- Pentameters Theatre
Infobox Theatre
name = Pentameters Theatre
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city =London
country = UK
designation =
latitude = 51.3321
longitude = 0.1042
architect =
owner =
capacity = 60
type =fringe theatre
opened = October1971
yearsactive =
rebuilt =
closed =
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website = The Pentameters Theatre was founded in 1968 and is still run by artistic director Leonie Scott-Matthews, a well knownHampstead resident. It is a 60-seat venue and is a fringe theatre in theLondon Borough of Camden , located above the Three Horseshoespublic house inHampstead . The theatre has a reputation for producing revivals, poetry, music events and cutting-edge new plays in particular.History of the Theatre
The theatre began in a disused skittle alley in the basement of the Freemason's Arms,
Hampstead , in August 1968. It moved to an open air site and also to the Haverstock Arms before moving to its present location in October 1971. It was founded to present poets reading their work in an informal theatrical pub setting. The many authors to appear at Pentameters includeDannie Abse ,Fleur Adcock ,Kingsley Amis ,George Barker ,Ivor Cutler ,Margaret Drabble ,William Empson ,Ruth Fainlight ,Elaine Feinstein ,John Heath- Stubbs ,Adrian Henri ,Michael Hamburger ,John Horder ,Michael Horovitz ,Libby Houston ,Black Gallagher ,Ted Hughes ,James Kirkup ,Fran Landesman ,Laurie Lee ,Christopher Logue ,Edward Lucie-Smith , George Macbeth,Roger McGough ,Adrian Mitchell ,Edna O'Brien ,Brian Patten ,Peter Porter ,Vernon Scannell ,Stevie Smith ,Stephen Spender ,Jon Stallworthy ,John Wain ,Heathcote Williams and the psychologistR. D. Laing .The theatre has also played host to many performers at the start of their careers, including Robyn Archer, Joanna Dunham,
Adrian Edmundson ,French and Saunders ,Nigel Havers , Celia Imrie, Cheryl Kennedy,Rik Mayall ,Nigel Planer , Jenny Seagrove,Pamela Stephenson and Alexei Sayle.Theatrical presentations began in 1969 with performances, plays and readings by
John Arden and Margaretta D'Arcy, Rosalinde Fuller, Ronald Hayman,Bernard Kops , David Pinner,Harold Pinter ,Clive Swift , Anthony Thwaite,Miles Tredinnick , Micheline Wandor, Henry Woolf, regular weekly appearances by Keith Johnstone's "Theatre Machine" (the precursor of "TheatreSports") and productions including Richard Huggett's "The First Night of Pygmalion"; John Harding and John Burrows' "For Sylvia"; William Humble's "Do It Yourself"; "Black Notes", Jon Silkin's play on Ivor Gurney; and the British premieres of Tristan Tzara's "Handkerchief of Clouds", andTennessee Williams ' "Auto-Da-Fe".Transfers have included Royce Ryton's "The Other Side of the Swamp", which transferred to the King's Head and the
Phoenix Theatre ; Stewart Permutt's first professionally produced playWhen I Grow Too Old to Scream , which transferred to theNew End Theatre and subsequently for two special performances at theDominion Theatre ; "The Sensualist", which transferred to theArts Theatre ; and the American play "70 Scenes of Halloween" to the BAC.Recent Years
In recent years, Pentameters theatre has become primarily known for its productions of classic revivals, mainly by the touring company Traffic of the Stage, including John Edmunds' sell-out new translation of
Molière 's "The Misanthrope " withFinty Williams , "One Person" withMichael Deacon , the award-winning production ofYeats ' plays, and the award-winning new play "Steinberg's Day of Atonement".See also
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History of theatre
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