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Fancy seeing you here! Want to know more about our artists and what's going on at CPT? You've landed in the right place.
It's tough out there in the world of reviewing and writing about theatre - and we appreciate what you do - so why not come and hang out with other reviewers at?
CPT offers seed commissions and support to nine new projects annually from artists from marginalised backgrounds. A huge thank you to everyone who applied to these commissions - you made it so tough to choose just nine projects! We are BEYOND excited about the artists we'll be supporting this year.
What does it mean to be truly authentic?
That's the question Victor Esses has been trying to answer through The Death & Life of All of Us - a project twenty years in the making and a true story of a special intergenerational relationship. Victor reflects on creating a show about belonging, coming into one's queerness & an ever-present connection to the past.
The question of what art means - and by extension, whether it is good - and by further extension, whether it is worth money - has never been murkier. Writer Matt Neubauer tries to figure it all out through the lens of an internet argument about a dying robot, ahead of his upcoming play baby my love for you is Non-Fungible, part of SPRINT Festival 2024.
Raina Greifer’s new WIP Good Orgasm was supposed to be all about having great sex after trauma, but what happens when that good sex doesn't come? Raina reflects on her intersecting feelings of grieving and loving her sex life, feeling imposter syndrome when it comes to chatting sex, and learning how to build a pleasure filled life all on her own.
My name is Rofeda Bougaga, I’m 19 and I make art that invokes social and political change through creativity. I passionately believe that we must create the spaces, conditions and opportunities to support young artists to make art on the issues that matter most to them. And through doing this we will make theatre that celebrates the true diversity of the ideas and experiences in London.
On March 15th, Gassan Abdulrazek will spend his final night on earth performing at Camden People’s Theatre, laying out his life and work, before inviting the public to witness his untimely demise live on stage. Gassan ponders the importance of Gassan Abdulrazek is Dead and muses on his final weeks this side of the mortal coil.
Giulia Grillo reflects on how directing ‘Near to’ has helped her explore new forms of audience engagement with the environment in the era of climate change.
That thing is about exposing the unseen reality of living with hidden disability – an autobiographical journey that gives its audience a multi-sensory insight into exactly what disability entails and challenges how the world responds to difference. Lucy Clark (dance artist of fuse collective) reflects on how That thing uses technology to give a deeper insight into the disabled experience and the importance of making work that has an undeniable truth.
The word ‘slag’ has long been used as a general insult, and since the late twentieth century, most frequently used to suggest a spoiled reputation. The installation ‘Being Slaggy’ explores the concept of ‘The Slag’ through a reflection on growing up in south east London in the late 1990s.
"I've always found sports to be quite gay. Most sports revolve around balls. Most of them involve men fighting to get balls into holes. You also have men getting naked in locker rooms together, you have men smacking each other’s behinds, and you have men jumping up on each other when celebrating a point scored or won."
Tadeo Martinez, creator of new show Lucho Libre, tells it like it is.
The dominant thinking about how humans and dogs make lives together was minted in the Victorian era, when the Edinburgh stray Greyfriars Bobby became the poster-boy for some very heteronormative ideas about deathless fidelity – despite living a kind of queer existence in a network of caring connections.
Martin Moriarty reflects on his bid to overthrow these Victorian values through his queer liberationist fable, Virginia Woolf’s Dog Training Academy, part of the More Than Human Festival at CPT.
We’re thrilled to announce the 2024 Starting Blocks artists: a vibrant mix of daring work, from an exceptional group of boundary pushing artists. Expect a silenced singer, an investigation into true crime, probing political satire and multi-disciplinary acts pushing the limits of theatrical space.
"This is a self-wrapped send-off to queer people preparing to take the annual voyage back to family histories, survival and code switching at Christmas."
Ahead of A They In A Manger, we chatted to the cast about why the world needs a Christmas show of queer solidarity right now and the relationship between queerness and Christmas.
It felt important for the questions Édouard Louis is asking around the relationship between queerness and class in Who Killed My Father to be approached with nuance, and as a personal, playful journey of self-discovery. Co-designer Hazel Low talks about creating a sensuous, visual language for an intimate, politically charged text.
It's tough out there in the world of reviewing - and we appreciate what you do - so why not join us for some free drinks and get to know other reviewers?
Emergency Chorus premiere Ways of Knowing, a new show about predicting the future and knowing the unknowable at Camden People’s Theatre, 30 November - 02 December. The show takes significant inspiration from cave exploration. In this conversation, Clara Potter-Sweet and Ben Kulvichit discuss their interest in journeying underground and their research-led making process.
Mummy, what did you want to be when you grew up?’ - a question Tahira Dar tries to answer in her new solo show ‘Unpopular Culture’ - returning to Camden People’s Theatre as a work-in-progress on 28th & 29th November, after being part of our 2022 Seed Commission scheme.
ADHD The Musical is a Fringe show on a huge scale. This one person musical features 4 onstage performers, 14 sound channels, projection and runs at an average of 1 cue per minute. So how did one Production Manager, running as a solo tech team, take this show through rehearsal, into production and then on a national tour?
Join this workshop with Liz Barker to find out!
Thu 26 Oct 2pm - 4pm at Camden People's Theatre.
Cost: £5. Or free if you are unwaged, unemployed and/or a student.
Hester-Stefan Chillingworth answers some questions about their cross-genre show Monster Show, coming to CPT 31 Oct - 3 Nov.
Is our way of talking about politics broken? And what can games to do to help fix it? Red Planet: Revolution director Tom Mansfield shares Upstart Theatre’s vision for using play and imagination to help rethink things right here on earth.
"As a queer Neurodivergent, working class artist I felt there was room for me as currently working class people make up roughly 8% of the creative industry and this needs to change!"
Dora Colquhoun, creator of ADHD The Musical, shares her advice on how to get a show off the ground when you have a vision but no idea how the hell you're going to pay for it.
Are you a mother*? Would you like to have some crafty performance fun to moan and chat about all things mumsy?
Social fiction plays a rather jarring game with us: on the cross road of what we know, what might be and what we can imagine out of that. A whole multitude of scenarios for us to digest. Scenarios that scream to be explored and embodied artistically.
Aggie Jurochnik explores social fiction in theatre ahead of By Proxy's upcoming show: Scattered Dreams.
"To be together can be a pleasure and a pain, but love brings the answer to everything. Medea, and her capacity for love in the most tragic of circumstances, felt like a reprise to my own love for people, theatre, the world and what I longed for to be different."
April Small talks about creating theatre through bringing tragedy and comedy together in her show Bloody Medea!!.
When you go from only having one aspect you hate about yourself, to hating every aspect of yourself when you look in the mirror, you know something has gone horribly wrong!
Akin Wright talks about the inspiration behind his show, I Am Not Black, which following a sold out run this January at Barons Court Theatre, returns to CPT for its second run 28 - 30 Sep
Camden Youth Theatre is our nationally award winning theatre company for teenagers that live or go to school in Camden. Sessions and free and run weekly during term time, with regular performance opportunities in professional venues.
We're looking for new recruits to join both our Monday and Tuesday groups!
We wanted to do a written round-up of artists we've supported heading to Ed Fringe 2023. But it turns out that's a mammoth feat! A handful include Flawbored's It's a Motherf**king Pleasure, Peyvand Sadeghian's Dual دوگانه, Adam Lenson's What We Wanted To Be, Roshi Nasehi's Ramalama Ding Dong, and Victor Esses' The Death & Life of All of Us.
So we've done a slightly more reasonable round-up of the hot shows doing their Ed Fringe previews at CPT instead. And trust us: you don't want to miss these.
Get ready for a free arts festival in the heart of Tolmer’s Square, Camden (NW1), hosted by Camden People's Theatre!
Saturday 1st July 3.30pm - 6.30pm.
Do you want to learn how to turn oral history into script?
A free day-school of three workshops co-hosted by Camden People’s Theatre and Star Creative Heritage!
Camden People’s Theatre, 11am – 4:30pm, Saturday 8th July 2023.
'Every interaction has a purpose. This isn’t about putting on a show. It’s about creating real change in people’s lives.'
Catherine Duquette talks about what interactive means for Mary and Her Monster, a work-in-progress sharing on 15 Jun as part of the 10th Anniversary of Calm Down Dear.
Contribute to our Calm Down Dear listening post - share your thoughts on feminism over the past 10 years!
I'm Sorry I'm Not Lucy Liu is a show where you can choose your own adventure through time with ‘Eden’, on her quest to become a superstar after her idol and nemesis Lucy Liu. Eden Jun, the writer and performer, goes back in time to a neurodivergent kid between two seemingly disparate cultures, and learns lessons on self-advocacy.
Following an open call for proposals, and a selection process including local residents, Camden People’s Theatre and Old Diorama Arts Centre are thrilled to announce the recipient of our collaborative To The Streets outdoor performance commission. (And for the project, we’re looking for local people to help make and perform the show!)
Making a choose-your-own-adventure time-travel show is a non-linear process for a neurodivergent artist who can never think of one thing at a time. Can how we naturally think help us find the form of our creative project? Eden Jun reflects on how I'm Sorry I'm Not Lucy Liu was shaped by her neurodivergence, and the joy of following the grain of her brain.
Do you know the fascinating history of your (very) local area? Join us on Sun 21 May 2-5pm to learn about the history of our small corner in NW1! With free workshops food and drink, and a Q&A with wonderful local counsellor and ex-Mayor of Camden Nasim Ali on his experiences growing up in the neighbourhood.
‘In our society the queer experience is too often intertwined with trauma and pain but that doesn’t need to be its defining feature.'
Katrina Bennett talks about centring queer joy while writing her play CHOOSE YOUR FIGHTER, breaking away from traditional theatrical forms, and the importance of making work with people who share your values.
Camden People’s Theatre is devastated to hear of the death of our friend and colleague Adam Brace. Particularly via his work with our long-te...
Narrative video games are starting to take over our media landscape, and their impact is ever expanding with a multitude of adaptations and spin offs coming to our screens. Director of CHOOSE YOUR FIGHTER, Amy Crighton, thinks about how we can take inspiration from these stories' original formats, to create a new kind of theatre that leans into the bias of always fighting for one person.
CPT offers seed commissions and support to nine new projects annually from artists from marginalised backgrounds. Announcing the 2023 intake is an exciting moment, charged with the possibility of all the extraordinary new theatre and performance work now beginning to take shape.
Post-Show Discussion & Exhibition Launch
Wednesday 5th April
CW: Infertility, miscarriage, the Holocaust, sterilisation,
"In many traditional cultures, infertility is considered the woman's fault. Something shameful to never speak of and often, you can try a few more times and succeed and the painful memories of waking up soaked in blood will become a distant pain on the way to motherhood. But then some of us keep trying well into our forties, surgeries after surgeries, hormones, expensive treatments while acquaintances become grandparents."
Avital Raz speaks about the personal themes of Unnatural Cycles.
Jonathan Oldfield shares some thoughts about making interactive theatre for (and with) audiences post-pandemic, ahead of his work-in-progress of One Way Mirror on the 22nd March.
Gadis Ayu Terakhir (The Final Graceful Woman) is informed by absurdism, folklore, and forms of Malaysian theatre including Wayang Kulit and Mak Yong. Alisha + Alysha reveal the inspiration behind their return to the ritualistic.
What did you dream about becoming when you were a child? Did you pretend to be penguins and popstars, or did you always want to become an Account Manager? Do you still pretend, from time to time?
Do you sit at your desk wondering how you got there? How satisfied are you in your day-to-day working life on a scale of 1-10?
"We want to make immersive and interactive theatre that explores the problems in modern society in the same way that traditional theatre might, but with the audience getting to be a part of the story.”
Joe Strickland talks about the motivations for Chronic Insanity’s show Seven Strikes, coming to CPT 7th March for its debut performance as part of SPRINT Festival 2023.
DoxBox, the hot pink artificial intelligence who loves to interrogate your phone, is at CPT on 22nd March. DoxBox’s operator Alistair Gentry explains why the black glass rectangle in your pocket isn’t really your friend.
Join playwrights, theatre-makers and poets Emily Momoh, Nicole Aquah and Nelissa Mendy for 5 days of fun (and free) creative workshops. We’ll uncover local Black British history and explore our creativity based on the figure of Billy Waters - a famous disabled, African street performer who busked in London in the 1880s. Hidden Voices commemorates the bicentenary of his death in 1823.
For 15-19 year olds at Old Diorama Arts Centre. Free breakfast included.
We’re delighted to announce the 2023 Starting Blocks artists: a gorgeous mixture of disciplines, backgrounds and ideas - from sudoku-meets-theatre to clowning, and from road dwelling to the complete destruction/expansion of theatrical form.
"It’s easier to talk about our values than it is to try and value the work we do in the language of money."
Tom Ryalls, CPT's Development Manager, introduces our new democratic membership bodies and the importance of the People in People's Theatre.
"I didn’t expect to get into drama school in my early thirties and create a play inspired by the troubles I faced growing up queer in Wiltshire, but I did. I guess that this story’s been dying to find a way out of me."
"we're sitting in the molineux centre, shields road, byker, newcastle where the mental team hangs. a psychiatrist stares dead-ahead at their computer. (psychiatrists dont believe in eye-contact) this one reads a scanned letter, then starts talking to himself saying 'whoops yes i wondered when that was going to happen, i suppose i should have warned you about those side-effects'. those 'side-effects' were our first heart-attack."
Co-director of Mirrorball, Chloe Christian, talks about the new company's first production: an exploration of intergenerational learning, cultural memory and unabashed queery joy.
Grills is commissioned by Old Diorama and Camden People's Theatre as part of Camden NoW and comes to CPT in December 2022.
Kieton Saunders-Browne talks about the inspiration behind Block'd Off, a piece based on real stories in real locations, exploring what it means to be working class in London.
Coming to CPT 8th Nov - 19th Nov at 7.15pm
Zhaolin Zhou shares his journey working with Walking Cats over the last two years, an autobiographical performance exploring homesickness and migrant identity. Coming to CPT Tue 1 and Wed 2 Nov at 7.15pm.
A musical about abortion?! You must be kidding, right?
Writer/director Larisa Faber writes about the catalyst of making GOOD GIRLS, coming to CPT Thu 24 Nov - Sat 26 Nov.
Jack Boal shares his experience of CPT's Starting Blocks programme.
"For me, it’s not about pointing the finger, or even holding our parents to account, it’s about a deeper understanding of self."
"As a British-Romanian company a lot of people ask us how we make work, and specifically how we make work between the UK & Romania, especially because our work is overtly political. Part of our practice is to share knowledge and exchange practice - so we’ve decided to demystify at least a little of how we make it work."
Claire Gilbert discusses BÉZNĂ Theatre's British-Romanian practice in advance of their show wipe these tears, coming to Camden People's Theatre 11-22 Oct.
Two major commissions awarded, with tailored development commissions offered to three further artists.
‘In my day there was no apples, no fire, no marshmallows even. We slept on dinosaurs and dipped our toes in volcanoes to keep warm, and we felt lucky!’
Anna Clover talks about how total acceptance of young people's expansive and surreal imaginations freed her up to make her show Going Deutsch. A silly comedy exploring intergenerational trauma, genocide and how the past shapes the future. Coming to CPT 14-15 Oct at 9pm.
Heya, I’m Serena Ramsey and I’m the creator and producer of CHAV-RODITE!! I create art that’s unbridled, abstract, queer & common as muck.
“It’s in our blood, us Arabs love a good love story.”
Bilal Hasna and Aaron Kilercioglu reflect on their motivations for creating For a Palestinian, a play which returns to CPT for three weeks this month, following sell-out performances last year.
Award-winning Pigfoot's co-director Bea Udale-Smith discusses the joys & stresses of using energy-generating technology in live theatre, before HOT IN HERE premieres at CPT 25-26 Sep & 4-6 Oct before going on tour.
"Was I doomed to suffocate in a hole of my own digging? Perhaps my late father’s wild rollercoaster of a life held the answer…"
David Labi relates the background of Pieces of a Man, his tragicomic one-man show about his Holocaust Survivor father – showing at CPT on 29 September.
"Is it actually true that in British law a pregnant woman is allowed to piss in a policeman’s hat? Because today this is my only remaining incentive to get up-the-duff."
Louise Ashcroft talks about the motivations for her show Bird Hut Sperm Bank, returning to CPT 27-28 Sep after a sell-out performance at Calm Down Dear Festival of Feminism.
Content notice: themes of fertility, childlessness, sex and reproduction
With a new season of hot theatre now launching, Brian Logan (our Artistic Director) shares his thoughts on what to look out for at CPT this Autumn.
"In June 2021, Executive Director Kaya Stanley Money took maternity leave and we agreed that whilst she had a baby, I would have a building."
Nicola Clements, Executive Director of CPT June 2021 - June 2022, reflects on her time in the CPT team.
Fundraising can be hard, especially with the increased competition we’re seeing for funds right now - but there are also some simple things you can do to help resource yourself.
'Digital Theatre Making' invites participants to experiment with devising and creating performative digital theatre using mobile phones supplied by CPT. It is led by theatre-maker, actor, and creative facilitator Simone French from the theatre company TomYumSim.
The time has come for another FREE-to-attend, family-friendly community celebration in the heart of Tolmer’s Square!
Sun 10 July 3.30 - 6.30pm @ Tolmer's Square, Camden NW1
Following on from the success of our first outdoor live art event on Ashdown Crescent, Camden, we have been invited back to host another FREE-to-attend, family friend variety spectacular.
Sat 13 August 2.30 - 4.30pm @ Ashdown Crescent Camden
Star Creative Heritage is recruiting now for a project volunteer team aged 18+ who will receive free training to assist them in recording oral histories and conducting archival research at the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library.
Thurs 7, 14, 21, 28 Jul 6 - 9pm @ Camden People's Theatre
CPT announces Seed Commissioned Artists for 2022
"We are so excited and no, we won't calm down about it!"
Creator of Say Yes to Tess, Tess Seddon, shares with us her experience of running for parliament and creating a musical about it. Catch it at CPT from Thursday 24 March – Saturday 16 April 2022
This week we talked to the Director of the MA Text and Performance at Birkbeck University, Fintan Walsh, about what the degree offers and how CPT is involved.
In this blog post, Mariana Aristizabal Pardo and Malena Arcucci from Marianamalena Theatre Co. gives us a sneak peek into the devising process for Playing Latinx (coming to CPT on Tue 29 Mar - Sat 2 Apr). Click here to book.
We love a Sprint festival, right? But never before have we done two in six months.
We are thrilled to introduce our newest team members: Nisha Oza (Artist Support Producer) and Adam Welsh (Artist in the Community)
Camden Youth Theatre Director, Lakeisha Lynch-Stevens, reflects on everything our youth theatre has been up to during the pandemic and what it's like to return with a live show after two years.
From the autumn term this year, Birkbeck’s MA Text and Performance degree will be delivered in association with Camden People’s Theatre and guest artists.
Our Spring 2022 season includes VAULT Rehomed shows, Sprint Festival 2022, uplifting political musical headline, Tess Seddon's Say Yes to Tess, headlining the season, Calm Down, Dear call-out for submissions AND a shiny new website.
Are you based in Camden? Want to have a voice in our programming? We want to hear from you!
JACK BOAL (he/him)
Jack is a performer and theatre maker who laces clowning with interactive performance to investigate the...
We are thrilled to announce that we have secured funding totalling £261,000 across three years from the Paul Hamlyn Foundation’s Arts Access and Participation Fund. Alongside this news, we also announce the six recipients of the Starting Blocks 2022 scheme and a callout for our 2022 seed commissions.
What has Tony Blair got to do with theatre? In this blog post, Starting Blocks artist Tom Ryalls breaks down the significance of Tony Blair’s “Education, Education, Education” speech and debunking the myth of social mobility in the UK.
Great theatre, lovely young team, brilliant supportive diverse programming, the only theatre I can think of that is currently supporting so many theatremakers.
Programmed artist
