I'm off to see The Spanish Tragedy at the Arcola tomorrow, and I'm having a little anxiety about finding the place. Can I get an above-ground train between Highbury&Islington and Dalston Kingsland and use my Oyster card? Is it better to use a bus? I'll be heading out from the Covent Garden area. Any hints or tips on 1) getting to the area and 2) finding the theatre itself will be gratefully received. Any hints or tips on getting back from the Arcola to Baker Street in a timely manner after the play will be even more gratefully received!

Please do not worry. I have been making this journey from various parts of London from 2001. My tips are:

Covent Garden: Walk to the Aldwych and pick up either the 243 or 76 bus. I would try to be at the bus stop at 6.45 pm to relieve any anxiety and that should get you to the theatre by 7.30pm. The buses all talk to you these days and the stop you want is Princess May Road on Kingsland Road (2 after Dalston and Kingsland station). When you get off the bus turn left and cross at the pelican crossing, turn right heading back the way you came, and the first turning on the left is Arcola Street (cafe on one corner, pub on the other) the theatre is 2 mins walk on the left hand side.

On the way back you can catch the 30 bus from Dalston Junction that stops at Baker Street. From the theatre go back to Kingsland Road and turn left, you can either walk down to Dalston Junction (10mins) or wait for a bus at the stop outside the 24 hour shop to take you down there. The 30 bus stop is on Dalston Lane and is easily visible from the junction with Kingsland Road.

I hope that is helpful and I look forward to your thoughts on the show.

If anybody would like to see this I have tickets for Press Night going free to a good home - get in touch by PM if you are interested!

That was an exceptionally helpful post, Macca.

Thank you, it's always a pleasure to share knowledge.

I'm aware that many think Dalston is the back of beyond and worry about getting there and back home again so any tips I can share will hopefully encourage others to visit the Arcola (I declare a vested interest now as I volunteer there).

Another top tip is that the buses are much faster after the show so you can get to Waterloo in 30mins on 243 or 76. The 149 goes to London Bridge and is just as speedy.

I decided to go the cynical route with my thanks, and wait until I got home before displaying gratitude. After all, no good thanking you for your directions if I never got back alive! But lo, I live on, and your directions were most exquisite and helpful. I even managed to get my train home half an hour earlier than I was expecting, so you are a bright shining star in the WOS firmament indeed.

I should probably go to bed so won't offer proper thoughts on the show this evening, but I do just want to say that I was completely grossed out by the ending. I, the girl who treats the presence of stage blood as a visible indicator of production values and who grinned hugely during the Gloucester scene in Goold's King Lear, had my hand clapped to my mouth and I still have no idea if I was pulling a face or a D: face behind it. XD Real thoughts shall follow on should anyone be interested and/or I get bored at work tomorrow.

Might have to risk all again, Weez: the Henry Goodman outing, Line, looks tempting. He is always value for money and I like that kind of thing, plays about artists.

Would love to know what you thought Weez I saw it last night, and loved it. Epic, incredibly moving and extremely intense: I was expecting something of a body count, but it took me quite by surprise. And they were very unflinching with their corpses and gore...

Cast were all good, especially the ones who doubled up in the Japanese puppetry bit, and I was v impressed by Dominic Rowan (who I'd heard good things about, but never seen before)

I've been off thinking about this one. XD I definitely enjoyed it, no doubt about that. I was at the first preview, which was apparently the first time they'd managed to run it in its entirety, but if it weren't for the fella coming out beforehand to tell us, I wouldn't have noticed. I felt it was lacking a little in power and tension in places, but can only imagine that's picked up now they're running full tilt. I'm also not quite sure what all the fuss was about Bel-Imperia; I suspect there's a wealth of possible character analysis there that I'm going to have to look into in my spare time. If anyone's going, don't sit in the front row. I liked the look of the space and the lighting and the costume all together, but I was blinded fairly regularly. XD The puppet show was quite the most unexpected and mind-boggling thing I've seen for a while, but I thought it worked very well. Actors, great. Bloodshed, top-frickin'-notch. I particularly enjoyed Andrea and Revenge. Go see it if you can.

I saw Spanish Tragedy last night and was very impressed. I was only sad to see such a small audience which I feel reflects the power of reviews.

It is noisy ang gory but thoroughly engrossing. Dominic Rowan was a pleasure to watch and because of the small space you can feel the emotion of his breakdown. The puppetry was marvellous and came as a complete surprise.

All in all I endorse other opinions and urge you to make the trip to the Arcola to see this.

Part of me also wonders whether it helps to have a separate sub-forum for fringe theatres and shows. I understand why it has been done, but part of me does want to champion plays like these to everyone and obviously that would be easier in the main plays forum.