Arcola Theatre Creative Engagement has announced two weeks of events, performances and productions across two mini-festivals. First up in our youth mini-festival, Arcola Youth Theatre (13-17 years) present Shakespeare: 3 Plays – abridged versions of Julius Caesar, King Lear and Twelfth Night. Following a term’s exploration of new theatre styles and techniques, these vibrant productions …

Arcola announces Creative Engagement Summer Season Read More »

THE HOUSE OF MIRRORS AND HEARTS, a new chamber musical by Eamonn O’Dwyer and Rob Gilbert, receives its world premiere in a production by Ryan McBryde GRIMEBORN, Arcola’s month-long festival of opera, returns for its ninth year Director Nadia Latif reunites with American playwright Kristiana Colón for OCTAGON, the follow-up to their acclaimed 2012 Arcola …

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Arcola audiences old and new, Mark Jagasia spent 12 years writing for some of Britain’s best-known newspapers. In 2007, he left the industry to write an explosive first play about it. Clarion shines a dazzling light on the dark heart of our national press. As soon as I received the script last year, I programmed a …

A letter from Mehmet Ergen Read More »

On a night in late February, Gareth Thomas – former captain of the Welsh rugby team and the most famous gay team sportsman in the world – took his family and friends to a theatre press night. He’s no stranger, now, to shiny showbiz events but this was special. The play being premiered was Crouch, …

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Arcola’s contribution to the 2014 Family Arts Festival, THE THREE SILLIES, has won three awards at the Family Arts Festival Awards. Best Overall Family Welcome Best Family Venue Best Family Event/Activity (for The Three Sillies) Stay tuned for an announcement of our 2015 Family Arts Festival programme! Arcola has also signed up to the Family Arts Standards.

Arcola Theatre has won in five categories at this year’s OffWestEnd awards.

Arcola Theatre has received 9 nominations in this year’s shortlist for the OffWestEnd Awards – more than any other London theatre.

Taksim Square features songs from the 2013 protests in Turkey The original production, at Talimhane Tiyatrosu in Istanbul, caused the theatre to lose its government funding UK premiere opens the Orient Express season at Arcola

Artistic Director Mehmet Ergen directs world premieres of Clarion and Shrapnel: 34 Fragments of a Massacre, two urgent plays about the press and military Max Stafford-Clark directs Robin Soans’ Crouch, Touch, Pause, Engage – Arcola’s first co-production with National Theatre Wales and Out of Joint – which gets its London premiere after a UK tour …

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Arcola’s brand new Supporters scheme was launched on June 19 with a reception at the theatre. Mehmet Ergen and Graham Benson, chair of our new Development Board were joined by Arcola Champions, friends and long-term supporters and some brand new founding patrons. Our Trustee Jack Shepherd led on memories about Arcola beginnings, the madness of …

Supporters scheme launched Read More »

All shows in our 2014 summer season have been announced today! Starting our season off is Between Us by Sarah Daniels, commissioned by Arcola Theatre and playing in Studio 2. Morphic Graffiti kicks things off in Studio 1 with Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel, followed shortly after by The Nightmares of Carlos Fuentes directed by former …

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The Spanish Golden Age Season  is one of the productions dominating this year’s Offie nominations, as is Up In Arm’s Visitors, with a total of 9 nominations between them. 3 of the Best Female Actor nominations are for Arcola performers with 2 of our Spanish Golden Age season ensemble members competing against each other (Francis McNamee for …

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Aylin Bozok has been named Best Newcomer in the WhatsOnStage Opera Poll. “If there is a surprise victor this year, it is the young Swiss-Turkish director Aylin Bozok whose shoestring production of Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande so impressed audiences last summer at the Arcola Theatre’s Grimeborn Festival. It was full of simply-realised ideas that brilliantly elucidated what …

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The Guardian writers voted, and we made the cut! Michael Billington voted Punishment Without Revenge as number 2 on his list of Best Theatre of 2013. Punishment Without Revenge has its first Arcola preview this Saturday 11 January, continuing w/c 20 January.

“Electrifying” – The Independent ★★★★★ “Not to be missed.” – Whatsonstage ★★★★★ “This is an extraordinary production.” – The Guardian ★★★★ “an emotional joy” – Metro ★★★★ “another extraordinary Chekhov revival…super stuff.” – Time Out ★★★★ “The most daring adaptation of Chekhov you’re likely to see” – Londonist “Miss it at your peril – can’t …

Rave reviews for Sons Without Fathers Read More »

We’re pleased to announced that Arcola Theatre was voted ‘Most Welcoming Theatre’ in East London by the general public at the Offies award ceremony on Sunday 24th February. (more)

Arcola Theatre’s production of Sweet Smell of Success won Marvin Hamlisch a posthumous Whatsonstage Theatregoers Choice Award for Best Original Music. The award was accepted by Terre Blair (Mrs. Marvin Hamlisch) at the Awards Concert Sunday 17 February at the Palace Theatre. Mrs. Hamlisch was accompanied by Mehmet Ergen, Arcola’s Artistic Director and Director of …

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After just over 5 months of building works, we celebrated the transformation of our new home in the Colourworks on November 14 with a re-opening gala before a special performance of Sweet Smell of Success. 200 guests – Arcola funders, partners, donors, friends and artists – joined us in our spacious new foyer and café …

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“What London has been missing, a great, new, old-fashioned American musical.” Classical Source ” a well-honed and stylish show, and lovers of the 1950s period and the New York jazz scene of the era will find much to enjoy in this tale of the seedy world of gossip journalism. With a good cast firing on …

Sweet Smell of Success seduces spellbound critics Read More »

We’re nearing the completion of our building works, and Studio 2 is now open with but i cd only whisper! Arcola Bar is also open from noon.