Throughout its fifty year history, Hampstead Theatre has been associtated with new writing. In spirit, the Company remains true to the vision of its founder and first artistic director James Roose-Evans, expressed through the variety of his first programme and the desire to experiment with what the theatre experience can be.
Founded in 1959, Hampstead Theatre started life in the humble surroundings of a scout hut, before moving to the Three Horseshoes Pub and then in 1962 to a ‘temporary’ pre-fabricated 160-seater buiding at Swiss Cottage. This was to remain the theatre’s home for the next 40 years. It wasn’t until 1999 when Lottery Funding was secured for a new building that work on the theatre’s current home began. A magnificent, state-of-the-art new theatre with seating in the main auditorium for 325 opened in 2003.
Under the current Artistic Director Anthony Clark, the work remains rooted in the community but is both national and international in its scope and ambition. The company has always sought out, nurtured and promoted exceptional theatre talents. The early works of Harold Pinter, Michael Frayn, Mike Leigh, James Saunders, Wole Soyinka, Athol Fugard, David Hare, Stephen Poliakoff and Frank Kroetz were all premiered at the theatre. More recently Terry Johnson, Shelagh Stephenson, Diane Samuels, Tanika Gupta, Tamsin Oglesby, Crispin Whittell, debbie tucker green, Dennis Kelly, Roy Williams and Amy Rosenthal have all found success here. In its 50th Anniversary year, the theatre continues to be a flagship new writing company.
The theatre is supported by public funding, the philanthropy of the private sector and the box office.
