Arcola Theatre, 2016
© Lidia Crisafulli

Arcola Theatre

East London's new writing stronghold is a bit erratic but much appreciated
  • Theatre | Private theatres
  • Dalston
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Time Out says

Situated slap bang in the middle of Dalston since 2000, the Arcola Theatre was here before the hipsters and – despite one enforced change from its original venue on Arcola Street to its present former paint factory site – remains a bastion of interesting work in theatre-light east London.

The programme here is quite unpredictable but occasionally brilliant: shows have often been announced late in the day and it’s tricky to really put your finger on what the artistic policy is supposed to be. Still, expect revivals of ‘serious dramas’, new plays from fresh voices, and plenty of work with a political, international outlook programmed across its 200-capacity main auditorium and smaller downstairs studio space.

Its biggest constant is Grimeborn, an irreverent and influential festival of new opera writing that takes place in the summer to coincide with the world-famous Glyndebourne Opera Festival. There’s also a real focus on work of interest to the area’s local communities, with occasional stagings of Turkish language plays sitting alongside dramas by the Arcola’s Queer Collective. Tickets generally start at £15-£20, with a small number of Pay What You Want tickets available in person on Tuesdays.

The ramshackle bar is a cosy place to sink a pint before or after the show; it serves tea and coffee during the day, and generally fills up with artsy types on a Friday or Saturday night. The Arcola also has an admirable commitment to becoming completely carbon neutral, as demonstrated in its rather advanced-looking toilets. 

Details

Address
24 Ashwin St
London
E8 3DL
Transport:
Dalston Kingsland or Dalston Junction Overground
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What’s on

54.60 Africa

Following the successful recent revival of his Arcola hit The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives, playwright and director Femi Elufowoju jr returns to the Dalston theatre with a new drama inspired by his visit to Africa’s (then) 54 nations. It follows 11 friends, who are given seven days to prove to the rest of the world that Africa is worth celebrating.
  • Drama

Run, Sister, Run

Due to run five years ago at Soho Theatre but scuppered by the pandemic, Chloë Moss’s play follows a pair of sisters who've all but lost touch. Reconnecting after some shock news, they explore why their lives have gone in such different directions. Directed by Marlie Haco, Run, Sister, Run stars Jo Herbert and Kelly Gough as Connie and Ursula. 
  • Drama

Grimeborn Opera Festival

The Arcola Theatre's alt-opera festival Grimeborn returns for its eighteenth year in 2025 and it’s as eclectic as ever, from a stripped back reworking of Wagner’s magnum opus Tristan und Isolde (Aug 13-16) to the first ever full staging of John Joubert’s final opera Jane Eyre (Aug 6-9)  and the return of last year’s bit of fun Sense & Senibility, The Musical (Aug 19-23) which is, you know, a bit more musical-y, and also last year’s Lucia di Lammermoor, which is, you know, bleak. See Arcola website for all shows and timings.
  • Classical and opera

Clive

This new play from veteran dramatist Mcichael Wynne – recently seen at the Royal Court with his play Cuckoo – follows Thomas, an ordinary guy who loves to work from home where he hangs out with Clive, a cactus. But when his regular routines are abruptly taken away, Thomas suddenly feels uncomfortably isolated. Lucy Bailey directs this dram about technology and isolation, whioch stars double Olivier winner Paul Keating.
  • Drama
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