Oval House Theatre

Oval House Theatre has a reputation for being 'one of the most important centres for pioneer fringe theatre groups'. In the 1960s, supporting the experimental theatre companies of the '60s and '70s, the emergence of gay and lesbian and women's theatre in the 1970's and 80's and the development of new Black and Asian writing in the '90s and into the next millenium.

Oval House now programmes work by some of the most innovative, cutting edge theatre practitioners in Britain and beyond.

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Oval House Theatre presents 33% LONDON 2009 A celebration of theatre and film by and for young London at OVAL HOUSE THEATRE 14 – 24 January 2009

Oval House Theatre announces the second in their series of annual youth arts festivals: 33% LONDON 2009, a programme of theatre and film by young Londoners taking over the entire venue for two weeks from Wednesday 14th January.

Created by young people aged 16-25 - who make up 33% of Londoners - and aimed specifically at audiences under 25, 33% LONDON 2009 will celebrate the Capital's vibrant and diverse new generation of creative practitioners. The programme includes a new production by Sketchbook featuring members of Oval House Theatre’s acclaimed Youth Theatre Company; seven specially commissioned short plays by Paines Plough’s young writers’ group, performed in every nook and cranny of the building; a behind-the-scenes film screening of the Youth Theatre Company production The Tempest, and a one-day conference exploring new developments in youth arts practice.

LIST OF EVENTS:

THEATRE

Downstairs: 14 – 24 January, Weds – Sat 7.45pmSketchbook Productions The Unfortunate Love of the British Empire Written by Zephryn Taitte and Roy Alexander Weise. Co-directed by Zephryn Taitte. Featuring members of Oval House Theatre Youth Company

An evening of four tales of four families in four kitchens, told across two centuries: from the momentous day a document was signed that changed history forever to modern times where 'family' means the strangers that live with you. These are tales about the lies that break us apart and the bonds that make us cling to each other, in spite of the pain, and how nothing and everything changes as we travel through time:

Elizabeth 1 - The Letter of Marque: A queen betrayed by her closest handmaid, whom she loved like a sister, betrayed by the pirate explorer who loved her. A queen seduced by wealth and forced into an impossible decision that would bring about the death of millions.

Mr. Santos: A Father should not outlive his son but he should be allowed to bury him… at least. Set in the high society of London in the 1950's, Mr. Santos struggles to make sense of his loss in a world that doesn't see him, in which a daughter-in-law despises him and a granddaughter learns for the first time that her father was a black man.

Something Called Love: One little room, no money, endless nappies, every night the same thing for dinner. Maybe they got married too quickly, maybe it's her parents' fault for disowning her, maybe Robert will get that promotion... If not something might snap, something might break, someone might get hit.

Dark Stranger: the story of an illegal Guyanese immigrant, a lost soul, a poet displaced and misunderstood, trying to find a real connection in a mad British city.

Oval House Youth Theatre performed Chatroom in the 2004 Shell Connections at the National Theatre and the production won the FLYA Youth Arts Award in 2005. Members of the youth theatre include Stef O’ Driscoll who appeared at the Oval House’s much lauded Yard Gal in 2008, Zephryn Taitte and Roy Alexander Weise both familiar faces in short films, and Jack Roth, son of Hollywood Tim, who is currently in high demand for film and TV work.

Site specific performances in various spaces around the venue: 14 - 24 January, Weds - Sat 7pm Around The House Seven short plays especially commissioned for Oval House Theatre and performed in every nook and cranny of the building. The plays are by playwrights from Future Perfect 2009, a unique initiative for the next generation of theatre writers run by Paines Plough, an award-winning, nationally and internationally renowned touring theatre company, specialising exclusively in commissioning and producing new plays.

GALLERY EXHIBITION

In the Café Gallery: 14-24 January, Tues-Sat 3-9pm Artwork by students from Archbishop Tenisons SchoolYoung artists from this inner city boys’ school (which is also a next door neighbour of Oval House Theatre) present a vibrant, accomplished exhibition that strongly reflects the important part that visual arts play there.

CONFERENCE

Downstairs theatre: 16 January 10am – 5pm Right to the Heart: Diversity and Access in Youth Arts This one day conference open to all organisations and individuals working with young people in Lambeth, and across London. The conference will highlight and explore work currently being undertaken by artists and arts organisations working in London. As part of the 33% London Festival at Oval House Theatre and supported by Lambeth Arts, the conference aims to engage with practitioners, managers, local authority officers and policy makers to deepen and widen knowledge and understanding about a rapidly developing body of youth arts work. Contributers include Liz Orton, Project Manager at Photovoice; Angela Williams, Associate Director of Half Moon Young People's Theatre; Wozzy Brewster, Executive Director of The Midi Music Company and Sarah Archdeacon, Artistic Director of Corali Dance Company.

FILM

Downstairs theatre: 20 January 8pm Fifth Column Films and Oval House Youth Theatre Company Screening of The Tempest This specially-commissioned film about the making of Oval House Youth Theatre Company's acclaimed 2008 production of Shakespeare's Tempest follows the performers through the rehearsal process up to the production, telling both the story of The Tempest, but also the story of the performers' relationship to the play: how they come to terms with an initially alien text and what the production means for them. The impetus of the film was to explore how the performers, all of them from inner-city London, would connect with the language, the narrative and the characters of one of Britain’s most famous historical playwrights, as they explore the relationship between Shakespeare's mythical island and the reality of living in a contemporary south London 'island'.

LISTINGS

The Unfortunate Love of the British Empire Downstairs Theatre 14 – 24 January, Weds – Sat 7.45pm Tickets £8 / £5 concessions

Around The House Various spaces around the venue 14 – 24 January, Weds – Sat 7pm Tickets £4 Double-event ticket to Around The House and The Unfortunate Love of the British Empire: £10 / £7 concessions

Artwork by students from Archbishop Tenisons School Café Gallery 14-24 January, Tues-Sat 3-9pm Admission Free

Right to the Heart Conference Downstairs theatre 16 January 10am - 5pm Cost £10 for Lambeth organisations, £50 others, includes conference, lunch and refreshments

Screening of The Tempest Downstairs theatre 20 January 8pm Tickets £4

VENUE INFORMATION

Box Office 020 7582 7680 (Tues-Sat, 3pm-8pm)
Online Bookings www.ovalhouse.com

Access Induction Loop. Flat ground floor wheelchair access to downstairs theatre and café gallery.
Car park for disabled visitors only, free on-street parking after 6.30pm (not in Congestion Charge area)
Café Open theatre nights from 6.30pm for hot and cold drinks, a full bar service and home-cooked meals