Rose Theatre, Kingston
Encyclopedia
The Rose Theatre, Kingston is a theatre
on Kingston High Street in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames
. The theatre seats 899 around a wide, lozenge shaped stage.
It officially opened on 16 January 2008 with Uncle Vanya
by Anton Chekhov
, with Sir Peter Hall directing. Hall had also directed an 'in the raw' production of As You Like It
within the shell of the uncompleted building in 2004.
in London, an Elizabethan theatre that staged the plays of Christopher Marlowe
and early plays by Shakespeare. It features a shallow thrust stage
. Unlike the original Rose, it makes the Elizabethan design
more comfortable by adding a roof and modern seats, rather like the Swan Theatre
in Stratford-upon-Avon
. The front rows of the stall have no seats; patrons bring cushions instead.
CBE
, who serves as chairman of the Rose Theatre Trust.
The construction was undertaken with £5m (of the £11m construction cost) support from the local council, involvement from Kingston University
, Peter Hall, and the Friends of Kingston Theatre. The shell of the building was provided to the Trust for free by St George PLC as one of the concessions for the construction of Charter Quay, a development on the bank of the Thames.
In January 2008, a week after the theatre opened, Hall resigned and it was announced that from April 2008, Stephen Unwin
, departing director of English Touring Theatre
would take over the role of ‘Artistic Director’, while Hall would remain as ‘director emeritus’.
Under the leadership of Stephen Unwin, the Rose has staged an increasing number of home-grown productions. To date, these include Miss Julie, The Winslow Boy, Bedroom Farce and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. A wide range of actors have appeared at the Rose including Jane Asher and Celia Imrie (in Hay Fever), Peter Bowles (in Love’s Labours Lost), Dame Judi Dench (in A Midsummer Night’s Dream) and Timothy West (in The Winslow Boy).
In November 2010 the Rose won an award for ‘Best Commitment to the Community’ at the Kingston Business Awards. The same week, Sir Peter Hall won the Golden Seagull award for his contribution to World Theatre at the Evening Standard Awards.
The Rose is supported by Royal Borough of Kingston and Kingston University. However, it receives no funding from the Arts Council England.
has held its graduation ceremonies at the Rose Theatre since 2010 (students completing their dergee in 2009); they were, for many years, previously held at the Royal Albert Hall
and in 2009 at the Royal Festival Hall
.
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
on Kingston High Street in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames
Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames
The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames is a borough in southwest London, England. The main town is Kingston upon Thames and it includes Surbiton, Chessington, New Malden and Tolworth. It is the oldest of the three Royal Boroughs in England, the others are Kensington and Chelsea, also in London,...
. The theatre seats 899 around a wide, lozenge shaped stage.
It officially opened on 16 January 2008 with Uncle Vanya
Uncle Vanya
Uncle Vanya is a play by the Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. It was first published in 1897 and received its Moscow première in 1899 in a production by the Moscow Art Theatre, under the direction of Konstantin Stanislavski....
by Anton Chekhov
Anton Chekhov
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov was a Russian physician, dramatist and author who is considered to be among the greatest writers of short stories in history. His career as a dramatist produced four classics and his best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics...
, with Sir Peter Hall directing. Hall had also directed an 'in the raw' production of As You Like It
As You Like It
As You Like It is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 or early 1600 and first published in the folio of 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has been suggested as a possibility...
within the shell of the uncompleted building in 2004.
Design
The theatre's layout is based on that of the Rose TheatreThe Rose (theatre)
The Rose was an Elizabethan theatre. It was the fourth of the public theatres to be built, after The Theatre , the Curtain , and the theatre at Newington Butts The Rose was an Elizabethan theatre. It was the fourth of the public theatres to be built, after The Theatre (1576), the Curtain (1577),...
in London, an Elizabethan theatre that staged the plays of Christopher Marlowe
Christopher Marlowe
Christopher Marlowe was an English dramatist, poet and translator of the Elizabethan era. As the foremost Elizabethan tragedian, next to William Shakespeare, he is known for his blank verse, his overreaching protagonists, and his mysterious death.A warrant was issued for Marlowe's arrest on 18 May...
and early plays by Shakespeare. It features a shallow thrust stage
Thrust stage
In theatre, a thrust stage is one that extends into the audience on three sides and is connected to the backstage area by its up stage end. A thrust has the benefit of greater intimacy between performers and the audience than a proscenium, while retaining the utility of a backstage area...
. Unlike the original Rose, it makes the Elizabethan design
Elizabethan architecture
Elizabethan architecture is the term given to early Renaissance architecture in England, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Historically, the period corresponds to the Cinquecento in Italy, the Early Renaissance in France, and the Plateresque style in Spain...
more comfortable by adding a roof and modern seats, rather like the Swan Theatre
Swan Theatre (Stratford)
The Swan Theatre is a theatre belonging to the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. It is built on to the side of the larger Royal Shakespeare Theatre, occupying the Victorian Gothic structure that formerly housed the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre that preceded the RST but was...
in Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon is a market town and civil parish in south Warwickshire, England. It lies on the River Avon, south east of Birmingham and south west of Warwick. It is the largest and most populous town of the District of Stratford-on-Avon, which uses the term "on" to indicate that it covers...
. The front rows of the stall have no seats; patrons bring cushions instead.
History
The Rose was a project supported by Peter Hall and broadcaster David JacobsDavid Jacobs (disc jockey)
David Lewis Jacobs CBE is a British actor and broadcaster who gained prominence as presenter of the peak-time BBC Television show Juke Box Jury and the BBC Radio 4 political forum, Any Questions?-Early career:...
CBE
CBE
CBE and C.B.E. are abbreviations for "Commander of the Order of the British Empire", a grade in the Order of the British Empire.Other uses include:* Chemical and Biochemical Engineering...
, who serves as chairman of the Rose Theatre Trust.
The construction was undertaken with £5m (of the £11m construction cost) support from the local council, involvement from Kingston University
Kingston University
Kingston University is a public research university located in Kingston upon Thames, southwest London, United Kingdom. It was originally founded in 1899 as Kingston Technical Institute, a polytechnic, and became a university in 1992....
, Peter Hall, and the Friends of Kingston Theatre. The shell of the building was provided to the Trust for free by St George PLC as one of the concessions for the construction of Charter Quay, a development on the bank of the Thames.
In January 2008, a week after the theatre opened, Hall resigned and it was announced that from April 2008, Stephen Unwin
Stephen Unwin (director)
Stephen Unwin is an English theatre director. He completed his studies at the University of Cambridge in 1981, and has since directed over 50 professional productions and 12 operas. He was initially Assistant Director at the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh until 1988...
, departing director of English Touring Theatre
English Touring Theatre
The English Touring Theatre is a touring theatre company in England. It is England's only touring company to receive a government subsidy for producing work for larger theatres, which is its main work...
would take over the role of ‘Artistic Director’, while Hall would remain as ‘director emeritus’.
Under the leadership of Stephen Unwin, the Rose has staged an increasing number of home-grown productions. To date, these include Miss Julie, The Winslow Boy, Bedroom Farce and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. A wide range of actors have appeared at the Rose including Jane Asher and Celia Imrie (in Hay Fever), Peter Bowles (in Love’s Labours Lost), Dame Judi Dench (in A Midsummer Night’s Dream) and Timothy West (in The Winslow Boy).
In November 2010 the Rose won an award for ‘Best Commitment to the Community’ at the Kingston Business Awards. The same week, Sir Peter Hall won the Golden Seagull award for his contribution to World Theatre at the Evening Standard Awards.
The Rose is supported by Royal Borough of Kingston and Kingston University. However, it receives no funding from the Arts Council England.
Graduation Ceremonies
Kingston UniversityKingston University
Kingston University is a public research university located in Kingston upon Thames, southwest London, United Kingdom. It was originally founded in 1899 as Kingston Technical Institute, a polytechnic, and became a university in 1992....
has held its graduation ceremonies at the Rose Theatre since 2010 (students completing their dergee in 2009); they were, for many years, previously held at the Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
and in 2009 at the Royal Festival Hall
Royal Festival Hall
The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,900-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge. It is a Grade I listed building - the first post-war building to become so protected...
.