Arcola Theatre, 2016
© Lidia Crisafulli

Arcola Theatre

East London's new writing stronghold is a bit erratic but much appreciated
  • Theatre | Private theatres
  • Dalston
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Time Out says

Situated slap bang in the middle of Dalston since 2000, the Arcola Theatre was here before the hipsters and – despite one enforced change from its original venue on Arcola Street to its present former paint factory site – remains a bastion of interesting work in theatre-light east London.

The programme here is quite unpredictable but occasionally brilliant: shows have often been announced late in the day and it’s tricky to really put your finger on what the artistic policy is supposed to be. Still, expect revivals of ‘serious dramas’, new plays from fresh voices, and plenty of work with a political, international outlook programmed across its 200-capacity main auditorium and smaller downstairs studio space.

Its biggest constant is Grimeborn, an irreverent and influential festival of new opera writing that takes place in the summer to coincide with the world-famous Glyndebourne Opera Festival. There’s also a real focus on work of interest to the area’s local communities, with occasional stagings of Turkish language plays sitting alongside dramas by the Arcola’s Queer Collective. Tickets generally start at £15-£20, with a small number of Pay What You Want tickets available in person on Tuesdays.

The ramshackle bar is a cosy place to sink a pint before or after the show; it serves tea and coffee during the day, and generally fills up with artsy types on a Friday or Saturday night. The Arcola also has an admirable commitment to becoming completely carbon neutral, as demonstrated in its rather advanced-looking toilets. 

Details

Address
24 Ashwin St
London
E8 3DL
Transport:
Dalston Kingsland or Dalston Junction Overground
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What’s on

Heisenberg

Simon Stephens’s cross-generational romcom Heisenberg was one of the prolific Brit playwright’s more conventional outings and scored releatively tepid notices when it hit the West End in 2017. But this new production could disrupt the younger-woman-falls-for-older-man cliches: it’s a ‘queer reimagining’ wherein older butcher Alex and kooky young thing Georgie are both female. Katherine Farmer directs.
  • Drama

The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives

Lola Shoneyin's novel is a scandalous look at love and polygamy in present-day Nigeria. It's coming to Arcola Theatre in a new stage adaptation by Rotimi Babatunde, which'll bring this story of a man, his three wives, and the young graduate who rocks their household to the core. Femi Elufowoju, jr will direct a West African cast in a production that features live Yoruba songs and dance. 
  • Drama
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