The Factory Theatre Company is a

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

company based in the United Kingdom.

History

The Factory's first production,

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

'', was first performed at various pop-up locations across

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, 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 dow ...

, the first of these being a

studio theatre A black box theater is a simple performance space, typically a square room with black walls and a flat floor. The simplicity of the space allows it to be used to create a variety of configurations of stage and audience interaction. The black ...

in Southwark, and others included City Hall and County Hall. Each cast member was able to play multiple parts, and the only 'props' used were objects brought by the audience (which once included a baby). According to ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', this production won The Factory a "cult following"."The Seagull"
''The Guardian'' The Factory's production of ''

The Seagull ''The Seagull'' ( rus, Ча́йка, r=Cháyka, links=no) is a play by Russian dramatist Anton Chekhov, written in 1895 and first produced in 1896. ''The Seagull'' is generally considered to be the first of his four major plays. It dramatises th ...

'' was first performed at the

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. Roxana Silbert has been the artistic director since ...

in London in April 2009, directed by Tim Carroll. Similarly to their production of ''Hamlet'', the cast was made up of multiple actors capable of playing different roles, and the only 'props' used were objects brought by the audience. Unlike their production of ''Hamlet'', the story of the novel was performed without script, with the cast instead learning the story's "units of action" to shape the performance around; thus the actors, script and props were all different for each performance. The performance was lauded as "as unforgettable and moving as any theatre I've seen" by ''The Guardians Hermione Hoby. In March 2012, The Factory staged their production of ''Hamlet'', together with

Creation Theatre Company Creation Theatre Company is a producing theatre based in Oxford, England. Founded in 1996 by David Parrish the company became a charity in 2007 and produces site-specific adaptations of classic stories and Shakespeare. Management The founding Ar ...

, at the original Blackwell's bookshop in

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

. From March to April of the same year, The Factory and Creation Theatre then staged another co-production, a new translation of

Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...

's ''

Odyssey The ''Odyssey'' (; grc, Ὀδύσσεια, Odýsseia, ) is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the ''Iliad'', th ...

''. In August to September 2014, The Factory staged their production of the ''Odyssey'' in Peckham. This production was directed by Tim Caroll. The Factory also staged a production of Shakespeare's '' Macbeth''.

Members

The Factory was co-founded by actors

Alex Hassell Alexander Stephen Hassell (born 7 September 1980) is an English actor. He is co-founder of The Factory Theatre Company. Early life and education Hassell was born in Southend, England, the youngest of four, to a vicar. He trained at the Central ...

and Tim Evans. Hassell is currently the sole artistic director. The Factory's patrons include

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

-winning actress Emma Thompson and Golden Globe Award-winning actor

Ewan McGregor Ewan Gordon McGregor ( ; born 31 March 1971) is a Scottish actor. His accolades include a Golden Globe Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and the BAFTA Britannia Humanitarian Award. In 2013, he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British ...

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Factory Theatre Company Theatre companies in London