• At CPT we are committed to ensuring the best possible experience for all artists, audience members and other visitors to our space. We welcome customers and artists with disabilities and are pleased to assist you in your visit. 

    If you have any questions or enquiries, please do get in touch by phone at 020 7419 4841 or email at foh@cptheatre.co.uk.

  • News & Blog

    Image: REMOTE by Coney

    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.

    Decorative image of geometric shapes
    Posted: 15-10-2024 Tag: Jobs

    Job Vacancy: Marketing Manager

    Could you be our next Marketing Manager? We're hiring! Apply by Mon 11 Nov 2024.

    Sara Amini performing on stage at Camden People's Theatre.
    Posted: 03-10-2024 Tag: Artist Callouts

    Starting Blocks 2025 Call Out

    Applications are now open for our annual development lab for new work from solo (or duo) theatremakers 

    Zakiyyah Deen wearing black sporty clothes, leaning with arms crossed against the door of Number 10 Downing Street.
    Posted: 02-10-2024 Tag: news

    Post-Enhance with Extant Theatre Company

    Extant – in partnership with Camden People's Theatre – presents Enhance.

    Black void with images of a raw steak in the shape of a heart, a yellow gummybear, and an orange peel arranged in a spiral.
    Posted: 30-09-2024 Tag: artist blogs

    CONSUMED: Collaboration, Collectives & Co-Writing

     

    Katrina Bennett and Lydia Sabatini (⅔ of Dreambite Collective) discuss the origins of their writing collective, how they’ve found co-writing their play CONSUMED, and offer advice on collaborating in theatre. 

    A white man with short dark hair wearing a green gestures with his arms out and mouth slightly open.
    Posted: 25-09-2024 Tag: artist blogs

    Making Theatre In A Hungry World

    In a time of scarcity, what responsibility does theatre have to feed or nourish its audience? Writer and performer Sam Rees reflects on The Food Bank Show. 

    Camden People's Theatre building pictured from the outside with teal walls and big windows.
    Posted: 24-09-2024 Tag: artist blogs

    The Magic of Works-In-Progress

    In the vibrant world of theatre, there's a special kind of performance that often goes unnoticed by the general public but is cherished by artists and dedicated theatre-goers alike: the work-in-progress (WIP). As Camden People's Theatre begins its Autumn 2024 season, we're pulling back the curtain on these unique shows and inviting you to be part of the creative process.

    Two perfomers in a white walled room. The performer on the left sits in a yellow armchair and holds the face of the performer on the left.
    Posted: 23-09-2024 Tag: artist blogs

    CONSUMED: Domestic Intimacy & Women Going Mad In Their Homes

    Lydia Sabatini, co-creator of Dreambite Collective, examines the impact of post-covid capitalism on women's bodies and minds, and explores how this manifests in unusual and unruly desires in CONSUMED. 

     

    Zakiyyah Deen (a brown skinned black woman) holds a microphone in one hand and extends their other arm while performing. They are wearing a jacket over a t-shirt with a colorful graphic design.
    Posted: 23-09-2024 Tag: artist blogs

    Zak of All Trades

    You’ve heard the saying ‘Jack of all trades,’ innit? You may have even heard the full quote: ‘Jack of all trades, master of none, though oftentimes better than master of one.’ But have you heard of ‘Zak of all trades’? No, you haven’t because I made it up for the sole purpose of this blog post. 

    Decorative image of bubbles on a purple background
    Posted: 18-09-2024 Tag: news

    Reviewers Social (Thu 24 Oct)

    It's tough out there in the world of reviewing and writing about theatre - and we appreciate what you do - so why not join us to hang out and get to know other reviewers?

    Kelly is a woman in 40s with pink and peach hair. She is wearing a halo crown, a pink hoodie over a checked dress with orange converse. She is sitting at the foot of a yellow slide in the park playground holding a gold mug.
    Posted: 12-09-2024 Tag: artist blogs

    MILF: Making a MotherF*cking WIP

    Kelly Green, working-class queer mum, neurodivergent, performance artist (and self-proclaimed "noisy, feisty, hot mess") addresses the elephant MILF in the room ahead of MILF The Musical at Camden People's Theatre.

     

    Posted: 10-09-2024 Tag: Artist Callouts

    SPRINT Festival 2025: Call out for artists

    Applications are open for London’s major annual festival of new and unusual theatre: 11 - 29 March 2025. Show us what you've got!

    A colourful neon collage of Downing Street, hands posting ballots, and two spotlights.
    Posted: 01-08-2024 Tag: news

    Autumn Season & 'The State We're In' Festival

    Camden People’s Theatre is delighted to announce the return of The State We’re In – a three-week festival exploring UK democracy, politics and the public realm, which will run from October 22nd - November 10th 2024. The festival will be the centrepiece of CPT’s Autumn Season and 30th anniversary programme.

    Camden People's Theatre building pictured from the outside with teal walls and big windows.
    Posted: 03-06-2024 Tag: news

    Camden Roar 2024 PDF Flyer

    We know some people might find it easier to read about the Camden Roar festival from a PDF so we've uploaded one to this page so that you can download it and share.

    Camden People's Theatre building pictured from the outside with teal walls and big windows.
    Posted: 15-05-2024 Tag: news

    New Artistic Director for Camden People’s Theatre

    Camden People’s Theatre, in its 30th year of presenting bold, socio-political theatre and championing tomorrow's theatre makers, will say goodbye this summer to its much-loved artistic leader, Brian Logan, and begin the search for a new Artistic Director.

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    Posted: 13-05-2024 Tag: news

    Reviewers Social (22nd May 2024)

    It's tough in the world of reviewing and writing about theatre - and we appreciate what you do - so come and join us to mix with other reviewers?

    blurred image of underground tunnel with lights
    Posted: 09-05-2024 Tag: artist blogs

    Mourning and Migration: the living also need to be mourned

    CRY FOR ME is a dystopian cabaret that imagines a not too implausible world in which crying can be outsourced -like everything else we don’t have time for- to a cheap migrant workforce. It’s based on Romanian folk customs of wailing for the dead, where professional mourners come to funerals to cry for the deceased, exorcising grief and allowing families to feel that their personal loss is also a communal loss. Professional mourning originated as a practice in Ancient Egypt, China, the Mediterranean and Near Eastern cultures, and it’s swiftly dying out around the world. In Romania, the wailers (bocitoare) are mostly older women (babe), rooted in their communities with deep, encyclopaedic knowledge of their neighbours. When these women die, the whole practice will die with them.

    Text projected onto a screen saying “I’m going to make myself vulnerable by telling you a personal story. That will make you more likely to trust me.”
    Posted: 02-05-2024 Tag: artist blogs

    Liam Rees on embracing bullshit

    The Land That Never Was is a story about a conman called Gregor MacGregor who made up a country. It's also a story about me telling lies to tourists. It's also a story about an audience deciding what they choose to believe or not. In times of crisis people often turn to cults, conspiracy theories, and con artists. There's a comfort in confident, charismatic leader who can tell you a story that makes sense of the chaos we're in. Unfortunately, I'm going to provide no such thing.

    A woman and two men pose in a triangle formation in an empty school playground with various chalk markings on the ground.
    Posted: 30-04-2024 Tag: artist blogs

    Why should we care about privacy?

    Claire Gaydon, writer and one of the performers in Piece of Me - a Britney-inspired comedy exploring surveillance ethics - meets with policy and campaigns manager Emmanuelle Andrews from Liberty to talk about CCTV, facial recognition, and why we should care about what happens to our data.

    Woman with long curly hair and wearing a red long sleeve top. She is laying on the floor and staring at a can of Spam
    Posted: 30-04-2024 Tag: artist blogs

    Home is where the Spam is

    The value of food is not often thought about until we’re thrust into a space where the food is unrecognisable and political rhetoric reminds us that we don’t belong. So why does food become so valuable when we live far from home? Sierra Sevilla reflects on how For the Love of Spam emphasises food as a cultural signifier and how you should think twice before judging someone’s (literal) plate.

    Two people in a kebab shop They have various Elizabethan props and costumes: A crown, a ruff, a cup.
    Posted: 30-04-2024 Tag: news

    English Kings Killing Foreigners: Visual Story

    Camden People's Theatre has created a Visual Story to help prepare you for your trip to see English Kings Killing Foreigners.

    Hannah, a white woman wearing a suit with a gold waistcoat, dances in the aisle of a theatre show. She has one hand raised in the air, and she is in the middle of singing. The audience around her is standing to dance with her.
    Posted: 25-04-2024 Tag: artist blogs

    How We’re (Still) Doing Just Fine: The Journey of Shepard Tone Theatre

    As Shepard Tone Theatre prepare for one more London outing of their award-winning show Coming Out Of My Cage (And I’ve Been Doing Just Fine), an interactive investigation into the legacy of the hit song Mr Brightside by The Killers, with comedy, cabaret and karaoke, they reflect on making new work, finding an audience, and the entire journey that has brought them to this point.

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    Posted: 17-04-2024 Tag: news

    Reviewers Social (25th April 2024)

    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?

    Headshots of 9 seed commissionees Obadiah, Habebe Fazel and Cemile Ahmet, Eleanor Hill, Naz Şimşek, Sammy Trotman, Kc Gardiner, Maya Williams, Tatum Swithenbank, and Simeon Campbell. They are against a two toned background.
    Posted: 11-04-2024 Tag: news

    Announcing our 2024 Seed Commissions!

    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.

    A man wearing in a white t-shirt stands centre stage, speaking into a microphone. He is looking up at a large projection of an older woman which takes up the entire back wall of the set.
    Posted: 20-03-2024 Tag: artist blogs

    Embracing Authenticity: Creating The Death & Life of All of Us

    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.

    A display at the Guggenheim Gallery. A robot arm holding a squeegee stands in a pool of reddish-brown liquid in an otherwise white room. The room is streaked and splattered with the liquid.
    Posted: 14-03-2024 Tag: artist blogs

    Who Decides What Art Means (and why can't it be me?)

    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 stands on stage against a powerpoint slide that is bright sparkly pink and reads “I deserve so many good orgasms
    Posted: 11-03-2024 Tag: artist blogs

    Raina Greifer on being a slut who is scared of sex

    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.

    A frame from the body remembers showing Rofeda in a spotlight
    Posted: 11-03-2024 Tag: artist blogs

    Let’s trust young artists to make work that matters

    ​​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.

    4 photographs of Gassan Abdulrazek (an Arabic male, aged 27) pointing authoritatively on a white background, arranged into a two-by-two grid.
    Posted: 07-03-2024 Tag: artist blogs

    Gassan’s Gaze: The Actor’s View on Curating Their Final Performance

    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.

    Two palm trees surrounded by various fruit plants
    Posted: 07-03-2024 Tag: artist blogs

    Can collective storytelling make us eco-conscious?

    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.

    A female lying on the floor with her leg in the air
    Posted: 06-03-2024 Tag: artist blogs

    Disabled Stories Are Not Just For Disabled People: Here’s Why

    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.

    'Being Slaggy' written in bright pink against a pink leapard spotted background
    Posted: 04-03-2024 Tag: artist blogs

    Performance, Poetry, Class and Desire: On Being Slaggy

    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. 

    The lower half of a mani in jeans photographed from behind with a colorful Lucha Libre mask hanging out of his back pocket.
    Posted: 04-03-2024 Tag: artist blogs

    I'll say it: sports are gay

    "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.

    A churchyard with autumn leaves falling on green grass, featuring a red granite headstone to Greyfriars Bobby on the left and the new memorial statue of the dog set in a flowerbed on the right, in front of one of the outer walls of the church.
    Posted: 21-12-2023 Tag: artist blogs

    Greyfriars Bobby was an ethical slut

    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.

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    Posted: 12-12-2023 Tag: news

    Announcing our new Starting Blocks artists

    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.

    An0maly and Vijay Patel smiling with one another in a candid shot from a photoshoot.
    Posted: 04-12-2023 Tag: artist blogs

    Why do we need a queer Christmas show anyway?

    "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.

    A sketch of the charactor of Édouard on a blue stage with pieces of set around him including a television, a pile of bricks, and a desk.
    Posted: 22-11-2023 Tag: artist blogs

    How do we retain the personal in the political? Designing Who Killed My Father.

    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.

    Transparent bubbles glistening against a pastel purple background
    Posted: 10-11-2023 Tag: news

    Reviewers Social (7th Dec 2023)

    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?

    A person in a red caving suit clambering up the rock wall of a cave. Another person is disappearing through a crack in the rock ahead of them.
    Posted: 07-11-2023 Tag: artist blogs

    Going Underground To Discover The Future

    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.

    A dark haired woman peers out from a red velvet stage curtain and points at a star which she is desperate to reach..
    Posted: 07-11-2023 Tag: artist blogs

    Showing Our Children That Dreams Can Come True

    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.

    Three performers on stage during a performance of ADHD The Musical. One is dancing with a yellow umbrella, one is singing into a standing microphone, one is sat playing keyboard and singing into a microphone.
    Posted: 16-10-2023 Tag: news

    Tech Workshop: Musical Theatre

    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 performing on stage, dressed in a bulky Frankenstein Monster costume.
    Posted: 09-10-2023 Tag: artist blogs

    What you looking at? Violent gazes, slippery categories and the power in becoming monstrous.

    Hester-Stefan Chillingworth answers some questions about their cross-genre show Monster Show, coming to CPT 31 Oct - 3 Nov.

    A young person with dark hair talks excitedly into a microphone.
    Posted: 05-10-2023 Tag: artist blogs

    How games can save the world (maybe)

    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.

    Dora is sitting on a yellow toy chest on stage. She is wearing a matching yellow unitard with yellow braces and attached skirt over the top. She has black on black socks with blue patches on the toes and heels. Her hair is in two plaits and she is wearing
    Posted: 03-10-2023 Tag: artist blogs

    How to make a theatre show: beg, borrow, steal!

    "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.

    Kelly stands in a London park with three tower blocks in the background. She is wearing a large pink hoodie, a gold spikey crown, a check dress and yellow converses. it is an autumnal day with leaves on the ground.
    Posted: 26-09-2023 Tag: Community Callouts

    Mother*s Meeting at Camden People's Theatre: Call Out!

    Are you a mother*? Would you like to have some crafty performance fun to moan and chat about all things mumsy?

    A collage of four different brain scans layered on top of each other
    Posted: 25-09-2023 Tag: artist blogs

    A journey into tomorrow: notes from exploring social fiction in theatre

    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.

    An image of actress and Gaulier trained clown April Small.  She is wearing a black t-shirt, is ruffling her hair, and is sticking her tongue out in a rebellious way.
    Posted: 12-09-2023 Tag: artist blogs

    Bloody Medea: Using ancient tragedy to erase the past

    "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!!.

    A slighty grainy photo of a shirtless, 8 year old black person with a slight smile on his face.
    Posted: 12-09-2023 Tag: artist blogs

    How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love Myself

    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

    Three performers in silhouette on a dark stage with smoke billowing around them, lit up from beneath.
    Posted: 24-08-2023 Tag: Community Callouts

    Camden Youth Theatre Taster Workshops

    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!

    CARRIE RUDZINSKI and OLIVIA HALL in plain tshirts against a pink packground. They have mascara running down their cheeks as fi they've been crying and Carrie is holding a blue corded phone.
    Posted: 06-07-2023 Tag: news

    Edinburgh Fringe Previews 2023

    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.

    Decorative image of geometric shapes
    Posted: 27-06-2023 Tag: news

    A Statement from CPT

    There has recently been some concern raised around wording in our current advertisement for a new Artistic Director/Joint CEO.  Our response i...

    Decorative image of geometric shapes
    Posted: 27-06-2023 Tag: news

    An update from CPT

    There has been concern raised over some of the language we used in a recent job advert and some people have found it offensive.  As a result, ...

    A women wearing a sparkly silver leotard holds two hula hoops in front of the Tolmer's Square audience.
    Posted: 14-06-2023 Tag: Community Callouts

    Tolmer's Square FREE Arts Festival 2023!

    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.

    Ewan, a brown haired man and one of the guest artists leading the workshop, is singing in a dark bedroom with a guitar leading against the wall behind him
    Posted: 25-05-2023 Tag: Community Callouts

    Oral History Workshop with Sweet Thames

    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.

    Please sign up using this link!

     a timeline of Mary Shelley's life and family
    Posted: 24-05-2023 Tag: artist blogs

    We're not playing games here

    '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.

    Members of So La Flair dancing on stage with confetti billowing aorund them
    Posted: 23-05-2023 Tag: news

    Ten Years, Your Voices

    Contribute to our Calm Down Dear listening post - share your thoughts on feminism over the past 10 years!

    A landscape photo of a young East Asian woman in white sporty clothes on a stage, with her head and arms thrown back in motion. In the background are a cardboard shrine to Lucy Liu and flameless tea lights on a table, and a fur coat and a stool.
    Posted: 11-05-2023 Tag: artist blogs

    Choose-your-own-advocacy: how to ask for what you need

    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.

    A street sign on a red brick wall reads
    Posted: 10-05-2023 Tag: news

    Announcing our 'To The Streets' Commission!

    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!)

    A landscape photo of a young East Asian woman in a white fur jacket laughing on a stage, next to a mic stand with feathers hanging down. Behind her are a cardboard shrine to Lucy Liu on a wooden table and flameless tea lights.
    Posted: 05-05-2023 Tag: artist blogs

    Choose-your-own-advantage: find your form based on how you think

    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.

    Four photos: Writing on a brick wall saying
    Posted: 05-05-2023 Tag: Community Callouts

    History and Heritage Day

    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.

    Four people hug each other and laugh holding pieces of paper which look like scripts
    Posted: 04-05-2023 Tag: artist blogs

    We desperately need more queer joy in theatre

    ‘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. 

    a black and white photo of of a white man in glasses and a blazer (Adam Brace) sat at a desk with a script in his hand
    Posted: 02-05-2023 Tag: news

    Adam Brace

    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...

    Still from The Last Of Us: A person with a rucksack and a gun faces away from the camera, looking out at a desolate landscape.
    Posted: 13-04-2023 Tag: artist blogs

    Seeing it through their eyes: How video games can influence theatre

    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.

    A collage of the nine 2023 seed commission artists and companies against a pink background
    Posted: 11-04-2023 Tag: news

    Hot new seed commissions incoming!

    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.

    Text reads: Expressing Ourselves: people living with HIV in our own words
    Posted: 30-03-2023 Tag: Community Callouts

    EXPRESSING OURSELVES: Living with HIV in Our Own Words

    Post-Show Discussion & Exhibition Launch

    Wednesday 5th April

     A woman standing rigidly with a red apple balanced on her head in front of a screen projecting historic images of Nazi soldiers
    Posted: 22-03-2023 Tag: artist blogs

    Infertility and what it means to bear the weight of inherited generational trauma

    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.

    A supermarket aisle showing eight rows of various sized jars of pickles.
    Posted: 14-03-2023 Tag: artist blogs

    Tell me what you want, what you really really want

    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.

    Posted: 13-03-2023 Tag: artist blogs

    Theatre for the diasporic community: Investigating an alternative lens

    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.

    Six people dressed in sparkly outfits sitting and standing in an office with lots of posters on the wall
    Posted: 01-03-2023 Tag: artist blogs

    How to preserve the act of daydreaming while being a full-time adult

    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? 

    A computer monitor, showing a psychedelic blend of multiple coloured pixels on its screen
    Posted: 27-02-2023 Tag: artist blogs

    Making high impact immersive theatre on a budget

    "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.

    A pink “DoxBox” logo with “trustbot” in red underneath it. On a bright golden yellow background, a cute rectangular face that looks like it’s on a television screen is smiling at an icon of a closed, pink padlock.
    Posted: 26-02-2023 Tag: artist blogs

    DoxBox Trustbot: Putting the GO in Algorithmic Oppression

    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.

    Painting of Billy Waters in the 1800s
    Posted: 26-01-2023 Tag: Community Callouts

    Hidden Voices Workshop

    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.

    Starting blocks 2023
    Posted: 13-12-2022 Tag: news

    2023 Starting Blocks Artists

    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.

    A performer in a colourful headscarf photographed in side profile
    Posted: 28-11-2022 Tag: news

    Democratising fundraising and our future plans

    "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.

    Actor Alistair Hall poses as character Jimbo, the central character in DECLAN. He is muddied and gazing out into a field.
    Posted: 13-11-2022 Tag: artist blogs

    Suburbia, Shame and Stone-Throwing: Alistair Hall on his debut show Declan

    "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."

    gobscure (sean), a white person seated,  with red heart pinned to sleeve. they hold an nhs bag, wear a party hat and are holding an iced ring biscuit out.
    Posted: 11-11-2022 Tag: artist blogs

    gobscure on heartfelt

    "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."

    Ace of Spades playing card with a drawing of Philip and Nina on it
    Posted: 07-11-2022 Tag: news

    Announcing our new Home Run commission!

    Drum roll, please!

    In the background of the image is a picture of a flyer from the 1990's for Onyx, a social and discussion group for Black lesbians and lesbians of colour. In front of this is a picture of a Liv, a white queer woman in a cardigan and jeans, turning to look
    Posted: 03-11-2022 Tag: artist blogs

    Excavating queer joy: Our Camden NoW! Commission

    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.

    A performer on stage with her hair in a bun wearing a grey tshirt. She is reading a piece of paper.
    Posted: 01-11-2022 Tag: artist blogs

    Working class theatre for working class people.

    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

    Two people smiling and giving thumbs up while rehearsing for Walking Cats
    Posted: 20-10-2022 Tag: artist blogs

    When you can’t travel home, will your home come to you?

    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.

    Three women of different ethnicities sat on a grey sofa, seen from the waist up. A white brick background. The women are looking straight at us. They are confident.
    Posted: 17-10-2022 Tag: artist blogs

    A Musical About Abortion?!

    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 wearing a blonde bob, white face paint, and a red nose, holding a puppet
    Posted: 17-10-2022 Tag: artist blogs

    Support and My Puppet

    Jack Boal shares his experience of CPT's Starting Blocks programme.

    A woman doing her makeup in the mirror. She is applying red lipstick to her cheeks like war paint stripes.
    Posted: 13-10-2022 Tag: artist blogs

    Toxic Mother And Daughter Bonds - Why The Taboo?

    "For me, it’s not about pointing the finger, or even holding our parents to account, it’s about a deeper understanding of self."

    Two people rehearsing for wipe these tears
    Posted: 30-09-2022 Tag: artist blogs

    Where is the love? Making political theatre in Romania & the UK

    "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.

     

    Posted: 12-09-2022 Tag: news

    Announcing the recipients of Outside the Box and Camden NoW! Commissions

    Two major commissions awarded, with tailored development commissions offered to three further artists.

    Anna kneeling on the floor holding an EU flag
    Posted: 07-09-2022 Tag: artist blogs

    Anna Clover on Going Deutsch

    ‘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.

    Photo of Serena posing and licking the tip of a high heel.
    Posted: 07-09-2022 Tag: artist blogs

    A Love Letter to Chavs

    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. 

    Chav-rodite 16-17 Sep at 9pm

    Bilal Hasna and Aaron Kilercioglu sat opposite one another at a table with notebooks
    Posted: 07-09-2022 Tag: artist blogs

    Bilal Hasna and Aaron Kilercioglu on For A Palestinian

    “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. 

    The HOT IN HERE cast and crew smiling at the camera
    Posted: 06-09-2022 Tag: artist blogs

    The World's First Energy-Harvesting Dancefloor In Live Theatre

    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.

    David holding a photograph up to a room of people
    Posted: 04-09-2022 Tag: artist blogs

    David Labi on Pieces of a Man

    "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.

    Close up of a wooden bird house with the words 'sperm bank' written on it in marker pen
    Posted: 16-08-2022 Tag: artist blogs

    Louise Ashcroft on Bird Hut Sperm Bank

    "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

    Poster of HOT IN HERE. A drawing of the earth with flames behind it. In front is a colourful dancefloor with climate protesters on it.
    Posted: 18-07-2022 Tag: news

    Announcing our Autumn Season

    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.

    Photo of the CPT smiling at the camera waving their arms
    Posted: 06-07-2022 Tag: news

    Nicola Clements: A Year At CPT

    "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.

    Photo of a theatre-making networking event
    Posted: 05-07-2022 Tag: news

    Top Tips for Fundraising

    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.

    Photograph of Simone French performing holding a phone and a ring light.
    Posted: 26-06-2022 Tag: Community Callouts

    Digital Theatre Workshops for Schools

    '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. 

    Photograph of a performer with hula hoops in a sequined leotard in front of an audience in Tolmer's Square.
    Posted: 16-06-2022 Tag: Community Callouts

    Tolmer's Square Community Event & Photo Competition

    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

    Photograph of a performer with lots of colourful hula hoops in a black leotard performing outdoors in Tolmer's Square.
    Posted: 16-06-2022 Tag: Community Callouts

    Queens Crescent Variety Spectacular

    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

    A performer in glasses and a sideways cap speaking into a microphone in Tolmer's Square.
    Posted: 16-06-2022 Tag: Community Callouts

    Free Oral History Training Workshops

    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

    Posted: 13-05-2022 Tag: news

    Meet our Seed Commission Artists 2022

    CPT announces Seed Commissioned Artists for 2022

    Posted: 13-04-2022 Tag: news

    Figs in Wigs on launching Calm Down Dear 2022

    "We are so excited and no, we won't calm down about it!" 

    Posted: 28-03-2022 Tag: artist blogs

    Interview with Tess Seddon on Say Yes to Tess

    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 

    Posted: 22-03-2022 Tag: news

    Interview with Birkbeck on its latest collaboration with CPT

    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.

    Posted: 11-03-2022 Tag: artist blogs

    Playing Latinx: Notes from Directors Mariana Aristizabal Pardo & Malena Arcucci

    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.

    Derek and Kathy are lying on a bed of plants, fruits and vegetables, looking into the camera. Derek has a lily in his mouth, Kathy is biting into a cherry.
    Posted: 28-02-2022 Tag: news

    Brian Logan On Why We Love A Sprint Festival

    We love a Sprint festival, right? But never before have we done two in six months.

    Posted: 18-02-2022 Tag: news

    Meet Our Newest Team Members!

    We are thrilled to introduce our newest team members: Nisha Oza (Artist Support Producer) and Adam Welsh (Artist in the Community)

    Posted: 18-02-2022 Tag: artist blogs

    Director Lakeisha Lynch-Stevens Reflects on the New Camden Youth Theatre Show

    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.

    Posted: 14-02-2022 Tag: news

    Camden People's Theatre and Birkbeck announce new collaboration

    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.

    Woman in a blue dress and a rosette awkwardly being pushed to the front by two enthusiastic supporters peering round from behind her.
    Posted: 04-02-2022 Tag: news

    Spring Season Announcement: we are back with radical work and real-life stories

    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.

    A picture of our current steering group.
    Posted: 29-12-2021 Tag: Community Callouts

    Camden People’s Theatre Steering Group

    Are you based in Camden? Want to have a voice in our programming? We want to hear from you!

    Posted: 30-11-2021 Tag: news

    Meet Our 2022 Starting Blocks Artists!

    JACK BOAL (he/him)
    Jack is a performer and theatre maker who laces clowning with interactive performance to investigate the...

    Posted: 30-11-2021 Tag: news

    Camden People’s Theatre awarded £261K Paul Hamlyn Foundation funding

    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.

    A picture of Tom Ryalls as a child in school. He has blonde hair and wears glasses and a school uniform.
    Posted: 16-11-2021 Tag: artist blogs

    Tom Ryalls on Creating Education, Education, Karaoke

    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.

    “Keep up the good work producing cutting-edge theatre for everyone in London”

    Councillor Jonathan Simpson, 29 January 2018