Dates:
New Court Theatre: 1888 – 1952
Royal Court Theatre: 1956 – present
Official website: https://royalcourttheatre.com
Theatre Downstairs – The main proscenium arch theatre space, currently 400 seats, opened in 1952.
Theatre Upstairs – Opened in 1969 as a 63 seat venue
History & Past Productions:
- 1995: Threatened with closure. £16.2 million awarded from the National Lottery to redevelop the building and all facilities. Work began on 24 March 1996.
- Not Quite Jerusalem (2 December 1980 – 10 January 1981) by Paul Kember
- Rhinoceros (April 28 1960 for a limited season): by Ionesco, starring Laurence Olivier, Joan Plowright, Alan Webb, Duncan Macrae, Miles Malleson
- Krapp’s Last Tape (October 1958 – ?) performed by Patrick Magee, written by Samuel Beckett – Premiere production.
- Don’t Look Back in Anger (1956 )by John Osborne, the third production of the English Stage Company.
- 1952: Theatre reconstructed by Robert Cromie, and the number of seats was reduced to under 500. It reopened in 1952.
- 1932 – 1940: Used as a cinema, before World War II bomb damage closed the building.
- 1888 September 24th – The present building first opened, as the New Court Theatre. Designed by Walter Eden and Bertie Crewe. Capacity was 841 in the stalls, dress circle, amphitheatre and gallery.
Artistic Directors:
- George Devine (1952 – ?) The English Stage Company began at the Royal Court in 1956.
- William Gaskill (1965 – 1972)
- Robert Kidd & Nicholas Wright (1975 – 1977)
- Max Stafford-Clarke (1979 – 1993)
- Stuart Burge
- Lindsay Anderson
- Anthony Page
- Ian Rickson (1998 – 2006)
- Dominic Cooke (2007 – 2012)
- Vicky Featherstone (2013 – )
Equipment
1971 (from The Stage Guide)
Electrics: Strand SP60 board in rear of Upper Circle. Dimmers – 60 (58 x 2kW and 2 x 5kW); 3 presets; 2 groups. Circuits – FOH 23; Flies 31; Stage dips 6. Socket type – 15A BESA. Total capacity available – 500A on 3 phases. Special effects supply – 60A on 1 phase.
Sound: Console in rear of Upper Circle. 2 amplifiers x 120W. 2 tape decks. No turntables. No mic sockets. 10 loudspeakers.
Links to information about equipment at Royal Court Theatre over the years
Documents
Mentions of Royal Court Theatre in indexed journals
Location
View in Google Maps
On Stage
