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Jermyn Street Theatre

Address	16b Jermyn Street London, SW1 United Kingdom
Coordinates	51°30′33″N 0°08′04″W / 51.5092°N 0.1345°W / 51.5092; -0.1345
Public transit	Piccadilly Circus
Type	West End Studio Theatre
Genre(s)	Theatre
Capacity	70
Opened	August 1994; 30 years ago (1994-08)
Website
jermynstreettheatre.co.uk

Jermyn Street Theatre is a performance venue situated on Jermyn Street, in London's West End. It is an Off West End studio theatre.

History

Jermyn Street Theatre opened in August 1994. It was formerly the changing rooms for staff at a Spaghetti House restaurant and originally the cellar of the Kent & Sussex Tavern up until 1838. The space was transformed under the leadership of Howard Jameson and Penny Horner into a 70-seat studio theatre. They both remain the Chair of the Board and Executive Director respectively. In 1995, Neil Marcus became the first Artistic Director and Jermyn Street received their Lottery Grant in 1997. During this time, producer Chris Grady contributed to Jermyn Street Theatre's development. Princess Michael of Kent became the theatre's patron in 1995 and David Babani, later the founder of the Menier Chocolate Factory, took over as artistic director in 1998 until 2001.

Jermyn Street Theatre has become a staple of London's Off-West End studio theatre. It received a lot of attention following successful productions of Barefoot in the Park directed by Sally Hughes and starring Alan Cox and Rachel Pickup, and Helping Harry directed by Nickolas Grace and starring Adrian Lukis and Simon Dutton. In the late 2000s, under the artistic direction of Gene David Kirk, Jermyn Street expanded its repertoire to include revivals of obscure plays such as the UK premiere of St John's Night by Henrik Ibsen, Little Eyolf starring Imogen Stubbs and Doreen Mantle by Henrik Ibsen, and the postwar classic The River Line by Charles Morgan. Samuel Beckett's All That Fall, premiered at Jermyn Street Theatre in 2012, directed by Trevor Nunn and starring Eileen Atkins and Michael Gambon. It then transferred to the Arts Theatre and later would transfer to the New York's 59E59 Theatre In 2011, Jermyn Street Theatre received a Peter Brook Empty Space Award nomination. One year later, the theatre won The Stage 100 Best Fringe Theatre.

Following the rising success of Jermyn Street Theatre under the artistic direction of Gene David Kirk was Anthony Biggs who took over as Artistic Director in 2013. He focused on international playwrights and new works. During Biggs' time, Jermyn Street Theatre produced a repertory season of South African drama and new works by Jonathan Lewis (A Level Playing Field), Sarah Daniels (Soldiers' Wives), and American playwright Rae Spiegel (Dry Land). Biggs also revived The First Man by American playwright Eugene O'Neill, First World War drama Flowers of the Forest by John Van Druten, and First Episode, Terence Rattigan's first play, directed by Tom Littler.

In 2017, Tom Littler became Artistic Director and Executive Producer. His first production was the world premiere of Howard Brenton's The Blinding Light. This marked the sixth production Littler has directed at Jermyn Street Theatre. Previous credits include praised revivals of Stephen Sondheim's Anyone Can Whistle and Saturday Night which transferred to the Arts Theatre. Since Tom Littler's appointment as Artistic Director, Jermyn Street Theatre has been re-launched into a full-scale producing theatre, with eight to ten productions making up an annual season. The theatre's creative output is focused on staging new plays, rare revivals, innovative adaptations of European classics, and outstanding musicals, alongside one-off literary events. Jermyn Street Theatre is committed to ensuring that at least fifty percent of all on stage and off stage creatives are women.

In 2018, Littler directed the first complete West End revival of Noël Coward's Tonight at 8.30, featuring a cast of nine actors playing 73 roles. In his tenure, Jermyn Street Theatre often co-produced with regional theatres including York Theatre Royal, the Watermill Theatre, Theatre by the Lake, Theatre Royal Bath, Creation Theatre, the Stephen Joseph Theatre, and Guildford Shakespeare Company.

During its closure over lockdown in 2020, the theatre responded with its Brave New World season of digital work, including the complete cycle of Shakespeare's sonnets performed by a mixture of graduating drama students and household names including Helena Bonham Carter and Olivia Colman and the acclaimed 15 Heroines with DigitalTheatre+ featuring adaptations of Ovid from writers including Juliet Gilkes Romero and Timberlake Wertenbaker.

In 2021, they won the Stage Award for Fringe Theatre of the Year, making it the first theatre to win the award twice. Their contribution to groundbreaking digital work, and support for theatre freelancers during lockdown was recognised at the 2022 Critics Circle Awards, where they won an award for "Exceptional theatre-making during lockdown" alongside Nica Burns, the National Theatre, the Old Vic, and Original Theatre Company. In his final year as Artistic Director, Littler won the OffWestEnd Award for Best Artistic Director 2022.

In autumn 2022, Stella Powell-Jones and David Doyle succeeded Tom Littler as Artistic Director and Executive Producer respectively, working alongside Executive Director Penny Horner to form a management team of three.

Awards and nominations

• Winner The Critics Circle Award for "Exceptional theatre-making during lockdown" (2022)
• Winner The Stage Awards Fringe Theatre of the Year (2021)
• Shortlisted Broadway World Awards Best Performance Ensemble for Pictures of Dorian Gray (2019)
• Winner The Stage Awards Fringe Theatre of the Year (2012)

Off West End theatre awards

Source:

References

1. Morning Advertiser, 30 August 1838
2. "Jermyn Street Theatre | Theatre in Piccadilly Circus, London". Time Out London. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
3. "Stocks". www.bloomberg.com. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
4. "Jermyn Street Theatre". British Theatre. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
5. ^ Theatre, Jermyn Street. "Jermyn Street Theatre, Off West End venue". theatre.london. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
6. Maxwell, Dominic (17 May 2017). "Babani and the chocolate factory". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
7. "Archive for Barefoot in the Park at Jermyn Street Theatre, London. 2000. [PLAY]". www.uktw.co.uk. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
8. Shuttleworth, Ian (2001). "Review of Helping Harry". www.cix.co.uk. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
9. Smith, Alistair (9 December 2008). "Jermyn Street Theatre appoints first artistic director in a decade | News". The Stage. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
10. Limited, London Theatre Direct (25 May 2012). "Jermyn Street Theatre Presents The UK Premier of Henrik Ibsen'S St John's Night". www.londontheatredirect.com. Retrieved 18 March 2019. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
11. Spencer, Charles (6 May 2011). "Little Eyolf, Jermyn Street theatre, review". Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
12. "The River Line, Jermyn Street Theatre, London". The Independent. 14 October 2011. Archived from the original on 8 June 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
13. Billington, Michael (12 October 2012). "All That Fall - review". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
14. Merrifield, Nicola (24 October 2012). "Beckett's All That Fall transfers to Arts Theatre | News". The Stage. Retrieved 18 March 2019..
15. "Atkins & Gambon Fall for Beckett at 59E59". StageBuddy.com. 3 October 2013. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
16. Smith, Alistair (16 October 2012). "Gene David Kirk to leave Jermyn Street | News". The Stage. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
17. "A Level Playing Field, Jermyn Street - theatre review: closer in tone". Evening Standard. 21 April 2015. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
18. "Soldier's Wives at the Jermyn Street Theatre". London Theatre Guide. 10 January 2012. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
19. Pringle, Stewart. "Dry Land review at Jermyn Street Theatre, London 'astonishingly fresh and honest'". The Stage. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
20. Billington, Michael (12 October 2015). "The First Man review – the ego cometh in Eugene O'Neill's early drama". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
21. "Flowers of the Forest". Ardent Theatre Company. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
22. BWW News Desk. "Caroline Langrishe to Star in FIRST EPISODE at Jermyn Street Theatre". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
23. ^ Hemley, Matthew (3 February 2017). "Tom Littler to replace Anthony Biggs as artistic director of Jermyn Street Theatre | News". The Stage. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
24. Higgs, Frances (26 September 2017). "Review: The Blinding Light, Jermyn Street Theatre". A Younger Theatre. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
25. "Theatre review: Anyone Can Whistle at Jermyn Street Theatre". British Theatre Guide. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
26. Time Out London, Jermyn Street Theatre. "Saturday Night at Jermyn Street Theatre - Fringe". Time Out London. Archived from the original on 21 December 2017. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
27. "Saturday Night with Helena Blackman at Arts Theatre". London Theatre Guide. 14 March 2009. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
28. "Jermyn Street Theatre announces nine-play Noël Coward series in new season | WhatsOnStage". www.whatsonstage.com. 14 February 2018. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
29. "Tonight at 8.30: 'This is Noel Coward at his finest' | Review". LondonTheatre1.com. 23 April 2018. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
30. "The Stage Awards winners 2021: Jermyn Street Theatre, fringe theatre of the year". The Stage. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
31. "Stella Powell-Jones and David Doyle succeed Tom Littler at Jermyn Street Theatre | WhatsOnStage". www.whatsonstage.com. 23 June 2022. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
32. Maltby, Kate (10 April 2022). "The Critics' Circle Theatre Awards Return". The Critics' Circle. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
33. "The Stage Awards winners 2021: Jermyn Street Theatre, fringe theatre of the year". The Stage. 6 January 2021. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
34. Swain, Marianka. "Shortlist Announced For The 2019 BroadwayWorld UK Awards; Voting Now Open!". BroadwayWorld.com.
35. "Stage 100 Awards 2012: Fringe Theatre of the Year". The Stage. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
36. "2020 Awards Ceremony". The Offies.

External links

• Jermyn Street Theatre Official Site

• 1994 establishments in England
• Studio theatres in London
• Theatres completed in 1994
• Theatres in the City of Westminster