Stratford East (formerly known as Theatre Royal Stratford East) is a 460 seat Victorian producing

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...

in Stratford in the

London Borough of Newham The London Borough of Newham () is a London borough created in 1965 by the London Government Act 1963. It covers an area previously administered by the Essex county boroughs of West Ham and East Ham, authorities that were both abolished by ...

. Since 1953, it has been the home of the

Theatre Workshop Theatre Workshop is a theatre group whose long-serving director was Joan Littlewood. Many actors of the 1950s and 1960s received their training and first exposure with the company, many of its productions were transferred to theatres in the West ...

company, famously associated with director

Joan Littlewood Joan Maud Littlewood (6 October 1914 – 20 September 2002) was an English theatre director who trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and is best known for her work in developing the Theatre Workshop. She has been called "The Mother of M ...

, whose statue is outside the theatre.

History

The theatre was designed by architect James George Buckle, and commissioned by Charles Dillon, né Silver, adoptive son of the actor-manager Charles Dillon (died 1881) in 1884. It is the architect's only surviving work, built on the site of a wheelwright's shop on Salway Road, close to the junction with Angel Lane. It opened on 17 December 1884 with a revival of '' Richelieu'' by

Edward Bulwer-Lytton Edward George Earle Lytton Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton (; 25 May 1803 – 18 January 1873) was an English writer and politician. He served as a Whig member of Parliament from 1831 to 1841 and a Conservative from 1851 to 1866. He was Secr ...

. Two years later, Dillon sold it to Albert O'Leary Fredericks, his sister's brother-in-law and one of the original backers of the scheme. In 1887 the theatre was renamed Theatre Royal and Palace of Varieties and side extensions were added in 1887. The stage was enlarged in 1891, by the original architect. In 1902,

Frank Matcham Francis Matcham (22 November 1854 – 17 May 1920)Mackintosh, Iain"Matcham, Frank" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, accessed 7 July 2019 was an English architect who specialised in the design of theatres and ...

undertook minor improvements to the entrance and foyer. The Theatre reverted to its Theatre Royal Stratford East ('TRSE') name in 1914. A fire on the stage on August Bank Holiday Monday of 1921 did considerable damage to the rear of the theatre. Thankfully the fire happened at midnight, with the safety curtain lowered, saving the auditorium which retains many of its original features to this day. The theatre was closed until January 1922. The Fredericks family continued to manage the theatre until 1932, although after the

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, the theatre fell into financial difficulties, opening only irregularly after 1926.''West Ham: Worthies, entertainments, sports and pastimes'', A History of the County of Essex: Volume 6 (1973), pp. 64–67
Retrieved: 29 May 2008 The proscenium is surmounted by the letters "FF", commemorating the association with the Fredericks – possibly Frederick Fredericks, the husband of Dillon's sister, and a successful actor in his own right. Theatre superstition has it that should the letters ever be removed, the theatre will crumble. TRSE closed in 1938 and remained closed until 1943. Revues were then briefly tried, but failed, and again the theatre was closed until October 1946. Taken over by David Horne, it briefly became a successful playhouse including the legendary premiere of Patrick Hamilton's '' Gaslight'', with

Sybil Thorndike Dame Agnes Sybil Thorndike, Lady Casson (24 October 18829 June 1976) was an English actress whose stage career lasted from 1904 to 1969. Trained in her youth as a concert pianist, Thorndike turned to the stage when a medical problem with her h ...

and Derek Bond – which ran for six months and was the theatre's first transfer to the West End. The theatre closed again in December 1949. In late 1950, a touring company presented the Christmas

pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment, generally combining gender-crossing actors and topical humour with a story more or less based on a well-known fairy tale, fable or ...

, ''Alice in Wonderland''. Highly experimental, its success was by no means guaranteed or uniform throughout the tour. "They'll lynch us", recalls Sven Stahl. "I still have nightmares about Alice in Wonderland at Barnsley and the miners throwing pennies at John Blanshard." The company were to return, as the

in 1953, with artistic director

and take over the theatre. The theatre came under threat with the construction of the Stratford shopping centre in the 1970s, but was saved by a public campaign and protected in June 1972 by

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, a battlefield, medieval castles, Roman forts, historic industrial sites, Lis ...

with a Grade II* listing.English Heritage listing details
Retrieved 28 April 2007 Money remained short, and the manager, Gerry Raffles, only managed redecoration and replacements as cash became available. In 2001, following a successful

Heritage Lottery Fund The National Lottery Heritage Fund, formerly the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), distributes a share of National Lottery funding, supporting a wide range of heritage projects across the United Kingdom. History The fund's predecessor bodies were ...

bid, all of the theatre's front of house and backstage areas were refurbished as part of the Olympiad's Stratford Cultural Quarter project. In 1990, TRSE scored a massive hit with the premiere of '' Five Guys Named Moe'', which immediately transferred to the West End and won the Olivier Award for Best Entertainment. The show has been produced all over the world, including Broadway, and continues to be revived regularly. In 2004, TRSE made history by having the first British Black musical, '' The Big Life'', transfer to London's West End, where it played at the Apollo Theatre. In 2005, the theatre produced a musical version of the cult Jamaican film '' The Harder They Come'' – famous for its reggae soundtrack, which also transferred to the West End. This production was written by the film director Perry Henzel and was one of the most successful productions in the theatre's history. In 2016, the theatre rebranded to simply Stratford East moving into a new contemporary age. In 2018, Nadia Fall became artistic director until 2024. Lisa Spirling took over as Artistic Director in January 2025.

Artistic directors

Joan Littlewood (1953–1974)

The Theatre Royal became famous under the management of Gerry Raffles (1928–1975), who worked with director Joan Littlewood on such productions as '' A Taste of Honey'' and '' Oh, What a Lovely War!''. In 1975, her collaborator and partner, Gerry Raffles died of

diabetes Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...

, and in 1979, a devastated Joan Littlewood moved to France, never to direct again. Notable names to get their break at TRSE include

Richard Harris Richard St John Francis Harris (1 October 1930 – 25 October 2002) was an Irish actor and singer. Having studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, he rose to prominence as an icon of the British New Wave. He received numerous a ...

, Murray Melvin,

Barbara Windsor Dame Barbara Windsor (born Barbara Ann Deeks; 6 August 193710 December 2020) was an English actress, known for her roles in the Carry On (franchise), ''Carry On'' films and for playing Peggy Mitchell in the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders''.

, Victor Spinetti, Brian Murphy, Avis Bunnage, Harry H Corbett,

Yootha Joyce Yootha Joyce Needham (20 August 1927 – 24 August 1980), known as Yootha Joyce, was an English actress best known for playing Mildred Roper opposite Brian Murphy in the sitcom '' Man About the House'' (1973–1976) and its spin-off '' George ...

, composer/lyricist

Lionel Bart Lionel Bart (1 August 1930 – 3 April 1999) was an English writer and composer of pop music and musicals. He wrote Tommy Steele's "Rock with the Caveman" and was the sole creator of the musical ''Oliver!'' (1960). With ''Oliver!'' and his work ...

, and writer Shelagh Delaney.

Michael Caine Sir Michael Caine (born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite, 14 March 1933) is a retired English actor. Known for his distinct Cockney accent, he has appeared in more than 160 films over Michael Caine filmography, a career that spanned eight decades an ...

was famously told by Littlewood: "P*ss off to Shaftesbury Avenue. You will only ever be a star. "

Ken Hill (1974–1975)

The playwright and director Ken Hill, a protégé of Joan Littlewood, took over as artistic director after she moved to France, prompted by the death of her partner, Gerry Raffles. After his short tenure as artistic director, Hill continued to work with TRSE until his death, most notably in raucous musicals. They included ''The Invisible Man'' which transferred from TRSE to the Vaudeville Theatre in the West End in 1993 and ''Zorro! The Musical'' which opened two weeks after Hill's death in 1995. Notable productions by Ken Hill at the TRSE include ''On Your Way, Riley!'' by

Alan Plater Alan Frederick Plater (15 April 1935 – 25 June 2010) was an English playwright and screenwriter, who worked extensively in British television from the 1960s to the 2000s. He is best known for the sitcom ''Oh No It's Selwyn Froggitt'' and th ...

, ''Scrape Off the Black'' by Tunde Ikoli, and ''My Girl'' by Barrie Keeffe.

Maxwell Shaw (1975–1977)

Maxwell Shaw Maxwell Shaw (21 February 1929 – 21 August 1985 in London, England) was an actor, known for ''The Barber of Stamford Hill'' (1962), ''Once More, with Feeling!'' (1960) and ''BBC Sunday-Night Theatre'' (1950). He is best remembered for his televi ...

, another member of the original Theatre Workshop, was a character actor on both stage and film, most notably in ''The Oblong Box'' and ''Start The Revolution Without Me.'' He opened his tenure at the TRSE with his own adaptation of a

Georges Feydeau Georges-Léon-Jules-Marie Feydeau (; 8 December 1862 – 5 June 1921) was a French playwright of the Belle Époque era, remembered for his farces, written between 1886 and 1914. Feydeau was born in Paris to middle-class parents and raised in a ...

farce ''Out of Practice''.

Clare Venables (1977–1979)

Clare Venables was artistic director from 1977 to 1979. She went on to run the Crucible Theatre Sheffield from 1981 to 1992, was a founding director of the Actors' Centre and a member of the Arts Council Drama panel. She was principal of the BRIT School of Performing Arts and Technology in Croydon from 1995 to 1999; and director of education of the Royal Shakespeare Company from 1991 until her death in 2003. Notable Venables productions included ''Old King Cole'', '' The Silver Tassie'', ''The Funniest Man in the World'', and ''Sisters''.

Philip Hedley (1979–2004)

Philip Hedley, who had worked as an assistant to Joan Littlewood for some years, took over the artistic directorship of the Theatre Royal from Clare Venables in 1979. He provided traditional entertainment in style of old music hall variety shows on Sunday evenings while seeking to engage with new Asian and Black audiences, as the local demographic changed. The theatre continued Littlewood's agenda to portray and express the experience of local people in East London. In 1999, he began the Musical Theatre Initiatives scheme to encourage new writing in musical theatre. The final show he produced at Stratford East, ''The Big Life'', was the first black British musical to go to the West End. In 2004, after 25 years as artistic director, he retired.

Kerry Michael (2004–2017)

Kerry Michael joined Stratford East in 1997, as an associate director, becoming artistic director in September 2004. His manifesto is to bring London's new communities to the stage, and portray their experiences as second and third generation emigrants. His debut play as artistic director was ''The Battle of Green Lanes ''by Cosh Omar, set amongst London's Cypriot society. He directed the hit musicals ''The Harder They Come'' (at Theatre Royal Stratford East and then transferred to The Barbican and the West End's Playhouse Theatre) and also ''Come Dancing'' by Ray Davies and Paul Sirett. In 2007, ''Pied Piper'' won the Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre, as did Cora Bissett's play ''Roadkill.'' in 2011. The theatre was nominated again in 2014 with their production of ''Oh! What a Lovely War!'', a revival of the Joan Littlewood classic. Michael also directed the annual pantomime and was again nominated for an Olivier Award for Cinderella. In 2012 Stratford East, 'fast becoming one of the UK's most innovative and interactive theatres', launched its Open Stage Project, enabling people to participate with everything from programming ideas to working on productions. 2014 productions at Stratford East included David Baddiel's musical ''The Infidel,'' co-directed by Kerry Michael and David Baddiel. The 2016 season included ''Hotel Cerise'', an adaptation of

Anton Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; ; 29 January 1860 – 15 July 1904) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer, widely considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career as a playwright produced four classics, and his b ...

's ''

The Cherry Orchard ''The Cherry Orchard'' () is the last play by Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. Written in 1903, it was first published by '' Znaniye'' (Book Two, 1904), and came out as a separate edition later that year in Saint Petersburg, via A.F. Marks Pu ...

'' by Bonnie Greer. In 2016 Kerry Michael expanded Stratford East across the square to Gerry's, a new cafe and an 80-seater studio. Kerry Michael stepped down as artistic director in 2017.

Nadia Fall (2017–2025)

A director and playwright, Nadia Fall has worked extensively at the

Royal National Theatre The National Theatre (NT), officially the Royal National Theatre and sometimes referred to in international contexts as the National Theatre of Great Britain, is a performing arts venue and associated theatre company located in London, England, ...

, directing shows including ''Chewing Gum Dreams'', ''Our Country's Good'' and ''Home'' – which she also wrote. Fall has also worked with London's

Hampstead Theatre Hampstead Theatre is a theatre in South Hampstead, in the London Borough of Camden. It specialises in commissioning and producing new writing, supporting and developing the work of new writers. History The original ''Hampstead Theatre Clu ...

and Bush Theatre, where she directed Taylor Mac's ''Hir''. Fall's first season (Sep 2018 – Jul 2019) opened with an adaptation of

Lope de Vega Félix Lope de Vega y Carpio (; 25 November 156227 August 1635) was a Spanish playwright, poet, and novelist who was a key figure in the Spanish Golden Age (1492–1659) of Spanish Baroque literature, Baroque literature. In the literature of ...

's '' Fuenteovejuna'' by April De Angelis called ''The Village'' featuring

Anya Chalotra Anya Chalotra (born ) is an English actress. She began her career in a 2017 production of the play '' Much Ado About Nothing'' at Shakespeare's Globe, and made her screen debut with BBC dramas '' Wanderlust'' and '' The ABC Murders'' in 2018. Sh ...

and Art Malik. The season also included the UK premiere of '' The Wolves'' by Sarah DeLappe, Ballet Black, pantomime ''Sleeping Beauty'', Frantic Assembly's ''The Unreturning'' by Anna Jordan, a revival of Peter Shaffer's '' Equus'' directed by Ned Bennett and co-produced with

English Touring Theatre English Touring Theatre (ETT) is a major touring theatre company based in London, England. History English Touring Theatre was founded in 1993 by Stephen Unwin. In 2008, the directorship of the company was taken over by Rachel Tackley, making E ...

. The critically acclaimed production transferred to the West End in summer 2019 playing at Trafalgar Studios. Other shows included Pilot Theatre's touring show '' Noughts & Crosses (novel series)'', an adaptation of Malorie Blackman's novel by Sabrina Mahfouz,

August Wilson August Wilson (né Frederick August Kittel Jr.; April 27, 1945 – October 2, 2005) was an American playwright. He has been referred to as the "theater's poet of Black America". He is best known for a series of 10 plays, collectively called '' ...

's play '' King Hedley II'', directed by Fall and starring

Lenny Henry Sir Lenworth George Henry (born 29 August 1958) is a British Jamaicans, British-Jamaican comedian, actor and writer. He gained success as a Stand-up comedy, stand-up comedian and impressionist in the late 1970s and early 1980s, culminating in ' ...

, Cherrelle Skeete, Leo Wringer, Martina Laird, Dexter Flanders and Aaron Pierre as Hedley. The season ended with a co-production with

English National Opera English National Opera (ENO) is a British opera company based in London, resident at the London Coliseum in St Martin's Lane. It is one of the two principal opera companies in London, along with The Royal Opera. ENO's productions are sung in E ...

for

Benjamin Britten Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten of Aldeburgh (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, o ...

's community opera '' Noye's Fludde'' directed by Lyndsey Turner and featured different community groups and schools across

Newham The London Borough of Newham () is a London boroughs, London borough created in 1965 by the London Government Act 1963. It covers an area previously administered by the Essex county boroughs of County Borough of West Ham, West Ham and County ...

and East London. ''Equus'' won three Off-West End Awards in 2020, including Best Production, Best Director (Ned Bennett) and Best Lighting Design ( Jessica Hung Han Yun). Fall's second season (Sep 2019 – Jul 2020) opened with Katori Hall's ''Our Lady of Kibeho'' and included the return of Ballet Black, pantomime ''Dick Whittington'', Eclipse Theatre's new play ''The Gift'' by Janice Okoh and Frantic Assembly's 25th anniversary play ''I Think We Are Alone'' by Sally Abbott and co-directed by

Kathy Burke Katherine Lucy Bridget Burke (born 13 June 1964) is an English actress and comedian. She appeared in sketch shows such as '' French and Saunders'' (1988–1999), played a recurring role as Magda on the BBC sitcom '' Absolutely Fabulous'' (1992� ...

and Scott Graham. The rest of the season was cancelled due to the

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

pandemic. This included a new verbatim play by Nadia Fall ''Welcome To Iran'' in co-production with the National Theatre, an adaptation of

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...

' ''

Oliver Twist ''Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress'', is the second novel by English author Charles Dickens. It was originally published as a serial from 1837 to 1839 and as a three-volume book in 1838. The story follows the titular orphan, who, ...

'' by Bryony Lavery for Ramps on the Moon and a revival of Roy Williams' seminal play ''

Sucker Punch A sucker punch (American English), also known as a cheap shot, coward punch, one-punch attack, or king-hit (Australian English), is a punch thrown at the recipient unprovoked and without warning, allowing no time for preparation or defense on t ...

'', directed by Roy Alexander Weise. The productions Noye's Fludde and Our Lady of Kibeho were nominated for

Olivier Awards The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply The Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognize excellence in West End theatre, professional theatre in London. The awards were originally known as the Society of We ...

, winning Outstanding Achievement in Opera for The Children's Ensemble in Noye's Fludde. On 1 October 2024 it was announced that Nadia is being replaced by Lisa Spirling from Spring 2025

Controversies

The theatre scheduled a ‘Black out’ or ‘black only’ series of performances later copied around London by a number of different theatres. This was widely criticised by many members of the public and a variety of media outlets, while widely supported by others. The events received criticism for asking all ‘white’ members of the public to kindly refrain from attending. The introduction of the performances were described by the Tory Bedfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Festus Akinbusoye, as a 'poor and dangerous precedent'. Opinion was widely divided, some labelling the events progressive while others labelling them racist, separatist and hypocritical. However, the cabinet office later stated that: under the ‘2010 Equality Act’ the exclusion of ‘white’ people’ is currently and entirely fully legal. The theatre defended the performance approach robustly. Nadia Fall, the theatre's artistic director, defended the performance: "I understand that this initiative isn't going to chime with everyone, and that's OK; that's why there are 28 performances that aren't a Black Out night. No one is excluded from attending and during the course of the show's run we want audiences from all backgrounds to enjoy and discuss this thought-provoking new play."

References

Sources

* ''Guide to British Theatres 1750–1950'', John Earl and Michael Sell pp. 142 (Theatres Trust, 2000)

Bibliography

* Coren, Michael – ''Theatre Royal: 100 Years of Stratford East'' – Quartet, 1984

External links

* {{Authority control Grade II* listed buildings in the London Borough of Newham Grade II* listed theatres 1884 establishments in England Stratford, London Theatres in the London Borough of Newham