertoire for London audiences and made British theatre more cosmopolitan and outward going". ^[3] </ref> In 1990, Ian McDiarmid and Jonathan Kent took over the artistic direction and the Almeida became a full-time theatre for the first time. During their years as head of the theatre, they were described by The Guardian as "(making) Islington a centre of enlightened internationalism"^[4] and, as they were about to leave their positions in 2002, Michael Billington, in same newspaper, summed up their achievements as threefold: West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre in London, England, or sometimes more specifically for shows staged in the large theatres of Londons Theatreland. Along with New Yorks Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre... For other uses of Broadway, see Broadway. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Central London is a much-used but unofficial and vaguely defined term for the most inner part of London, the capital of England. ... Sir David Hare (born June 5, 1947) is an English dramatist and director. ... Ian McDiarmid (born August 11, 1944) is a Tony Award-winning Scottish actor born in Carnoustie. ... Jonathan Kent (born 1946, South Africa) is an English theatre director and opera director. ... The Guardian is a British newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. ...

"Three things have made the Almeida the most exciting theatre in Britain. First, an eclectically international programme: everything from Molière and Marivaux to Brecht and Neil LaBute. Second, top-level casting that has given us Ralph Fiennes in Hamlet and Ivanov, Kevin Spacey in The Iceman Cometh and Juliette Binoche in Naked. Third, a territorial expansion that has seen the Almeida colonise the Hackney Empire, the old Gainsborough film studios and even a converted bus depot in King's Cross".^[5]

Director Michael Attenborough took over as head of the theatre in 2002 following its remodeling. Molière, engraved on the frontispiece to his Works. ... Pierre Carlet de Chamblain de Marivaux (February 4, 1688 - February 12, 1763), French novelist and dramatist, was born at Paris. ... For information on the German author, please see Bertolt Brecht. ... Neil LaBute (born March 19, 1963) is an American film director, screenwriter, and playwright. ... Ralph Nathaniel Fiennes, (IPA: ), born 22 December 1962) is a Tony Award-winning, Academy Award-nominated and Genie Award-nominated British actor. ... For other uses, see Hamlet (disambiguation). ... Ivanov is a four-act play by Anton Chekhov first performed in 1887 Ivanov was originally commisioned by a Moscow theatre owner as comedy. ... Kevin Spacey (born July 26, 1959) is an American actor (film and stage) and director. ... The Iceman Cometh is a play by Eugene ONeill, which was later made into a TV movie in 1960 as well as a big screen motion picture in 1973, both by the same name. ... Juliette Binoche (French IPA: ) (born March 9, 1964 in Paris) is an Oscar-winning and Golden Globe nominated French film actress. ... Hackney Empire The Hackney Empire is a theatre on Mare Street, Hackney. ... Michael John Attenborough (born 13 February 1950) is a successful English theatre director. ...

Refurbishment, 2001-2002

In November 1999, the Almeida was awarded £1.5 million by the Arts Council of England to undertake essential repairs to the theatre. The work began early in 2001 when the theatre was closed, and the company moved temporarily to a converted bus station at King's Cross. National Lottery backing of £5.8 million allowed for a complete restoration. The Arts Council of England was formed in 1994 when the Arts Council of Great Britain was divided into three separate bodies for England, Scotland and Wales. ... A play here! sign outside a newsagent, incorporating the National Lotterys logo of a stylised hand with crossed fingers which emulates a smiling face. ...

The restoration included rebuilding and extending the foyer, installing more comfortable seating and access, plus better backstage facilities with the stage area re-built for flexibility and strength, the roof improved and insulated, the lighting grid strengthened, complete re-wiring, and technical equipment updated.^[6]

The structure of the building was Grade II listed by English Heritage in 1972. The current modified building retains the listing.^[7] The Forth Bridge, designed by Sir Benjamin Baker and Sir John Fowler, opened in 1890, and now owned by Network Rail, is designated as a Category A listed building by Historic Scotland. ... The standard of English Heritage English Heritage is a non-departmental public body of the United Kingdom government (Department for Culture, Media and Sport) with a broad remit of managing the historic environment of England. ...

Artistic directors

• Pierre Audi, (1980–1990)
• Jonathan Kent and Ian McDiarmid, (1990–2002)
• Michael Attenborough, (2002-)

Also see: 2002 (number). ...

Notable productions

• Scenes from an Execution by Howard Barker with Glenda Jackson and Jonathan Hyde (1990)
• Betrayal by Harold Pinter directed by David Leveaux with Martin Shaw and Cheryl Campbell (1991)
• Medea by Euripides directed by Jonathan Kent with Diana Rigg (1992) transferred to the West End and Broadway (1994)
• The Deep Blue Sea by Terence Rattigan directed by Karel Reisz with Penelope Wilton (1993) transferred to Apollo Theatre
• Moonlight by Harold Pinter directed by David Leveaux with Ian Holm (1993)
• Tartuffe by Molière directed by Jonathan Kent with Ian McDiarmid and Tom Hollander (1996)
• Ivanov by Anton Chekhov translated by David Hare directed by Jonathan Kent with Ralph Fiennes and Harriet Walter (1997)
• The Iceman Cometh by Eugene O'Neill directed by Howard Davies with Kevin Spacey (1998, transferred to the Old Vic Theatre and to Broadway)
• The Tempest by William Shakespeare directed by Jonathan Kent (final production) (2000)
• The Goat, or Who is Sylvia? by Edward Albee directed by Anthony Page with Jonathan Pryce (2004)
• Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen directed by Richard Eyre with Eve Best (2005)
• Awake and Sing! by Clifford Odets directed by Michael Attenborough with Stockard Channing

Howard Barker (born 1946) is a British playwright. ... Glenda Jackson Glenda May Jackson, CBE, (born 9 May 1936) is a two-time Academy Award-winning British actress and politician, currently Labour Member of Parliament for the constituency of Hampstead and Highgate in the London Borough of Camden. ... Jonathan Hyde (born May 21, 1947) is an Australian-born English stage actor. ... Betrayal is a play written by Harold Pinter in 1978. ... Harold Pinter, CH, CBE (born 10 October 1930) is an English playwright, screenwriter, poet, actor, director, author, and political activist. ... Martin Shaw (born January 21, 1945 in Birmingham, England) is an English actor. ... Cheryl Campbell (born 22 May 1949 in St Albans) is an English actress of stage, film and television. ... This article is about the Greek mythological figure. ... A statue of Euripides. ... Jonathan Kent (born 1946, South Africa) is an English theatre director and opera director. ... Dame Enid Diana Elizabeth Rigg DBE (born 20 July 1938) is an English actress. ... West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre in London, England, or sometimes more specifically for shows staged in the large theatres of Londons Theatreland. Along with New Yorks Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre... For other uses of Broadway, see Broadway. ... The Deep Blue Sea (1952) is a play by Terence Rattigan. ... Terence Rattigan — British Playwright Sir Terence Mervyn Rattigan (June 10, 1911 – November 30, 1977) was one of Englands most important 20th century dramatists. ... Karel Reisz (born 1926, Ostrava, Czechoslovakia, died London, United Kingdom, 2002) was a Jewish refugee who became one of the most important film-makers in post war Britain. ... Penelope Wilton OBE (born 3 June 1946) is an English actress who is well known for appearing in the sitcom Ever Decreasing Circles and in Cry Freedom. ... Moonlight is a 1993 play by Harold Pinter. ... Harold Pinter, CH, CBE (born 10 October 1930) is an English playwright, screenwriter, poet, actor, director, author, and political activist. ... Sir Ian Holm Sir Ian Holm CBE (born 12 September 1931), born as Ian Holm Cuthbert, is an English actor. ... For the film of the same name, see Tartuffe (film) Tartuffe is a comedy by Molière, and arguably his most famous play. ... Molière, engraved on the frontispiece to his Works. ... Jonathan Kent (born 1946, South Africa) is an English theatre director and opera director. ... Tom Hollander (born November 30, 1969) (IMDb says 1967, but BBC and Toms fansite says 1969) is an award-winning English actor who has appeared in productions such as Enigma, Gosford Park, Cambridge Spies, Pride and Prejudice and Pirates of the Caribbean. ... Ivanov is a four-act play by Anton Chekhov first performed in 1887 Ivanov was originally commisioned by a Moscow theatre owner as comedy. ... Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (Russian: , IPA: ) was a Russian short story writer and playwright. ... Sir David Hare (born June 5, 1947) is an English dramatist and director. ... Ralph Nathaniel Fiennes, (IPA: ), born 22 December 1962) is a Tony Award-winning, Academy Award-nominated and Genie Award-nominated British actor. ... Harriet Mary Walter, CBE, (born 24 September 1950) is a British actress born in England. ... The Iceman Cometh is a play by Eugene ONeill, which was later made into a TV movie in 1960 as well as a big screen motion picture in 1973, both by the same name. ... Eugene Gladstone ONeill (October 16, 1888 – November 27, 1953) was a Nobel- and four-time Pulitzer Prize-winning American playwright. ... Howard Davies is a noted British theatre director. ... Kevin Spacey (born July 26, 1959) is an American actor (film and stage) and director. ... The Old Vic is a theatre in the Waterloo area of London. ... For other uses of Broadway, see Broadway. ... For other uses, see The Tempest (disambiguation). ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... The Goat, or, Who is Sylvia? is a play by Edward Albee, written in 2000 and premiering on Broadway in 2002 to a very mixed reception, although it received that years Tony Award for Best Play. ... Edward Franklin Albee III (born March 12, 1928) is an American playwright known for works including Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, The Zoo Story, The Sandbox and The American Dream. ... Actress Cate Blanchett in the title role of Hedda Gabler Hedda Gabler is both a play and a fictional character created by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. ... Ibsen redirects here. ... Sir Richard Eyre, (born 28 March 1943), is a British film and theatre director. ... Eve Best (born Emily Best, born July 1971), is a British actress best known for her stage work. ... Awake and Sing! is a 1935 play by Clifford Odets. ... Clifford Odets photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1937 Clifford Odets (July 18, 1906 - August 18, 1963) was an American socialist playwright, screenwriter, and social protester. ... Michael John Attenborough (born 13 February 1950) is a successful English theatre director. ... Stockard Channing press kit photo Stockard Channing (born Susan Antonia Williams Stockard on February 13, 1944) is an American actress. ...

References

The Guardian is a British newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... The Guardian is a British newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. ... The Guardian is a British newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. ... The Guardian is a British newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. ...

External links

• Official Almeida Theatre website
• musicOMH.com - reviews of recent Almeida productions