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© Daniel Allen

Stratford East

A buzzing community theatre with an impressive history.
  • Theatre | Private theatres
  • Stratford
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Time Out says

Talk about having a lot to live up to: in the '50s and '60s Theatre Royal Stratford East was arguably the most influential theatre in London, thanks to the presence of the visionary Joan Littlewood and her Theatre Workshop.

These days its output tends to send fewer shockwaves around the world. But under recent artistic director Nadia Fall it has a lively and diverse programme with a breadth and eclectism somewhat comparable to the National Theatre’s. 

Her lasting legacy may be to have dropped the ‘Theatre Royal’ from the name, though to be fair it’s hardly impossible to contemplate the idea a future AD might change it back. Her successor will be Lisa Spirling, formerly of Theatre 503.

Details

Address
Gerry Raffles Square
Stratford
London
E15 1BN
Transport:
Rail: Stratford International; Tube/DLR: Stratford
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What’s on

The Harder they Come

In 2006, Stratford East staged a smash hit musical adptation of the 1972 reggae film classic The Harder they Come. And in 2025 it’s doing it again, this time the UK premire of a completely different version with a book by the great US playwright Suzan Lori-Parks. The songs, of course, are the Jimmy Cliff originals, and the story cleaves to that of Perry Henzell’s movie. It follows young hero Ivan, who arrives in Kingston, Jamaica determined to make it as a reggae star and who becomes radically disillusioned with the corrupt music business. Matthew Xia directs.
  • Musicals
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