The Ustinov Studio is a

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

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

, England. It is the Theatre Royal's second space, built in 1997 at the rear of the building on Monmouth Street. It is named after the actor

Peter Ustinov Sir Peter Alexander Ustinov (16 April 192128 March 2004) was a British actor, director and writer. An internationally known raconteur, he was a fixture on television talk shows and lecture circuits for much of his career. Ustinov received #Awa ...

who led the fundraising programme for the Studio's creation in the early 1990s. In 2006 it closed for a £1.5million, 15-month refurbishment undertaken by Haworth Tompkins. The Ustinov Studio re-opened in February 2008, following a period of closure for refurbishment, with their own production of '' Breakfast With Mugabe'' starring

Joseph Marcell Joseph Marcell (born 14 August 1948) is a Saint Lucian-British actor and comedian. He is best known for his role as Geoffrey Butler, the butler on the NBC sitcom ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'' from September 1990 until the show ended in May 19 ...

, Miles Anderson and Nicholas Bailey. From 2015, the studio was led by the Artistic Director Laurence Boswell. In the 2012 American Season at the Ustinov Studio, Sarah Ruhl's '' In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play)'' was the winner of the Best New Play — Theatre Awards UK 2012 and nominated for three Tony Awards. The Ustinov Studio was also nominated for the Empty Space ... Peter Brook Award 2012. The ''Daily Telegraphs Dominic Cavendish praised the venue as a "constantly bubbling fount of marvels" at the awards ceremony. The Ustinov also received a second consecutive nomination for the 2013 awards. In autumn 2013, the Ustinov presented The Spanish Golden Age Season, three new translations of rarely seen plays. These included the tragedy ''Punishment without Revenge'', and the romantic comedies ''Don Gil of the Green Breeches'' and ''A Lady of Little Sense'', which ran in repertory with a cast of ten actors in all three plays between September and December 2013. It was later transferred to the Arcola Theatre. In summer 2014, the Ustinov Studio presented a new comedy, '' Bad Jews'', and in November of the same year, a black comedy by

Florian Zeller Florian Zeller (; born 28 June 1979Extrait de naissance /1979LES GENS DU CINEMA ©/ref>) is a French novelist, playwright, theatre director, screenwriter, and film director. He has written over a dozen plays, that have been staged worldwide and h ...

, '' The Father'', starring

Kenneth Cranham Kenneth Cranham (born 12 December 1944) is a British film, television, radio and stage actor. His most notable screen roles were in '' Oliver!'' (1968), '' Up Pompeii'' (1971), '' Hellbound: Hellraiser II'' (1988), '' Chocolat'' (1988), '' Layer ...

. Both plays went on to national and international success in the following two years, running almost continuously on several tours and West End transfers, culminating in Kenneth Cranham winning the

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

for Best Actor in a Play at the 2016 Awards Ceremony.

References

External links

Official websiteHaworth Tompkins — architects for the new building
{{coord, 51.3817, -2.3635, type:landmark_region:GB, format=dms, display=title 1997 establishments in England Buildings and structures completed in 1997 Studio theatres in England Theatres completed in 1997 Theatres in Bath, Somerset