Finborough Theatre
Encyclopedia
The Finborough Theatre is a fifty seat theatre in the Earls Court
area of London
, United Kingdom
(part of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
), which presents new British
writing, UK
and premieres of new plays, primarily from the English speaking world including North America, Canada
, Scotland
and Ireland
, music theatre, and rarely seen rediscovered 19th and 20th century plays
.
. It was one of five public houses built by Corbett and McClymont in the Earls Court
area during the West London development boom of the 1860s.
, Kathy Burke
, Ken Campbell
, Mark Rylance
, and Clare Dowie who appeared in the world première of her own play Adult Child/Dead Child.
’s first play The War Boys ; Rachel Weisz
in David Farr’s Neville Southall’s Washbag , Elton John
’s Glasses; Holding Back the Ocean by Godfrey Hamilton; and three plays by Anthony Neilson
: The Year of the Family; Normal: The Düsseldorf Ripper
; and Penetrator, which transferred from the Traverse and went on to play at the Royal Court
Upstairs.
From 1994, the theatre was run by The Steam Industry under Artistic Director
Phil Willmott
. Productions included new plays by Tony Marchant, David Eldridge
, Mark Ravenhill
, and Phil Willmott. New writing development includied Mark Ravenhill’s Shopping and Fucking (Royal Court, West End
and Broadway
) and Naomi Wallace’s Slaughter City (Royal Shakespeare Company
), the UK première of David Mamet
’s The Woods, and Anthony Neilson’s The Censor, which transferred to the Royal Court
.
’s Wolfboy; Lanford Wilson
’s Sympathetic Magic; Tennessee Williams
’ Something Cloudy, Something Clear; and Frank McGuinness
’ Gates of Gold with William Gaunt
and the late John Bennett
in his last stage role which transferred to the West End; the London
première of Sonja Linden’s I Have Before Me a Remarkable Document Given to Me by a Young Lady from Rwanda ; the specially commissioned adaptation of W.H. Davies’ Young Emma by Laura Wade
and directed by Tamara Harvey; the first London revival for more than 40 years of Rolf Hochhuth
’s Soldiers; Keith Dewhurst's Lark Rise to Candleford, performed in promenade and in repertoire; the Great War drama Red Night, and five first plays by new writers: Jason Hall
’s Eyes Catch Fire; Chris Dunkley’s Mirita; Dameon Garnett’s Break Away
, Simon Vinnicombe’s Year 10, Joy Wilkinson's Fair which transferred to the West End; Waterloo Day with Robert Lang
; Sarah Phelps
’ Modern Dance for Beginners, subsequently produced at the Soho Theatre; Carolyn Scott-Jeffs’ comedy Out in the Garden, which transferred to the Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh
; the London premiere of Larry Kramer
’s The Destiny of Me ; The Women’s War – an evening of original suffragette plays; Steve Hennessy’s Lullabies of Broadmoor (about the Finborough Road murder of 1922); the Victorian era
comedy Masks and Faces
, including Schwartz It All About which transferred to Edinburgh and the King's Head Theatre, the world premiere of Charles Miller
and Kevin Hammonds' When Midnight Strikes, the UK premieres of Lucky Nurse and Other Short Musical Plays by Michael John LaChuisa, Darius Milhaud
’s opera
Médée, Myths and Hymns
by Adam Guettel
, John and Jen by Andrew Lippa
and Three Sides by Grant Olding, and an acclaimed series 'Celebrating British Musical Theatre' from the Victorian and Edwardian era with Florodora
, Our Miss Gibbs
, The Maid of the Mountains
and A Gilbert and Sullivan
Doublebill featuring Sweethearts
, a play by W.S. Gilbert, The Zoo
, an operetta
by Arthur Sullivan
and Bolton Rowe, the opera The Boatswain's Mate by Ethel Smyth
and two rare musicals by Rodgers and Hammerstein - the UK premiere of State Fair
which transferred to the West End, and the European premiere of Me and Juliet
.
Best Play Award in 2007 for James Graham and for Anders Lustgarten in 2010. Anders Lustgarten also won the inaugural Harold Pinter Playwrights Award for the same play, A Day at the Racists, in 2011.
The Finborough Theatre won the Empty Space Peter Brook
Award in 2010. It was also the inaugural winner of the Empty Space Peter Brook
Award’s Dan Crawford
Pub Theatre Award in 2005 which it also won again in 2008. It has also won the Empty Space Peter Brook
Mark Marvin Award in 2004 . The Finborough Theatre also won four awards in total at the 2011 Off West End Awards including Best Artistic Director, Best Director, Best Lighting Bar and Best Theatre Bar in South West London.
The Finborough Theatre was awarded The Stage
100's inaugural Fringe Theatre of the Year award in 2011.
Neil McPherson was named as Best Artistic Director in the 2009 Fringe Report
Awards and 2011 Off West End Awards, and won an award for the Encouragement of New Writing from the Writers Guild of Great Britain in 2010.
Earls Court
Earls Court is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. It is an inner-city district centred on Earl's Court Road and surrounding streets, located 3.1 miles west south-west of Charing Cross. It borders the sub-districts of South Kensington to the East, West...
area of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
(part of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is a central London borough of Royal borough status. After the City of Westminster, it is the wealthiest borough in England....
), which presents new British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
writing, UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and premieres of new plays, primarily from the English speaking world including North America, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, music theatre, and rarely seen rediscovered 19th and 20th century plays
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
.
The Finborough Arms
The Finborough Arms was built in 1868 to a design by George GodwinGeorge Godwin
George Godwin FRS was an influential architect, journalist, and editor of The Builder magazine.He was one of nine children of the architect George Godwin senior and trained at his father's architectural practice in Kensington where he set up in business with his brother Henry Godwin .Encouraged...
. It was one of five public houses built by Corbett and McClymont in the Earls Court
Earls Court
Earls Court is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. It is an inner-city district centred on Earl's Court Road and surrounding streets, located 3.1 miles west south-west of Charing Cross. It borders the sub-districts of South Kensington to the East, West...
area during the West London development boom of the 1860s.
The 1980s
June Abbott opened the theatre above the Finborough Arms Public House in June 1980. In its first decade, artists working at the new theatre included Clive BarkerClive Barker
Clive Barker is an English author, film director and visual artist best known for his work in both fantasy and horror fiction. Barker came to prominence in the mid-1980s with a series of short stories which established him as a leading young horror writer...
, Kathy Burke
Kathy Burke
Katherine Lucy Bridget Burke is an English actress, comedienne, playwright and theatre director. She is best known for her portrayals of Perry in the Harry Enfield film Kevin and Perry Go Large, and of Linda La Hughes in the British sitcom Gimme Gimme Gimme...
, Ken Campbell
Ken Campbell (actor)
Kenneth Victor Campbell was an English writer, actor, director and comedian known for his work in experimental theatre...
, Mark Rylance
Mark Rylance
Mark Rylance is an English actor, theatre director and playwright.As an actor, Rylance found success on stage and screen. For his work in theatre he has won Olivier and Tony Awards among others, and a BAFTA TV Award...
, and Clare Dowie who appeared in the world première of her own play Adult Child/Dead Child.
The 1990s
From 1991-1994, the theatre was best known for new writing with Naomi WallaceNaomi Wallace
Naomi Wallace is a playwright, screenwriter and poet from Prospect, Kentucky, United States.-Life:Wallace obtained her Bachelor of Arts from Hampshire College and did graduate studies at the University of Iowa....
’s first play The War Boys ; Rachel Weisz
Rachel Weisz
Rachel Hannah Weisz born 7 March 1970)is an English-American film and theatre actress and former fashion model. She started her acting career at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, where she co-founded the theatrical group Cambridge Talking Tongues...
in David Farr’s Neville Southall’s Washbag , Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
’s Glasses; Holding Back the Ocean by Godfrey Hamilton; and three plays by Anthony Neilson
Anthony Neilson
Anthony Neilson is a Scottish playwright and director commonly associated with the "in-yer-face theatre" movement and is known for his collaborative way of writing and workshopping his plays. His work is characterised by the exploration of sex and violence...
: The Year of the Family; Normal: The Düsseldorf Ripper
Normal: The Düsseldorf Ripper
Playwright Anthony Neilson's 1991 work Normal: The Düsseldorf Ripper is a fictional account of Peter Kürten's life, told from the point of view of his defense lawyer. Published in Neilson Plays 1: Normal, Penetrator, Year of the Family, Night Before Christmas, Censor, Methuen Drama 1998, ISBN...
; and Penetrator, which transferred from the Traverse and went on to play at the Royal Court
Royal Court Theatre
The Royal Court Theatre is a non-commercial theatre on Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is noted for its contributions to modern theatre...
Upstairs.
From 1994, the theatre was run by The Steam Industry under Artistic Director
Artistic director
An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre company, that handles the organization's artistic direction. He or she is generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogul, since the organization is generally a non-profit organization...
Phil Willmott
Phil Willmott
Phil Willmott is a British director, playwright, arts journalist, teacher, and founder of London based theatre production company, The Steam Industry.He was the Artistic Director of the Finborough Theatre in London's Earl's Court from 1994 to 1999....
. Productions included new plays by Tony Marchant, David Eldridge
David Eldridge
David Eldridge is the earliest known person of European descent to die in the Western Reserve, and the first person to be buried in the newly-created city of Cleveland...
, Mark Ravenhill
Mark Ravenhill
Mark Ravenhill is an English playwright, actor and journalist.His most famous plays include Shopping and Fucking , Some Explicit Polaroids and Mother Clap's Molly House . He made his acting debut in his monologue Product, at the 2005 Edinburgh Festival Fringe...
, and Phil Willmott. New writing development includied Mark Ravenhill’s Shopping and Fucking (Royal Court, West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
and Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
) and Naomi Wallace’s Slaughter City (Royal Shakespeare Company
Royal Shakespeare Company
The Royal Shakespeare Company is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs 700 staff and produces around 20 productions a year from its home in Stratford-upon-Avon and plays regularly in London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and on tour across...
), the UK première of David Mamet
David Mamet
David Alan Mamet is an American playwright, essayist, screenwriter and film director.Best known as a playwright, Mamet won a Pulitzer Prize and received a Tony nomination for Glengarry Glen Ross . He also received a Tony nomination for Speed-the-Plow . As a screenwriter, he received Oscar...
’s The Woods, and Anthony Neilson’s The Censor, which transferred to the Royal Court
Royal Court Theatre
The Royal Court Theatre is a non-commercial theatre on Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is noted for its contributions to modern theatre...
.
The 2000s
Productions since 2000 have included the UK premières of Brad FraserBrad Fraser
Brad Fraser is a Canadian playwright, screenwriter and cultural commentator. He is one of the most widely produced Canadian playwrights both in Canada and internationally. Fraser's plays typically feature a harsh yet comical view of contemporary life in Canada, including frank depictions of...
’s Wolfboy; Lanford Wilson
Lanford Wilson
Lanford Wilson was an American playwright who helped to advance the Off-Off-Broadway theater movement. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1980, was elected in 2001 to the Theater Hall of Fame, and in 2004 was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters...
’s Sympathetic Magic; Tennessee Williams
Tennessee Williams
Thomas Lanier "Tennessee" Williams III was an American writer who worked principally as a playwright in the American theater. He also wrote short stories, novels, poetry, essays, screenplays and a volume of memoirs...
’ Something Cloudy, Something Clear; and Frank McGuinness
Frank McGuinness
Professor Frank McGuinness is an award-winning Irish playwright and poet. As well as his own works, which include Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme, he is recognised for a "strong record of adapting literary classics, having translated the plays of Racine, Sophocles, Ibsen and...
’ Gates of Gold with William Gaunt
William Gaunt
William Charles Anthony Gaunt is an English actor, sometimes credited as Bill Gaunt.-Early life:...
and the late John Bennett
John Bennett (actor)
John Bennett was an English actor. Born in Beckenham, Kent, he was educated at Bradfield College in Berkshire, then trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama, followed by a wide Rep experience including Bromley, Bristol Old Vic, Dundee, Edinburgh Festival and Watford before going to...
in his last stage role which transferred to the West End; the London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
première of Sonja Linden’s I Have Before Me a Remarkable Document Given to Me by a Young Lady from Rwanda ; the specially commissioned adaptation of W.H. Davies’ Young Emma by Laura Wade
Laura Wade
Laura Wade is a British playwright. Wade grew up in Sheffield, where her father worked for a computer company....
and directed by Tamara Harvey; the first London revival for more than 40 years of Rolf Hochhuth
Rolf Hochhuth
Rolf Hochhuth is a German author and playwright. He is best known for his 1963 drama The Deputy and remains a controversial figure for his plays and other public comments, such as his insinuation of Pope Pius XII's sympathies for Hitler's extermination of the Jews in the 1963 play The Deputy and...
’s Soldiers; Keith Dewhurst's Lark Rise to Candleford, performed in promenade and in repertoire; the Great War drama Red Night, and five first plays by new writers: Jason Hall
Jason Hall
Jason Hall is a comic book writer. His works include the creator-owned graphic novel series Pistolwhip , Beware the Creeper and Trigger for DC/Vertigo, Batman Adventures, Justice League Adventures, Justice League Unlimited, Superman, Detective...
’s Eyes Catch Fire; Chris Dunkley’s Mirita; Dameon Garnett’s Break Away
, Simon Vinnicombe’s Year 10, Joy Wilkinson's Fair which transferred to the West End; Waterloo Day with Robert Lang
Robert Lang (actor)
Robert Lang was an English actor of stage and television. Laurence Olivier invited him to join the new National Theatre Company, at the Old Vic, Robert Lang was already earning high praise as an actor. From 1971 until his death he was married to Ann Bell, best known for her portrayal of Marion...
; Sarah Phelps
Sarah Phelps
Sarah Phelps is a British television, radio, film and freelance playwright who was working for the Royal Shakespeare Company when she took part in a BBC initiative to find new writers...
’ Modern Dance for Beginners, subsequently produced at the Soho Theatre; Carolyn Scott-Jeffs’ comedy Out in the Garden, which transferred to the Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
; the London premiere of Larry Kramer
Larry Kramer
Larry Kramer is an American playwright, author, public health advocate, and LGBT rights activist. He began his career rewriting scripts while working for Columbia Pictures, which led him to London where he worked with United Artists. There he wrote the screenplay for Women in Love in 1969, earning...
’s The Destiny of Me ; The Women’s War – an evening of original suffragette plays; Steve Hennessy’s Lullabies of Broadmoor (about the Finborough Road murder of 1922); the Victorian era
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
comedy Masks and Faces
- Etta Jenks with Clarke PetersClarke PetersClarke Peters is an American actor, singer, writer and director best known for his role as Detective Lester Freamon on the HBO drama The Wire.-Early life:...
and Daniela NardiniDaniela NardiniDaniela Nardini is a Scottish actress of Italian ancestry, best known for playing Anna Forbes in the BBC Two television series This Life. The role earned her a BAFTA Best Actress award in 1998 and also earned her a Scottish BAFTA...
; The Gigli Concert with Niall BuggyNiall BuggyNiall Buggy is an Irish actor who has worked extensively on the stage and screen in Ireland, the UK and the US. Some of his more well known roles include the lead in Brian Friel's, Uncle Vanya, for which he won an Irish Theatre Award and an Olivier Award for Dead Funny...
, Catherine CusackCatherine CusackCatherine Cusack is a British actress. She is the half-sister of the actresses Sinéad Cusack, Sorcha Cusack and Niamh Cusack, and the fourth daughter of the actor Cyril Cusack and his second wife Mary Rose Cunningham's only child...
and Paul McGannPaul McGannPaul McGann is an English actor who made his name on the BBC serial The Monocled Mutineer, in which he played the lead role...
which transferred to the Assembly RoomsAssembly roomsIn Great Britain and Ireland, especially in the 18th and 19th centuries, assembly rooms were gathering places for members of the higher social classes open to members of both sexes. At that time most entertaining was done at home and there were few public places of entertainment open to both sexes...
, Edinburgh); Hortensia and the Museum of Dreams with Linda BassettLinda BassettLinda Bassett is an English actress, who is well known in the United Kingdom for her film career.Bassett was born in Kent, England to a typist mother and a police officer father. Her roles include the award-winning part of Ella Khan in the 1999 British comedy film East is East...
, Albert's Boy by James GrahamJames Graham-British noblemen:*James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose , Scottish nobleman and soldier*James Graham, 2nd Marquess of Montrose *James Graham, 3rd Marquess of Montrose...
starring Victor SpinettiVictor SpinettiVictor Spinetti is a Welsh comic actor.-Early life:Spinetti was born in Cwm, Ebbw Vale, Wales of Welsh and Italian heritage from a grandfather who was said to have walked from Italy to Wales to work as a coal miner...
, Peter OswaldPeter OswaldPeter Osvald is a well-known English playwright. He is married to the poet Alice Oswald, with whom he has three children. They live in Devon, South West England....
’s Lucifer Saved with Mark Rylance, Blackwater Angel, the UK debut of Irish playwright Jim Nolan with Sean Campion, the first London revival for over seventy years of LoyaltiesLoyalties (play)Loyalties is a 1922 play by the British writer John Galsworthy. It was staged at St Martins Theatre and ran for over a year. Galsworthy described it as "the only play of mine which I was able to say, when I finished it, no manager will refuse this"....
by John GalsworthyJohn GalsworthyJohn Galsworthy OM was an English novelist and playwright. Notable works include The Forsyte Saga and its sequels, A Modern Comedy and End of the Chapter...
, the world premiere of Plague Over EnglandPlague Over EnglandPlague Over England is a play written by Nicholas de Jongh, based on an incident that occurred during John Gielgud's life, when he was arrested for lewd behaviour; it offers an insight into the changes of the gay lifestyle over the last fifty years...
by Nicholas de JonghNicholas de JonghNicholas de Jongh is a British theatre critic and playwright. He served as the senior drama critic of the Evening Standard from 1991 to 2009. Prior to that, he worked for the Guardian newspaper for almost 20 years...
which subsequently transferred to the West EndWest End theatreWest End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
at the Duchess TheatreDuchess TheatreThe Duchess Theatre is a West End theatre in the City of Westminster, London, located in Catherine Street, near Aldwych.The theatre opened on 25 November 1929 and is one of the smallest 'proscenium arched' West End theatres. It has 479 seats on two levels....
, the first revival of Hangover SquareHangover SquareHangover Square is a 1941 novel by English playwright and novelist Patrick Hamilton . Subtitled A tale of Darkest Earl's Court it is set in that area of London in 1939....
, adapted by Fidelis MorganFidelis MorganFidelis Morgan is a British actress and writer.She was born in a red gypsy caravan, Kiomi Romani, which stood in a corner of the grounds of the ancient Abbey of Amesbury, halfway between Stonehenge and Woodhenge...
from the novel by Patrick HamiltonPatrick HamiltonPatrick Hamilton is the name of:*Patrick Hamilton of Kincavil , Scottish nobleman*Patrick Hamilton , Scottish Protestant reformer and son of the above*Patrick Hamilton , Church of Scotland minister and poet...
, the UK premiere of the musical Ordinary Days by Adam Gwon and a season of plays by William SaroyanWilliam SaroyanWilliam Saroyan was an Armenian American dramatist and author. The setting of many of his stories and plays is the center of Armenian-American life in California in his native Fresno.-Early years:...
. In March 2010 the theatre presented the world premiere of A Day at the Racists, a new piece of political theatre by Anders Lustgarten, charting the rise of the BNP in Barking
Musical Theatre
The Finborough Theatre has also presenteds musical theatreMusical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
, including Schwartz It All About which transferred to Edinburgh and the King's Head Theatre, the world premiere of Charles Miller
Charles Miller
-Sportsmen:*Charlie Miller , Major League Baseball player*Charlie Miller , Major League Baseball player*Charlie Miller , Scottish footballer...
and Kevin Hammonds' When Midnight Strikes, the UK premieres of Lucky Nurse and Other Short Musical Plays by Michael John LaChuisa, Darius Milhaud
Darius Milhaud
Darius Milhaud was a French composer and teacher. He was a member of Les Six—also known as The Group of Six—and one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century. His compositions are influenced by jazz and make use of polytonality...
’s opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
Médée, Myths and Hymns
Myths and Hymns
Myths and Hymns is a song cycle by composer Adam Guettel, based on Greek myth and lyrics found in an antique hymnal....
by Adam Guettel
Adam Guettel
Adam Guettel is an American composer-lyricist of musical theater and opera . He is best known for the musical The Light in the Piazza, for which he won two Tony Awards, for Best Score and Best Orchestrations, and two Drama Desk Awards, for Best Music and Best Orchestrations.-Early years:Guettel...
, John and Jen by Andrew Lippa
Andrew Lippa
Andrew Lippa is an American composer, lyricist, book writer, performer, and producer. He is a resident artist at the Ars Nova Theater in New York City.-Biography:...
and Three Sides by Grant Olding, and an acclaimed series 'Celebrating British Musical Theatre' from the Victorian and Edwardian era with Florodora
Florodora
Florodora is an Edwardian musical comedy and became one of the first successful Broadway musicals of the 20th century. The book was written by Jimmy Davis under the pseudonym Owen Hall, the music was by Leslie Stuart with additional songs by Paul Rubens, and the lyrics were by Edward Boyd-Jones...
, Our Miss Gibbs
Our Miss Gibbs
Our Miss Gibbs is an Edwardian musical comedy in two acts by 'Cryptos' and James T. Tanner, with lyrics by Adrian Ross and Percy Greenbank, music by Ivan Caryll and Lionel Monckton. Produced by George Edwardes, it opened at the Gaiety Theatre in London on 23 January 1909 and ran for an extremely...
, The Maid of the Mountains
The Maid of the Mountains
The Maid of the Mountains, called in its original score a musical play, is an operetta or musical comedy in three acts. The music was by Harold Fraser-Simson, with additional music by James W...
and A Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the librettist W. S. Gilbert and the composer Arthur Sullivan . The two men collaborated on fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which H.M.S...
Doublebill featuring Sweethearts
Sweethearts
Sweethearts may be:*Sweethearts :*Sweethearts , a two-act comedy by W.S. Gilbert*Sweethearts , a 1938 MGM film starring Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy*Sweethearts , a book...
, a play by W.S. Gilbert, The Zoo
The Zoo
The Zoo is a one-act comic opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by B. C. Stephenson, writing under the pen name of Bolton Rowe. It premiered on 5 June 1875 at the St. James's Theatre in London , concluding its run five weeks later, on 9 July 1875, at the Haymarket Theatre...
, an operetta
Operetta
Operetta is a genre of light opera, light in terms both of music and subject matter. It is also closely related, in English-language works, to forms of musical theatre.-Origins:...
by Arthur Sullivan
Arthur Sullivan
Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan MVO was an English composer of Irish and Italian ancestry. He is best known for his series of 14 operatic collaborations with the dramatist W. S. Gilbert, including such enduring works as H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance and The Mikado...
and Bolton Rowe, the opera The Boatswain's Mate by Ethel Smyth
Ethel Smyth
Dame Ethel Mary Smyth, DBE was an English composer and a leader of the women's suffrage movement.- Early career :...
and two rare musicals by Rodgers and Hammerstein - the UK premiere of State Fair
State Fair
State Fair is a movie directed by Henry King and starring Janet Gaynor, Will Rogers, and Lew Ayres. The film was based on a novel by Phil Stong.The film was adapted as a musical in 1945 and again in 1962....
which transferred to the West End, and the European premiere of Me and Juliet
Me and Juliet
Me and Juliet is a musical comedy by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II and their sixth stage collaboration. The work tells a story of romance backstage at a long-running musical: assistant stage manager Larry woos chorus girl Jeanie behind the back of her electrician boyfriend, Bob...
.
Awards
The Finborough Theatre has won the Pearson Award bursary for playwrights seven times for Chris Lee in 2000, Laura Wade in 2005, James Graham in 2006, Al Smith in 2007, Anders Lustgarten in 2009, Simon Vinnicombe in 2010 and Dawn King in 2011 – as well as the Pearson Award for Best Play for Laura Wade in 2005 and - under its new name - the Catherine JohnsonCatherine Johnson
Catherine Johnson is a British playwright, producing works for stage and television. She is best known for her script for the musical Mamma Mia! and screenplay for the film of the same name, which became the highest grossing UK film of all time and the biggest selling UK DVD of all time in January...
Best Play Award in 2007 for James Graham and for Anders Lustgarten in 2010. Anders Lustgarten also won the inaugural Harold Pinter Playwrights Award for the same play, A Day at the Racists, in 2011.
The Finborough Theatre won the Empty Space Peter Brook
Peter Brook
Peter Stephen Paul Brook CH, CBE is an English theatre and film director and innovator, who has been based in France since the early 1970s.-Life:...
Award in 2010. It was also the inaugural winner of the Empty Space Peter Brook
Peter Brook
Peter Stephen Paul Brook CH, CBE is an English theatre and film director and innovator, who has been based in France since the early 1970s.-Life:...
Award’s Dan Crawford
Dan Crawford
Dan Crawford may refer to:* Dan Crawford * Dan Crawford , Scottish missionary in Africa...
Pub Theatre Award in 2005 which it also won again in 2008. It has also won the Empty Space Peter Brook
Peter Brook
Peter Stephen Paul Brook CH, CBE is an English theatre and film director and innovator, who has been based in France since the early 1970s.-Life:...
Mark Marvin Award in 2004 . The Finborough Theatre also won four awards in total at the 2011 Off West End Awards including Best Artistic Director, Best Director, Best Lighting Bar and Best Theatre Bar in South West London.
The Finborough Theatre was awarded The Stage
The Stage
The Stage is a weekly British newspaper founded in 1880, available nationally and published on Thursdays. Covering all areas of the entertainment industry but focused primarily on theatre, it contains news, reviews, opinion, features and other items of interest, mainly to those who work within the...
100's inaugural Fringe Theatre of the Year award in 2011.
Neil McPherson was named as Best Artistic Director in the 2009 Fringe Report
Fringe Report
Fringe Report is an online magazine relating to contemporary fringe theatre published in the United Kingdom. Fringe Report publishes 2 or 3 times a week on London performances as well as regional performances in the United Kingdom. Fringe Report dates from 2002....
Awards and 2011 Off West End Awards, and won an award for the Encouragement of New Writing from the Writers Guild of Great Britain in 2010.
Artistic Directors
- June Abbott (1980–1982)
- Mike McCormack (1982–1988)
- Jessica DromgooleJessica DromgooleJessica Dromgoole is a British theatre and radio-play director, notable as the Artistic Director of the Finborough Theatre from 1988 to 1991. She is currently New Writing Co-ordinator for BBC Drama, Entertainment and Children's programmes....
(1988–1991) - Cathryn Horn and Mary Peate (1991–1994)
- Phil WillmottPhil WillmottPhil Willmott is a British director, playwright, arts journalist, teacher, and founder of London based theatre production company, The Steam Industry.He was the Artistic Director of the Finborough Theatre in London's Earl's Court from 1994 to 1999....
(1994–1999) - Neil McPherson (1999-)
External links
- Finborough Theatre website which includes an extensive archive of previous productions