Summer Season at the SPACE
London theatre news: Tuesday 31 May 2016
London Fringe - Seasons
The Space has announced its new season for the summer, and to celebrate they're throwing a launch party on 2 June 2016.
Photo: Peter Brown 2015
The Space, now in its 20th year as a performing arts centre, has announced its upcoming summer season.
The June to August programme will see a mix of new writing, devised work, family-friendly shows, comedy and musical theatre.
Alongside the action-packed season at the Westferry Road site, the venue is also returning to the Crossrail Place Roof Garden for a second summer of free shows and events in conjunction with the Canary Wharf Group.
Launch Party
To celebrate the upcoming season, the venue is holding a launch party on Thursday 2 June 2016.
Tickets cost £10 (half price for the theatre's Stargazer members) and the event starts at 7-30, continuing for 4 hours.
The Space's Spring season included brand-new musical theatre, new writing, revitalized classics, the return of the fourth annual One Festival, plus their latest in-house show The Lighthouse.
The upcoming Summer season looks no less varied - companies from London and beyond will feature in a carefully selected blend of new writing, compelling revivals, exciting Edinburgh previews and showcases of fresh talent.
After supporting nearly 200 new playwrights in February 2016 with the return of playwriting challenge 29 Plays Later, new writing proves a major theme at the Space this season.
Challenge participant Joshua Meredith transfers his critically-acclaimed play You Boy to the venue for three nights as part of a UK tour.
Presented by LIPA graduates SeeGold Productions, the show explores the notion of family and commitment through the story of a pair of brothers in the North East of England.
The Soldier and Death
, who recently received critical acclaim for their revival of Anthony Neilson’s The Wonderful World of Dissocia, will present a week-long run of The Soldier and Death.
Devised by the company from the original Grimm tale, this twisting story of heroes and their failings is sure to delight adults and children alike.
untranslatable.
A new show in a collaboration between Althea Theatre and HeSaidSheSaid Productions, explores a collection of moments that create a modern-day relationship.
A modern-day Closer for a society where romance is formed by fleeting connections on WhatsApp and Tinder, this poetic and unusual piece plays from 2nd – 13th August.
Cats, Selfies and the Scattered Mind of the Incurable Dreamer
Themes of technology and connection also play a part in the Season’s closing production, Cats, Selfies and the Scattered Mind of the Incurable Dreamer.
Using the setting of a virtual café in a computer highway, Room39 explore the ways in which the internet can both bring people together and tear them apart.
Force of Trump
Against the backdrop of the ongoing US election race, Neuron Theatre present a week-long run of Force of Trump.
This satirical new farce imagines a 2017 where Donald Trump has secured the presidency, and is described as 'a whistle-stop tour through the 21st century’s politics of populism and hate.’
The Invisible Condition
Politics also plays a part in new show The Invisible Condition, a new piece created by Last Word Theatre to explore the current state of mental health care in the NHS.
Based on verbatim interviews from patients, staff, campaigners and academics, the LAMDA-trained company uses real untold stories to present a thought-provoking social commentary.
Lamp Lite: LookBook
Creative collective The Sexy Lamp Society present a single night of new writing in Lamp Lite: LookBook, with staged extracts from eight new and emerging writers, and brand new play Permafrost from Londonville Lit receives its premiere at the Space on 25th July.
The Spring Season saw The Space receive critical acclaim for two brand-new musicals – The Picture of Dorian Gray and Poppies – and they are continuing this support in this season with a showcase produced by two returning companies.
FLYING DUTCHMAN (The Musical Detective Agency, March 2014) and Van Elst A.M.O. (Becoming Mohammed, May 2015) will pair up to present three nights of The Musical Theatre Studio in July.
The show will provide a platform for new and emerging musical theatre talent from up-and-coming performers, writers and directors to present new work.
Edinburgh previews
The Space will also play host to previews of exciting new work heading to Edinburgh Fringe this summer, including Dreaming of Leaves, a work-in-progress from movement company WHIMSY on 13th July.
This post-apocalyptic play blends music and movement to tell the story of an uncertain future.
Dark, gritty drama Family Values, an Edinburgh preview from , explores themes of family and redemption and plays from 27th – 30th July.
The Sketch Men: Attempted Jokes - 18th - 21st July
And there's comedy in the season too, with a short stint from The Sketch Men: Attempted Jokes in July.
The razor-sharp characters from the new duo sold out April previews across London and recently received critical acclaim at the Greater Manchester Fringe.
Revivals
Finally, exciting contemporary revivals have also made the programme this season.
Directed by Holly Mazur, Oh The Humanity is a compelling show from New York playwright Will Eno which has previously received critical acclaim on both sides of the pond.
Mazur’s production marks an exciting new Fringe debut for the show, which will perform at the end of August.
Guest performers
Alongside a varied programme at the Space itself, one-off shows from special guest performers will be presented free of charge at the Crossrail Place Roof Garden.
These include a special performance of February’s sell-out show Ash; guest slots from the Half Moon Theatre in Limehouse; and TimeZone Theatre’s compelling revival of Othello.
Venue
The Space
269 Westferry Road
London E14 3RS
Dates
Launch Party - 2 June 2016 at 7-30pm
Tickets: £10 (Stargazer Members get 50% off )
Links
The Space - summer season
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