Royal Court Theatre Launches New Project In Shopping Centre

The Royal Court Theatre launches Theatre Local today (Tuesday February 2nd), presenting a season of work in a disused shop at the Elephant and Castle shopping centre over a six-month period.

Theatre Local will open with a three-week run of random by debbie tucker green. First performed at the Royal Court in 2008, it will embark on a national tour after opening at the Elephant and Castle. It will be followed by three Jerwood Theatre Upstairs shows from the Royal Court's current season - Disconnect, The Empire, and Spur of The Moment - each of which will transfer for a short run.

Theatre Local, sponsored by Bloomberg, is a long-term project of Artistic Director Dominic Cooke, following on from a successful pilot run of Oxford Street by Levi David Addai at the shopping centre in June 2008. The project aims to take productions out of the Royal Court's Sloane Square home, placing them in alternative spaces at the heart of a local community in order to open the work of the Royal Court up to a wider and more diverse audience.

With a commitment from Bloomberg to supporting this initiative over three years, Theatre Local aims to present theatre in a variety of different locations, starting at the Elephant and Castle Shopping Centre in 2010, with plans to build and expand in the future.

Artistic Director at The Royal Court Theatre Dominic Cooke said: "Theatre Local is a new initiative which takes Royal Court plays to the heart of a community that may not otherwise get the chance to see our work. It forms an integral part of our ambition to create unpredictable relationships between new plays and audiences.

"After Oxford Street in 2008, we felt Elephant & Castle Shopping Centre was the perfect base for us to start this venture. It sits at the centre of one of the most vibrant and diverse communities in Europe and we are looking forward to forging links with local people and welcoming new audiences to see our shows. Experiencing these four very different plays in the bustling environment of a shopping centre should be a thrilling and invigorating experience for everyone involved. We hope it will contribute to creating a new generation of audiences for the Court, both at our home in Sloane Square and beyond.

"The next six months will be a hectic time for us with four plays in Elephant and Castle, and two productions in the West End, alongside our core work in Sloane Square. We're looking forward to sharing exciting new plays in new spaces with new audiences."

Lex Fenwick from Bloomberg said: "From dance on the streets and theatre in squares, to pavilions in parks and installations on billboards, Bloomberg is committed to reaching new audiences and we are delighted that our collaboration with The Royal Court Theatre on Theatre Local will inspire artists and audiences to engage in new ways and in new spaces. This represents an exciting new dimension to Bloomberg's ongoing commitment to provide opportunities to those who might not otherwise have access to the arts. We are delighted to be part of such a unique and extraordinary project."

 

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