The Wapping Project is a UK

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

-based arts organisation and a working name of Women's Playhouse Trust (WPT) since 2000. WPT is a registered charity (286384) established in 1981 and incorporated in 1982. The project works as a commissioner and producer of art.

History

Throughout the 1980s and the early 1990s, WPT worked predominantly at the

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a non-commercial West End theatre in Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, Englan ...

, London. The first WPT production was a revival of

Aphra Behn Aphra Behn (; bapt. 14 December 1640 – 16 April 1689) was an English playwright, poet, prose writer and translator from the Restoration era. As one of the first English women to earn her living by her writing, she broke cultural barrie ...

's ''The Lucky Chance'', performed at the Royal Court in 1984, starring

Alan Rickman Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman (21 February 1946 – 14 January 2016) was an English actor and director. Known for his deep, languid voice, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and became a member of the Royal Shakespe ...

and

Harriet Walter Dame Harriet Mary Walter (born 24 September 1950) is a British actress. She has received a Laurence Olivier Award as well as numerous nominations including for a Tony Award, three Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 20 ...

. In 1993 WPT began to mount work in the derelict

Wapping Hydraulic Power Station The Wapping Hydraulic Power Station (built 1890) was originally run by the London Hydraulic Power Company in Wapping, London, England. Originally, it operated using steam, and was later converted to use electricity. It was used to power machin ...

in the

East End of London The East End of London, often referred to within the London area simply as the East End, is the historic core of wider East London, east of the Roman and medieval walls of the City of London and north of the River Thames. It does not have uni ...

. WPT purchased the building from London Development Agency and invested £4 million in converting it into an arts centre. The conversion was designed and overseen by architectural practice Shed 54. The new gallery space opened on the 10 October 2000. WPT sold the Wapping Hydraulic Power Station in 2013. WPT's founder and artistic Director, Jules Wright, who was diagnosed with cancer in February 2015 and died on 21 June 2015. WPT continues its artistic work under its working name The Wapping Project, headed by its former Deputy Director, Marta Michalowska, and a longstanding collaborator of Jules Wright, Thomas Zanon-Larcher.

Recent work by The Wapping Project

* Andrea Luka Zimmerman's feature documentary ''Erase and Forget'' * Shona Illingworth's installation ''Topologies of Air'' * Mairéad McClean's installation ''Making Her Mark''

References

External links

The Wapping Project website

WPT archives at Bristol Theatre Collection
1981 establishments in England Arts organizations established in 1981 Arts organisations based in England Charities based in London Cultural organisations based in London {{UK-org-stub