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Founded in 1980, the 'Finborough Theatre' in Earls Court, in the London Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, presents new British writing, UK premieres of overseas drama (particularly from the United States, Canada, and Ireland), music theatre, and rarely performed rediscovered plays from the last 150 years.

Contents

History

1980s

1990s

2000s

Musical Theatre

Awards

External links

History

1980s

In its first decade, artists working at the theatre included Clive Barker, Kathy Burke, Ken Campbell, Mark Rylance and Clare Dowie (the world premiere of ''Adult Child/Dead Child'').

1990s

From 1991-1994, the theatre was at the forefront of the explosion of new writing with Naomi Wallace’s first play ''The War Boys''; Rachel Weisz in David Farr’s ''Neville Southall’s Washbag'' which later became the award-winning ''West End'' play, Elton John’s ''Glasses''; and three plays by Anthony Neilson: ''The Year of the Family''; ''Normal: the Dusseldorf 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. Highlights included new plays by Tony Marchant, David Eldridge, Mark Ravenhill, and Phil Willmott. New writing development including Mark Ravenhill’s ''Shopping and Fucking'' (Royal Court, West End and Broadway) and Naomi Wallace’s ''Slaughter City'' (Royal Shakespeare Company), the UK premiere of David Mamet’s ''The Woods'', and Anthony Neilson’s ''The Censor'', which transferred to the Royal Court.
Neil McPherson became Artistic Director in January 1999.

2000s

Time Out Critics’ Choice winners since 1999 have included the UK premieres of Brad Fraser’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 premiere 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; Lynn Siefert’s ''Coyote Ugly''; the first London revival for more than 40 years of Rolf Hochhuth’s ''Soldiers''; the major revival of 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'' (published by Oberon Books), Simon Vinnicombe’s ''Year 10'' (published by Methuen), Joy Wilkinson's ''Fair'' (published by Nick Hern Books) which transferred to the West End.
Other productions have included ''Waterloo Day'' with Robert Lang; Sarah Phelps’ ''Modern Dance for Beginners'', subsequently produced at the Soho Theatre; Carolyn Scott-Jeffs’ sell-out comedy ''Out in the Garden'', which transferred to the Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh; the London premiere of Larry Kramer’s ''The Destiny of Me'' (No 1 Critics Choice in The Evening Standard); ''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''; ''Etta Jenks'' with Clarke Peters and Daniela Nardini; ''The Gigli Concert'' with Niall Buggy, Catherine Cusack and Paul McGann which transferred to the Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh),; ''Hortensia and the Museum of Dreams'' with Linda Bassett, ''Albert's Boy'' by James Graham starring Victor Spinetti, (published by Methuen), Peter Oswald’s ''Lucifer Saved'' with Mark Rylance, ''Blackwater Angel'', the UK debut of Irish playwright Jim Nolan with Sean Campion and the first London revival for over seventy years of Loyalties by John Galsworthy.

Musical Theatre

The Finborough is becoming increasingly known for its productions of musical theatre, including the UK premiere of Darius Milhaud’s opera ''Médée''; the musical ''Schwartz It All About'' which transferred to Edinburgh and the King's Head Theatre, the UK premieres of ''Lucky Nurse and Other Short Musical Plays'' by John Michael LaChuisa and ''Myths and Hymns'' by Adam Guettel, ''Three Sides'' by Grant Olding, and an acclaimed series of musical theatre - The Finborough Gaieties – 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, and ''The Zoo'', an operetta by Arthur Sullivan and Bolton Rowe.

Awards

The Finborough Theatre won the "Guinness Award for Theatrical Ingenuity" in 1996 and 1997; the prestigious "Pearson Playwrights Scheme" bursary for writers Chris Lee in 2000, Laura Wade in 2005 (also for "Pearson Award Best Play"), James Graham in 2006 and Al Smith in 2007; was shortlisted for the "Empty Space Peter Brook Award" in 2003, and in 2004; and the "Empty Space Peter Brook Award's Dan Crawford Pub Theatre Award" in 2005. In 2004, the theatre was named by ''Variety'' as one of the top five fringe venues in London.

External links

★ Finborough Theatre website which includes an extensive archive of previous productions