Kiln Theatre

Coordinates: 51°32′36″N 0°12′00″W / 51.5433°N 0.2000°W / 51.5433; -0.2000
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
(Redirected from
Tricycle Theatre
)
This article is about the theatre in Kilburn, London. For the Catalan theatrical troupe, see Tricicle.

Kiln Theatre
Tricyle Theatre 1980–2018
Kilburn High Road
London, NW6
United Kingdom
Public transitLondon Overground Brondesbury
London Underground Kilburn
OwnerKiln Theatre Ltd
Capacity292[2]
Construction
Opened1980
Rebuilt1989, 1998, 2018
Years active1980–present
ArchitectTim Foster Architects[1]
Chapman Architects
Website
kilntheatre.com

The Kiln Theatre (formerly the Tricycle Theatre) is a theatre located in Kilburn, in the London Borough of Brent, England. Since 1980, the theatre has presented a wide range of plays reflecting the cultural diversity of the area, as well as new writing, political work and verbatim reconstructions of public inquiries.

The theatre has produced original work by playwrights such as Lynn Nottage, Patrick Barlow, Richard Bean, David Edgar, Stephen Jeffreys, Abi Morgan, Simon Stephens, Roy Williams, Lolita Chakrabarti, Moira Buffini, Alexi Kaye Campbell, Florian Zeller, Ayad Akhtar and Zadie Smith.

The current artistic director is Amit Sharma, who succeeded Indhu Rubasingham, in December 2023, who in turn had succeeded Nicolas Kent in 2012.[3]

The theatre's name was changed from the Tricycle to Kiln Theatre in April 2018.

History

Wakefield Tricycle Company

The theatre opened on the

Wakefield Cycle
of mystery plays, the pub's name and the fact that the initial company had three members.

The company commissioned new plays which it presented at arts centres around the country and then brought into small London theatres, such as

The Bush and King's Head. The Wakefield Tricycle produced over 60 plays including works by Sam Shepard, John Antrobus, Olwen Wymark and co-founder Barrie.[4][5][6]

The building

After securing the support of

Ancient Order of Foresters, had previously been used for various purposes, including as a cinema and as a music and dance hall and as temporary offices for Brent Housing Department and Rent Tribunal.[4][5][6]

The then 235-seat

proscenium arch
was in front of a stage so shallow as to be almost useless, so a large apron was built to take the acting area out into "the courtyard", leaving the old stage as almost a backstage area, frequently unused in productions, but leaving the theatre with the oddity of a proscenium arch framing a small rear, inner acting area.

In 1987 the theatre suffered a devastating fire that spread from a neighbouring timber yard and which seriously damaged the building. However, after extensive fundraising, the theatre was rebuilt and reopened in 1989, with only minor alterations.

In 1998, a 300-seat[2] cinema was added to the complex, and in 2001 the Creative Space was built for the theatre's extensive education and community work. All stages of the development were designed by Tim Foster Architects (now Foster Wilson Size).[1][7]

In July 2016, the theatre began to refurbish the theatre auditorium and front of house spaces, led by Chapman Architects.[8] In April 2018, the theatre announced its planned reopening in September 2018, as well as the 2018/19 season of plays.[9]

The refurbished building opened on 5 September 2018 with:

  • A new auditorium with a flexible stage
  • Increased capacity in the auditorium (292 seats) and individual seating
  • Eight wheelchair positions within the auditorium with access at stalls level and increased accessibility in front of house and backstage areas
  • Additional toilets
  • New façade and street-facing café
  • Technical bridges and increased access to technical equipment[10][11]

Renaming

In April 2018 the theatre was renamed as Kiln Theatre. Artistic director Indhu Rubasingham said that the new name helped strengthen the venue's association with the Kilburn area and that kilns also have a relationship with all cultures around the world, and are symbols of creativity and culture.[12] Following this, a public petition was launched arguing that the name change was "unnecessary, costly and squanders the established reputation of The Tricycle".[13][14] As of July 2018 the petition was reported to have received over 2,000 signatures.[15] The theatre received public support from various industry professionals, including an open letter in The Guardian from actors Jim Carter and Imelda Staunton and articles from critics Lyn Gardner and Matt Trueman, as well as arts writer Jessie Thompson.[16][17][18][19] In September 2018 The Stage published an open letter in support of Kiln Theatre, including signatures from Richard Bean, Moira Buffini, Dominic Cooke, David Eldridge, Rebecca Lenkiewicz, Simon Stephens and Erica Whyman.[20]

Later that month, The Guardian published an open letter

Mark Curry, Anne Reid, Joe Pasquale, Sandra Dickinson, Linda Hayden, Ray Cooney, Christina Lamb, Robin Soans, Paul Freeman, Joan Ann Maynard and Clarke Peters.[22]

According to trustees, over 50% of audience members attending the 2018 reopening season were visiting the theatre for the first time.[23]

Artistic directors

In 1984 co-founder Ken Chubb turned leadership over to new artistic director Nicolas Kent, who had previously brought a successful production of Playboy of the West Indies by Mustapha Matura to the theatre with the Oxford Playhouse Company. Ken Chubb and Shirley Barrie returned shortly thereafter to their native Canada, where they have continued working in theatre and education.[4][5][6]

In 2012 the role of artistic director was taken over by Indhu Rubasingham,[24] who had previously worked as a guest director at the theatre working on shows such as Starstruck by Roy Williams (1998), Fabulation by Lynn Nottage (2006), The Great Game (with Nicolas Kent in 2009) and Detaining Justice by Bola Agbaje (2009).

Rubasingham will step down in December 2023, to be replaced by Amit Sharma.[3]

Productions

Tricycle Theatre productions 1980s–1990s

Among the highpoints of the 1980s and early 1990s were productions of

Black Theatre Co-operative, Carib Theatre, Druid, Field Day, Foco Novo, Market Theatre of Johannesburg, National Theatre of Brent, Paines Plough, Shared Experience, Talawa Theatre Company.[4][5][6]

"Tribunal plays"

From 1994, during the tenure of Nicolas Kent as artistic director, the theatre established a reputation for its distinctive "tribunal plays" based on verbatim reconstructions of

public inquiries
.

In 1994 the theatre produced Half the Picture by

Belfast Festival at Queen's
.

In 1999, the theatre's reconstruction of The Stephen Lawrence Inquiry – The Colour of Justice received critical and public acclaim,

Theatre Royal, Stratford East and transferred to the Victoria Palace in the West End. It completed a national tour in 1999 which included the Belfast Festival and the National Theatre
.

In 2003 Justifying War – Scenes from the Hutton Inquiry opened at the theatre.[27]

In 2004 the theatre produced Guantanamo:

Archbishop Desmond Tutu appeared in the production). In 2006 the theatre presented a performance of the play at the Houses of Parliament and also on Washington's Capitol Hill
. It has since been performed around the world. Through the "Guantanamo Reading Project" there have been 25 community productions of readings of the play in the United States.

Evening Standard Special Drama Award for "pioneering political work", and a Laurence Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement[29]
for Bloody Sunday.

In 2007 Called to Account – the indictment of Tony Blair for the crime of aggression against Iraq – a hearing was staged at the Tricycle with evidence from American political lobbyist

Juan Gabriel Valdes, and ex-Cabinet Minister Clare Short.[30]

In 2010 Nicolas Kent, Indhu Rubasingham and the Tricycle Theatre were awarded a Human Rights Award from Liberty for "their proud record of highlighting some of the most important human rights issues of the day". The award named several of the tribunal plays.[31]

Most of these plays have been broadcast by the BBC on radio or television,[32] and have together reached audiences of over 30 million people worldwide.[citation needed]

Productions 2006–2012

Productions 2012–2020

Productions between 2012 and 2020 included:

Productions 2021-present

Following closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Kiln Theatre reopened in May 2021.

2014 Jewish Film Festival funding

In August 2014, the theatre informed the

anti-semitism and The Jewish Chronicle described the decision as "open racism".[78] Rubasingham drew attention to her own and the theatre's record, adding: "I am not anti-Semitic or anti-Israeli".[79]

Nick Cohen, writing in The Spectator, accused the Tricycle of inconsistency, as other groups' or events' funding had not, he claimed, previously been examined in this way. Cohen also pointed out that the theatre accepted Arts Council funding during times that the UK was actively involved in military conflicts.[80] In an editorial, The Guardian said that the theatre had made "a bad error of judgment".[81] Sajid Javid, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport was reported as saying that the theatre had been "misguided" in demanding the festival drop its sponsorship by the Israeli Embassy.[82]

Theatre directors Nicholas Hytner and Richard Eyre both supported the Tricycle's stance and deplored those who had misrepresented that position.[83] Hytner also said "Rubasingham and the Tricycle board could not have made clearer their commitment to Jewish culture ... It is entirely understandable that they felt obliged to insist that no government agency should sponsor the festival. The Tricycle ... has a clear responsibility to make no statement about the dispute that is behind the current conflict. It greatly saddens me that the UKJFF have unwisely politicised a celebration of Jewish culture".[75]

However, in a joint statement on 15 August, the UKJFF and Tricycle Theatre said: "Some weeks ago the UKJFF fell out, very publicly, with the Tricycle over a condition imposed by the Tricycle regarding funding. This provoked considerable public upset. Both organisations have come together to end that. Following lengthy discussions between the Tricycle and UKJFF, the Tricycle has now withdrawn its objection and invited back the UK Jewish Film Festival on the same terms as in previous years with no restrictions on funding from the Embassy of Israel in London." The 2014 festival did not take place at the theatre, but it was suggested that the Tricycle might hold some UKJFF-related events later in the year.[84][85][86][87]

In May 2015 the Tricycle Theatre's chair, Jonathan Levy, issued an apology in a piece published in The Jewish Chronicle, saying that the theatre had taken the wrong decision when it had asked UKJFF to return to the Israeli Embassy the £1400 funding it had received and that it was now seeking ways to rebuild mutual trust with the Jewish community.[88]

Facilities

  • 292-seat theatre[2]
  • 300-seat cinema[2]
  • The Cameron Mackintosh Rehearsal Studio
  • The
    James Baldwin
    Studio – for workshops and smaller scale theatre works
  • The Paint Box – a visual arts studio endowed by the John S Cohen Foundation
  • The August Wilson Creative Space – for education and outreach workshops
  • Cafe-bar

References

  1. ^ a b "Tim Foster: Partner". Foster Wilson Architects. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
  2. ^ a b c d e "About Us". Tricycle Theatre. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
  3. ^ a b Wiegand, Chris (10 October 2023). "London's Kiln theatre appoints Amit Sharma as artistic director". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Biography". Ken Chubb. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
  5. ^ a b c d e "About Me". Shirley Barrie. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
  6. ^ a b c d e "Tricycle Theatre Archive, 1972–2004". Theatre Collections. Victoria and Albert Museum. Retrieved 16 August 2014.
  7. ^ "Tim Foster". World Stage Design 2013. September 2013. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
  8. ^ "Tricycle Theatre". Chapman Architects. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
  9. ^ "Tricycle Theatre renamed Kiln after £5.5m revamp - Carousel, News - The Stage". The Stage. 11 April 2018. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
  10. ^ "Capital Project - Kiln Theatre". kilntheatre.com. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  11. ^ "Have a first glimpse inside revamped 'widescreen' Kiln Theatre". Evening Standard. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  12. ^ Iqbal, Nosheen (11 April 2018). "Kilburn's Tricycle relaunches as Kiln theatre with Zadie Smith's White Teeth". The Guardian.
  13. Kilburn Times
    . Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  14. ^ Carrier, Dan (9 April 2018). "Protests over plan to change Tricycle theatre's name to The Kiln". Camden New Journal. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  15. ^ "Theatre of the absurd". Private Eye. London: Pressdram Ltd. 13 July 2018.
  16. ^ "Matt Trueman: Theatres have every right to trash legacies and embrace change - Opinion". The Stage. 11 September 2018. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  17. ISSN 0261-3077
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  18. ^ "Indhu Rubasingham's Kiln Theatre should be allowed to thrive". Evening Standard. 6 September 2018. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  19. ^ "Lyn Gardner: What's in a name? It's the memories that keep a theatre's legacy alive". The Stage. 10 September 2018. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  20. ^ Stage, The (5 September 2018). "We back Kiln Theatre as it looks to the future (your views, September 6)". The Stage. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  21. ISSN 0261-3077
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  22. ^ "Reinstate the name of the Tricycle theatre". Camden New Journal. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
  23. ^ Theatre, Kiln (2020). "Trustees' report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2020". Charities Commission.
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  25. ^ "REVIEW / Black and white in colour: Paul Taylor on the English". The Independent. 13 October 1992. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
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  27. ^ Billington, Michael (5 November 2003). "Justifying War". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  28. ^ Bird, Alan (24 June 2004). "Guantanamo 'honor bound to defend freedom'". London Theatre Archive. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
  29. ^ "Olivier Winners 2006". Previous winners. Olivier Awards. Archived from the original on 29 December 2014. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
  30. ^ "Called to Account: The Indictment of Anthony Charles Lynton Blair For the Crime of Aggression Against Iraq – A Hearing". About Us. Tricycle Theatre. 2007. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  31. ^ Liberty, List of previous winners Archived 19 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine
  32. ^ "Nicolas Kent Biography". nicolaskent.com. Nicolas Kent. Retrieved 16 August 2014.
  33. ^ Shenton, Mark (24 March 2010). "London's Tricycle to Reprise Great Game: Afghanistan, Plus New Blessing Play, Ahead of U.S. Tour". Playbill. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
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  57. ^ "WIFE | Kiln Theatre". kilntheatre.com. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  58. ^ "BLUES IN THE NIGHT | Kiln Theatre". kilntheatre.com. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  59. ^ "THE SEVEN AGES OF PATIENCE | Kiln Theatre". kilntheatre.com. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  60. ^ "WHEN THE CROWS VISIT | Kiln Theatre". kilntheatre.com. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
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  72. ^ "Es & Flo | Kiln Theatre".
  73. ^ "Modest | Kiln Theatre".
  74. ^ "TWO STRANGERS (CARRY A CAKE ACROSS NEW YORK) | Kiln Theatre". kilntheatre.com. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  75. ^ a b "The Tricycle Theatre and the UK Jewish Film Festival" (Press release). The Tricycle Theatre. 5 August 2014. Archived from the original on 14 August 2014. Retrieved 16 August 2014.{{cite press release}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  76. ^ "The Tricycle refuses to host the UK Jewish Film Festival for having Israeli Embassy support" (Press release). UK Jewish Film. 5 August 2014. Archived from the original on 11 August 2014. Retrieved 16 August 2014.{{cite press release}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  77. ^ McVeigh, Tracey & Sherwood, Harriet (9 August 2014). "Theatre's decision to ban Jewish film festival is 'thin end of wedge'". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
  78. ^ Leader (7 August 2014). "Racism in Kilburn". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  79. London Evening Standard
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  80. ^ Cohen, Nick (6 August 2014). "Anti-Semitic double standards: the arts and the Jews". The Spectator. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
  81. ^ Leader (8 August 2014). "The Guardian view on Gaza and the rise of antisemitism". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
  82. ^ Rashty, Sandy (12 August 2014). "Culture Secretary Sajid Javid says Tricycle Theatre "misguided" over UK Jewish Film Festival boycott". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  83. ^ "The Tricycle Theatre and the UK Jewish Film Festival" (Press release). Tricycle Theatre. 5 August 2014. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
  84. ^ Dysch, Marcus (15 August 2014). "Tricycle Theatre drops UK Jewish Film Festival boycott". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
  85. ^ "Tricycle Theatre in UK Jewish Film Festival U-turn". BBC News. 15 August 2015. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
  86. ^ "The Tricycle Theatre and the UK Jewish Film Festival" (Press release). The Tricycle Theatre. 15 August 2014. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
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  88. ^ Levy, Jonathan (7 May 2015). "Sorry, we got it wrong over UKJFF". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 7 May 2015.

51°32′36″N 0°12′00″W / 51.5433°N 0.2000°W / 51.5433; -0.2000

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