Guest Blog: Executive Director Mark Perry On Relaunching Chiswick Playhouse

Having been a Chiswick resident myself for over 15 years, I'm aware of the remarkable history of artists and theatre practitioners who have lived and worked in the area. Not only have a raft of famous actors chosen Chiswick as their home (Colin Firth, Vanessa Redgrave, Richard Briers to name a few), but also the playwrights who have lived there include some of the great names in British theatre - John Osbourne, Harold Pinter, Arthur Pinero and Patrick Hamilton, amongst others.

It was 50 years ago, in 1959, that the curtain fell at the Chiswick Empire for the last time. Stars such as Laurel and Hardy, Vera Lynn, George Formby, Terry Thomas and Liberace all performed at the Empire when it was one of the most prominent theatres in London. Recently, the only theatre in Chiswick has been The Tabard Theatre, a successful and popular local venue running since 1985. Over the years, there have been many highlights; titles such as The Famous Five, Stig of the Dump and Ruddigore stand out, and several productions have gone on to have successful runs elsewhere, such as Liza Liza Liza and Wolfboy.

With our relaunch and rebrand of the Chiswick Playhouse, we are taking inspiration from the area's illustrious history and building on the fine roots of The Tabard. By changing the name, we want to demonstrate our pride in our local heritage and ensure that the local community recognises the venue as Chiswick's local theatre.

We also want the wider London theatregoing audience to recognise our reputation as an exciting producing theatre, creating shows that will start in Chiswick and move on to other London venues and beyond. Lots of venues focus on types of work - new writing, musicals etc. Rather than genres, we want Chiswick Playhouse to be the breeding ground for the next generation of top creatives. The first season is a clear marker for this, with rising stars Charlotte Westenra, Lucy Jane Atkinson and Phoebe Barran directing our in-house productions.

Our inaugural production, from 30 October to 30 November, is a UK premiere: the revamped, brand-new version of I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change. After playing over 5,000 performances Off-Broadway, this hilarious and poignant musical comedy was substantially rewritten in 2018 to reflect the challenges facing the romantics of today.

We are presenting this version for the first time in the UK with a stellar West End cast, whose credits include The Lion King, Noises Off, War Horse, Spamalot, Mamma Mia!, Hair and West Side Story, with direction from Charlotte Westenra (Kiss of the Spiderman, Donmar Warehouse; Frost/Nixon, Michael Grandage Company as Associate Director).

From 4 December to 4 January, 2020, Chiswick Playhouse will present an irresistible reimagined take on the classic Christmas tale Hansel and Gretel, directed by Lucy Jane Atkinson (A Hundred Words for Snow, Trafalgar Studios; Vespertilio, VAULT Festival). This children's adventure will take audiences far from city life, gaming and social media into a world of lollipop houses and tap-dancing cockroaches. Here lives a witch with a penchant for single-use plastic and the only remaining sustainable food source: children.

Running from 5-29 February, the gripping revival of Tryst will return following a sell-out run in 2017, once again directed by Phoebe Barran (Four Days In Hong Kong, Orange Tree Theatre; award-winning short film Snapshots). Based on a true story, this tense, passion-fuelled thriller is about the serial fraudster, George Love, who encountered a naive and vulnerable shopgirl, Adelaide Pinchin, in Victorian London. What follows shocks them both as Love's elaborate heist begins to unravel in frightening and unpredictable ways...

Chiswick Playhouse will continue The Tabard's strong reputation as a comedy venue, with numerous emerging and high-profile comedians, including Love Island's Iain Stirling, who will perform in March.

The refurbishment works has involved renovating the front-of-house area, and the new seating deck ensures a comfortable experience with a great view from every seat.

We want Chiswick to have a theatre to be proud of. So whether you live locally, or fancy a visit to this culturally rich and leafy part of London, we can't wait to welcome you to the Chiswick Playhouse!

Find out more about Chiswick Playhouse here

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