The Royal Court Theatre is a non-commercial theatre in Sloane Square, in the Chelsea area of London noted for its contributions to modern theatre. Since 1956 it has been home to a resident company, the English Stage Company. Sloane Square is a small hard landscaped square on the boundaries of the fashionable London districts of Belgravia and Chelsea. ... Chelsea is a district of London, loosely defined by the area around the Kings Road, beginning at Sloane Square at one end, and the Worlds End public house at the other, the River Thames and the Victorian artists district to the south, and some parts between the King... St. ... 1956 was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The present building was constructed in 1888. It first attained prominence under the management of Harley Granville-Barker. Many of George Bernard Shaw's plays were initially produced at the Royal Court. 1888 is a leap year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar). ... Harley Granville-Barker (November 25, 1877 – August 31, 1946) was a British actor, director, producer, critic and playwright. ... George Bernard Shaw (July 26, 1856 – November 2, 1950) was an Irish playwright and winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1925. ...

After a brief period as a cinema, and after having been damaged by bombing during World War II, the theatre re-opened in 1952 and was acquired by the English Stage Company in 1956. The theatre became noted for its commitment to serious works by contemporary playwrights, often becoming involved in issues of censorship. World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrinations, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons like the atom bomb. ... 1952 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... 1956 was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... There is a long history of censorship in the United Kingdom. ...

There are two performance spaces in the building. The "Theatre Downstairs" is a 400-seat proscenium arch auditorium and the "Theatre Upstairs" is a 60-seat studio. The theatre received a major overhaul in the late 1990s, and reopened in February 2000. The auditorium was retained, but both the backstage and front of house facilities were radically improved. The proscenium arch is, in literal terms, the square frame around a raised stage area in traditional theatres. ...

The Royal Court Theatre is known for its new writing. It has, since 1994 an artistic policy directed to finding and producing a new generation of playwrights. The writers have included Joe Penhall, Sarah Kane, Mark Ravenhill, Roy Williams amongst others. 1994 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ... Sarah Kane (February 3, 1971 - February 20, 1999) was an English playwright. ... There are three distinct American men with this name who are well-known for their athletic achivement: Roy Williams, wide receiver for the Detroit Lions. ...

It is still inspired by the vision of first artistic director George Devine. The current Artistic Director is Ian Rickson as of 2005 and previous to that it was Stephen Daldry. 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ... Stephen David Daldry, CBE (born May 2, 1961 in Dorset, England, United Kingdom) is a British movie director and producer. ...

Young writers (between 13 and 25) can apply to the Young Writers' Programme, which regularly catapults young writers into the limelight.

Bibliography

Bergan,Ronald (1992).The Great Theatres of London: An Illustrated Companion. London: Trafalgar Square Publishing. ISBN 1853750573 Roberts,Philip (1999). The Royal Court Theatre and the modern stage. Cambridge, UK ; Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521479622

External link

Royal Court Theatre website