Stratford East New Season

[tonyloco]

Apr 22, 2018 12:55:49 GMT dontdreamit said:

I’ve lived in east London for about 20 years and this would be my local theatre... and not once have I ever seen any publicity about it anywhere. In fact, I know more about what’s going on at the Hackney Empire than here. There is potentially a huge audience of locals who could be using this theatre but don’t. I often go by especially as I use the Picturehouse next door every couple of months, but there just seems to be very poor publicity for anything going on.

You may have a point about local advertising, but I live in West London and I find out about what is happening at the Theatre Royal, Stratford East, the same way as I find out about that is happening at the Hackney Empire – by being on their mailing lists and receiving a booklet twice a year listing everything going on at the theatre. I know that is not going to attract passers by but I can't believe the theatre has not been publicising its activities in some way aimed at attracting a local audience.

But maybe you are right! It will be very interesting if you notice that the new regime is publicising what's happening at the theatre more strongly in the local catchment area. It is my understanding the new AD is more interested in attracting the sort of people who frequent the West End and the London fringe theatres rather than the locals so I hope you don't continue to find yourself in East London unaware of what is being presented at the theatre.

[dontdreamit]

I know that they are aiming for West End audiences, but the point I didn’t make very well was that there are thousands of people for whom this is their local theatre, yet it won’t be on their radar at all. I think that’s rather short-sighted, especially as Stratford is so well connected.

I do wonder if you asked someone to name an east London theatre if anyone could name anywhere other the Hackney Empire. I do check their website every so often to see what’s on, but if locals don’t really know about it, there is a whole market they’re missing out on. It’s such a shame really.

[Deleted]

I think Borkowski is (understandably) blowing his own trumpet at how good it was when he was working there. Fall has pointed specifically to Littlewood as the heyday of TRSE and that isn’t really deniable. Since then it has focused more on its local audience and transfers have been a by product (The Big Life being a good example) but, not knowing the area that well, is the locality changing? A local theatre needs to attract that audience and, if it changes then you follow. Post Littlewood they did that but is it needed again?

[Jan]

The claim the “hipsters” who have moved into the area are “transient” is absurd - once money moves into an area and gentrification starts it stays there for a couple of generations or more. More typically it is the minority’communities in an area who are transient.

His advice they aim for a “local” audience is as bogus as the Bush’s similar aim - it’s only one section of the local audience they want.

Also it would have been advisable for him to omit the Thatcher-bashing - makes him sound ancient.

[foxa]

I'm not really a panto person nor local to Stratford, but I go the Stratford East panto pretty much every year. It's specially written (not recycled pop songs) and inventively designed (huge backpack puppets, etc.) while reasonably priced. And very, very funny. It seems to attract a local audience - lots of families, school groups, etc.
I think the only other shows I've seen there were Hotel Cerise (which I liked but it struggled to find an audience) and a rather depressing event called a Monologue Slam.
The bar/restaurant used to be good but it was shocking last time we went.

I think not doing musicals may be a mistake, but I wish the artistic director well - I think a quirky, historic theatre like Stratford East needs to find a way to survive.

[jek]

I live less than ten minutes walk from Stratford East and grew up in the East End. I would say that if you live locally it is hard to miss what is on at the theatre. Every household gets a glossy magazine called the Newham Mag delivered once a fortnight (Eric Pickles tried to stop it but failed) and this has large ads and sometimes editorial about the theatre. The shopping centre (the old one, not Westfield) frequently has banner adverts for the plays. And pretty much every Newham school child - including my three when they were at primary school - gets taken by their school to see the pantomime (part of the council's 'Every Child A Theatregoer' commitment) and so would be aware of the theatre via that. Certainly in my case it isn't that I don't know what is on at the theatre but rather that there is very little on there that I want to see. I often look at the stuff that is on and think that that isn't aimed at me, but I do wonder who some of it is aimed at. It would be so nice to see it buzzing with life.

[dontdreamit]

Great that Newham do that, but those surrounding boroughs- like Waltham Forest, Tower Hamlets etc. don’t really hear much about it- Leyton for example is a ten minute walk away yet friends who live there never hear anything about the theatre. I just feel like there is so much untapped potential. On our local Facebook page, people are always talking about events and places to go and places all over east London (and outside of our area) are talked about, and I can’t recall this theatre being mentioned. Just what I’ve observed though.

[dontdreamit]

But in terms of there not being anything there you’d want to see I get that! As I said before, I check the website every so often just in case

[Deleted]

Considering booking for a couple of things but never visited the theatre - the £10 seats in the first two rows look like a bargain! Are they, or is there a catch (high stage, legroom, etc?)

[talkingheads]

May 22, 2018 19:56:18 GMT @xanderl said:

Considering booking for a couple of things but never visited the theatre - the £10 seats in the first two rows look like a bargain! Are they, or is there a catch (high stage, legroom, etc?)

I only recently discovered the Stratford East when I went to see the brilliant Mark Thomas' Showtime From The Frontline. I was sat on the front row and from what I remember the stage is low enough that although you are looking up you aren't craning your neck. Legroom also isn't a problem, room enough to stretch out. I really liked the theatre and the system of increasing the price of tickets as the theatre fills is I think a great idea. It's meant that I snapped up tickets to King Hedley II, I never got to see Henry's Othello so can't wait to watch him in this. I don't know much about the play, only the playwright from watching Denzel Washington's Fences, so it'll be lovely to see August Wilson's work onstage.

[Deleted]

Great, thanks! And welcome to the forum!

Planning to book for Hedley too. Saw Lenny Henry in a production of Fences a few years ago

[talkingheads]

May 22, 2018 22:20:28 GMT @xanderl said:

Great, thanks! And welcome to the forum!

Planning to book for Hedley too. Saw Lenny Henry in a production of Fences a few years ago

Really? Wow that must have been amazing! I read an interview with Washington that he has plans to set up a production company to film all of Wilson's plays, I hope that happens. Not to take away from the plays themselves but to spread the work to people who otherwise may not be able to see them. I do wish I had the funds to go to the theatre more, but on the plus side it means that when I do go it's something I really, really want to go and see. Mark Thomas was one such show, and incidentally it was filmed at that theatre for release on DVD later this year.

[jek]

I've spent quite a bit of time in Stratford East for school events (like other schools in Stratford the ones my kids go to/ went to use it sometimes for prize givings and the like). It is certainly the case that the first four or five rows of the stalls have much more leg room than those a bit further back. But I'm afraid I don't know about the front row

[cartoonman]

I can remember when Waltham Forest Council was credited on the programmes as a funder. This stopped years ago.
I used to enjoy the melodramas. The best I saw was Silvester McCoy in Zorro. Great fun. I havent been to TRSE for a couple of years now and go to the Southwark Playhouse where every production I have seen has been good and some really good.