The Finborough Arms
The Finborough Arms was built in 1868 to a design by George Godwin and his younger brother Henry. It was one of five public houses built by Corbett and McClymont in the Earls Court area during the West London development boom of the 1860s. The pub opened in 1871. The ground floor and basement of the building was converted into The Finborough Road Brasserie from 2008 to 2010 and The Finborough Wine Cafe from 2010 to 2012. The pub reopened under its original name of The Finborough Arms in February 2014.1980s
June Abbott opened the theatre above the Finborough Arms Public House in June 1980. In its first decade, artists working at the new theatre included Clive Barker, Kathy Burke, Ken Campbell, Mark Rylance, and Clare Dowie who appeared in the world première of her own play ''Adult Child/Dead Child''.1990s
From 1991 to 1994, the theatre was best known for new writing with Naomi Wallace’s first play ''The War Boys''; Rachel Weisz in David Farr’s ''Neville Southall's Washbag'', Elton John’s ''Glasses''; ''Holding Back the Ocean'' by Godfrey Hamilton; and three plays by2000s
Productions since 2000 have included the UK premières of Brad Fraser’s ''Wolfboy''; Lanford Wilson’s ''Sympathetic Magic''; Tennessee Williams’ ''Something Cloudy, Something Clear''; and Frank McGuinness’ ''Gates of Gold'' with William Gaunt and the late John Bennett in his last stage role which transferred to the West End; the London première of Sonja Linden’s ''I Have Before Me a Remarkable Document Given to Me by a Young Lady from Rwanda''; the specially commissioned adaptation of W.H. Davies’ ''Young Emma'' by Laura Wade and directed by Tamara Harvey; the first London revival for more than 40 years of Rolf Hochhuth’s ''Soldiers''; Keith Dewhurst's ''Lark Rise to Candleford'', performed in promenade and in repertoire; the Great War drama ''Red Night'', and five first plays by new writers: Jason Hall's ''Eyes Catch Fire''; Chris Dunkley’s ''Mirita''; Dameon Garnett's ''Break Away'' , Simon Vinnicombe's ''Year 10'', Joy Wilkinson's ''Fair'' which transferred to the West End; ''Waterloo Day'' with Robert Lang; Sarah Phelps’ ''Modern Dance for Beginners'', subsequently produced at the Soho Theatre; Carolyn Scott-Jeffs' comedy ''Out in the Garden'', which transferred to the Assembly Rooms,2010s
In March 2010 the theatre presented the world premiere of ''A Day at the Racists'', a new piece of political theatre by Anders Lustgarten, charting the rise of the BNP in Barking. In 2011 productions included a critically acclaimed production of ''Mixed Marriage'' by St John Ervine, as well as Dawn King's ''Foxfinder'', as well as revivals of Emlyn Williams's ''Accolade'' and Caryl Churchill's ''Fen''. Air conditioning was also installed in 2011. In 2012 productions at the theatre included John McGrath's ''Events While Guarding the Bofors Gun'' and revivals of Arthur Miller's '' The American Clock'' and J. B. Priestley's ''Cornelius'' which subsequently transferred2020s
Productions in 2020: 7 January – 1 February 2020. ''Scrounger'' by Athena Stevens. Directed by Lily McLeish. World premiere. 4 February – 29 February 2020. ''On McQuillan's Hill'' by Joe Crilly. Directed by Jonathan Harden. English premiere. 3 March – 15 March 2020. ''Not Quite Jerusalem'' by Paul Kember. Directed by Peter Kavanagh. First new UK production in 40 years. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, the Finborough Theatre temporarily closed, cancelling its remaining productions for 2020. From May 2020, the Finborough Theatre began its #FinboroughForFree programme of archive productions streamed online: 7 May – 7 July 2020. ''It Is Easy To Be Dead'' by Neil McPherson. Directed by Max Key. World premiere production from 2016. 18 May – 31 December 2021. ''Continuity'' by Gerry Moynihan. Directed by Shane Dempsey. World premiere production from 2017. 5 June – 5 August 2020. ''Jane Clegg'' by St John Ervine. Directed by David Gilmore. First London production in over 75 years from 2019. 2 July – 2 September 2020. ''Blueprint Medea'' by Julia Pascal. Directed by Julia Pascal. World premiere production from 2019. 1 – 3 and 31 August 2020. ''Scrounger'' by Athena Stevens. Directed by Lily McLeish. World premiere production from January 2020. 7 September – 7 October 2020. ''Death of a Hunter'' by Rolf Hochhuth. Directed by Anthony Shrubsall. UK and English language premiere production from 2018. 1 October – 12 November 2020. '' Adding Machine (musical)'' by Jason Loewith and Joshua Schmidt. Directed by Josh Seymour. UK premiere production from 2016. 1 November – 31 December 2020. ''I Wish To Die Singing – Voices From The Armenian Genocide'' by Neil McPherson. Directed by Tommo Fowler. World premiere production from 2015. 1 December 2020 – 1 February 2021. ''S-27'' by Sarah Grochala. Directed by Stephen Keyworth. The world premiere of the winner of Amnesty International’s first Protect The Human Playwriting Competition. From January 2021 the Finborough Theatre began to produce new original online content as part of its #FinboroughForFree programme: 1 February – 30 April 2021. ''Late Night Staring At High Res Pixels'' by Athena Stevens. Directed Lily McLeish. The world premiere of a new play repurposed for online viewing. 1 April – 8 April 2021. ''Playfight'' by Julia Grogan. Directed by Blanche McIntyre. The world premiere rehearsed reading of the winner of the 2020 ETPEP Competition. 24 May – 20 June 2021. ''A Brief List of Everyone Who Died'' by Jacob Marx Rice. Directed by Alex Howarth. The world premiere rehearsed reading. 22 June – 20 July 2021. ''Leather'' by Peter Scott-Presland. Directed by Patrick Kealey. The first production in more than thirty years. 28 July – 25 August 2021. ''Masks and Faces or, Before and Behind the Curtain'' by Charles Reade and Tom Taylor. Directed by Matthew Iliffe. The online premiere of a unique rediscovery. In September 2021, the Finborough Theatre reopened for live performances: 28 September – 23 October 2021. ''How To Survive An Apocalypse'' by Jordan Hall. Directed by Jimmy Walters. UK premiere production from 2016. 26 October – 20 November 2021. ''The Sugar House'' by Alana Valentine. Directed by Tom Brennan. The European Premiere. 23 November – 18 December 2021. ''Yes So I Said Yes'' by David Ireland. Directed by Max Elton. The Great Britain premiere. 28 January – 25 February 2022. ''An Earl's Court Miscellany'' devised and directed by Catherine Harvey. The online world premiere. 31 January – 28 February 2022. ''How To Make A Revolution'' by Einat Weizman with Issa Amro. Directed by Tommo Fowler. The online world premiere. 1 March – 2 April 2022. ''Bacon'' by Sophie Swithinbank. Directed by Matthew Iliffe. The world premiere. 19 April – 14 May 2022. ''The Straw Chair'' by Sue Glover. Directed by Polly Creed. The English premiere. 17 May – 11 June 2022. ''Bliss'' by Fraser Grace. Directed by Paul Bourne. The world premiere. Online from Monday, 30 May 2022. ''#FinboroughFrontier: Otvetka'' by Neda Nezhdana. Translated by John Farndon. The online premiere. Online from Monday, 6 June 2022. ''#FinboroughFrontier: The Peed-Upon Armored Personnel Carrier'' by Oksana Gritsenko. Translated by John Freedman. The online premiere. Online from Monday, 13 June 2022. ''#FinboroughFrontier: A Dictionary of Emotions in a Time of War'' by Yelena Astasyeva. Translated by John Freedman. The online premiere. 14 June - 9 July 2022. ''Darkie Armo Girl'' by Karine Bedrossian. Directed by Anastasia Bunce. The world premiere. Online from Monday, 4 July 2022. ''#FinboroughFrontier: Stand Up For Ukraine'' Written and Performed by Bréon Rydell. The online premiere. 9 August - 3 September 2022. Two Ukrainian Plays. ''Take The Rubbish Out, Sasha'' by Natal’ya Vorozhbit. Directed by Svetlana Dimcovic. The English Premiere. ''Pussycat in Memory of Darkness'' by Neda Nezhdana. Directed by Polly Creed. The first production outside Ukraine. Online from Monday, 29 August 2022. ''#FinboroughFrontier: Tatiana Voltskaya'' Poems by Tatiana Voltskaya. Translated by John Farndon with Larissa Itina. The online premiere. Online from Thursday, 1 September 2022. ''#FinboroughFrontier: Director Polly Creed interviews Tetyana Filevska and Karina Sabri.'' 6 September - 1 October 2022. ''Distinguished Villa'' by Kate O'Brien. Directed by Hugh Fraser. The first London production since 1926. 4 October - 29 October 2022. ''The Coral'' by Georg Kaiser. Directed by Emily Louizou. The first UK production in 100 years. 1 November - 26 November 2022. ''Not Now'' by David Ireland. Directed by Max Elton. The English premiere. 29 November - 21 December 2022. ''12:37'' by Julia Pascal. Directed by Julia Pascal. The world premiere. 3 January - 28 January 2023. '' Salt-Water Moon'' by David French. Directed by Peter Kavanagh. The UK premiere. 31 January - 25 February 2023. ''One Who Wants To Cross'' by Marc-Emmanuel Soriano. Directed by Alice Hamilton. The UK premiere. 28 February - 25 March 2023. ''The Journey To Venice'' byMusical theatre
The Finborough Theatre has also presented musical theatre, including ''Schwartz It All About'' which transferred to Edinburgh and the King's Head Theatre, the world premiere of Charles Miller and Kevin Hammonds' ''When Midnight Strikes'', the UK premieres of ''Lucky Nurse and Other Short Musical Plays'' by Michael John LaChuisa, Darius Milhaud’s opera ''Médée'', '' Myths and Hymns'' by Adam Guettel, ''John and Jen'' by Andrew Lippa and ''Three Sides'' by Grant Olding, and an acclaimed series 'Celebrating British Musical Theatre' from the Victorian and Edwardian era with ''Awards
The Finborough Theatre has won the Pearson Award bursary for playwrights nine times for Chris Lee in 2000, Laura Wade in 2005, James Graham in 2006, Al Smith in 2007, Anders Lustgarten in 2009, Simon Vinnicombe in 2010, Dawn King in 2011, Shamser Sinha in 2013 and Chris Thompson in 2014 – as well as the Pearson Award for Best Play for Laura Wade in 2005 and – under its new name – the Catherine Johnson Best Play Award in 2007 for James Graham and for Anders Lustgarten in 2010. Anders Lustgarten also won the inaugural Harold Pinter Playwrights Award for the same play, ''A Day at the Racists'', in 2011. The Finborough Theatre won the Empty Space Peter Brook Award in 2010 and for a second time in 2012. It was also the inaugural winner of the Empty Space Peter Brook Award's Dan Crawford Pub Theatre Award in 2005 which it also won again in 2008. It has also won the Empty Space Peter Brook Mark Marvin Award in 2004 . The Finborough Theatre won four awards in total at the 2011 Off West End Awards, and at the 2012 Off West End Awards, the Finborough Theatre won eight awards in total including Best Artistic Director and Best Director for the second year running, and Best Production, Best Male Performance and Most Promising New Playwright. The Finborough Theatre was awarded The Stage 100's inaugural Fringe Theatre of the Year award in 2011. Neil McPherson was named as Best Artistic Director in the 2009 Fringe Report Awards and both the 2011 and 2012 Off West End Awards, and won an award for the Encouragement of New Writing from the Writers Guild of Great Britain in 2010.Artistic directors
* June Abbott (1980–1982) * Mike McCormack (1982–1988) * Jessica Dromgoole (1988–1991) * Cathryn Horn and Mary Peate (1991–1994) * Phil Willmott (1994–1999) * Neil McPherson (1999–)References
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