Welcome back to the blog for the old Soho Poly theatre. It’s
been 5 years since our first festival in the amazing reclaimed space that was,
between 1972 and 1990, home to the Soho Poly - at the time one of the most
famous fringe theatres in the country.
The Soho Poly got its name when the Soho Theatre, founded in
1968 by Fred Proud and Verity Bargate, moved their theatre into premises owned
by the Polytechnic of Central London (now the University of Westminster). The theatre
left the venue in 1990 and a decade later relocated to Dean Street, where it
continues to thrive today. Sadly, the old Soho Poly basement was then more or
less abandoned. In 2012, it was ‘re-opened’ briefly for a festival
commemorating its 40 year anniversary.
And now, in 2017, we’re opening it up again so that people
can step off Riding House Street and down the rickety concrete steps into the subterranean
space that saw actors, writers and directors such as Nigel Hawthorne, Bob
Hoskins, Harriet Walters, David Edgar, Robert Holman, Caryl Churchill and Adrian
Shergold cut their teeth.
This opportunity is part of the Being Human festival,
supported by the British Academy, the AHRC and London University’s School of
Advanced Studies. Each day of the week beginning 20 November, we're running a programme of events from 1.00pm to 2.15pm, calling back to the theatre’s pioneering model of ‘lunchtime theatre’ – designed to disrupt the
working day with cultural and artistic pursuits. Each day, the theatre’s
very first artistic director, Fred Proud, will introduce the space. Then there
will be live poetry (curated by Mike Garry, and in collaboration with Live Canon, and a newly-commission piece of 'digital theatre' produced by
the cutting-edge Hannah Bruce and Company. There will also be an exhibition of
theatrical memorabilia and very rare production photos by Nobby Clark – some of
which have never been displayed before.
There’s a link to the events here, and more information in another blog post here. 25 free tickets are
available every day, and we’d love to see you in this secret London landmark.
Booking essential - so grab your spot while there's still time! And contact organisers Matt Morrison and Guy Osborn for further details.
