"An enterprising young theatre company" Evening Standard

Founded by Cressida Brown in July 2005, Offstage Theatre has been run by Artistic Director Cressida Brown and Creative Producer Elayce Ismail since September 2005, and is based in London.

By exploring the artistic potential in spaces outside of the traditional theatre, Offstage Theatre specialises in location based theatre productions and installations.

It is the history of a location - its myths, memories, stories and traditions - that informs, inspires and influences our work. The chosen locality is used as the source behind new writing or provides a unique setting for a classic tale.

The physical space of a location, the people it has housed and its social, political and cultural importance, allow us to develop challenging and innovative theatre that draws on the artistic traditions associated with the chosen site.

In new productions, such as ‘Home’ (2006), we combine powerful new writing with a variety of art forms, including poetry, rap, dance, music, film and architecture, to engage all the senses.

The pieces we create ask: what makes a location unique? How does environment affect people’s behaviour, outlook and experience of life? And how can their stories - which personify the location itself - be documented and developed into a performance narrative?

These questions drive Offstage Theatre, and it is in answering them that we envelop the audience in an exciting and artistically rich world that reflects upon, enhances and captures a location.

 

       
 
Photograph: Siret Paju