LOST & Found: Lambeth Gets New Theatre
LOST Theatre, the youth company that gave Ralph Fiennes
his first big break, has this week opened the doors to its new permanent home
in a purpose-built arts complex in Stockwell, south London.
Constructed within the frame of the old South Bank
University building on Wandsworth Road, the LOST Theatre will also serve as a vital
new cultural hub for the London Borough of Lambeth.
The complex, which is part of a wider residential
development by Mount Anvil plc, includes a 181-seat theatre, 2
rehearsal studios, 2 generous-sized dressing rooms, a workshop, gallery space
and foyer bar, all available for hire when not in use by LOST itself.
At Tuesday’s launch, RSC actor and LOST alumnus Matthew
Hebden introduced a short film about the company’s 30 year history before the
performance of three plays from its annual Five Minute Play Festival. In his
closing words, Hebden said: “We may have this new theatre, but the company spirit
remains the same.”
Founded in 1979 at the London
Oratory School by Cecil Hayter, LOST originally operated from a studio theatre in the basement
of Fulham Methodist Church until the redevelopment of Fulham Broadway Underground
forced the company to pack up shop in 1999.
Homeless for a decade, LOST downsized its activities but continued
to produce two or three shows a year in fringe venues around London, including
The Gate, Tabard and Upstairs at the Gatehouse, as well as establishing its One
Act and Five Minute Play festivals.
The company had looked at several other sites before
securing 208 Wandsworth Road, thanks to a clause in the development plan that
insisted it included a community arts space.
“Now we have this wonderful theatre, LOST can finally get
back to doing what we do best,” said trustee Kat Portman. That includes its work
with younger actors through outreach and theatre-in-education projects, while
maintaining a wider commitment to nurturing young professionals both before
and after drama school.
The company has also pledged to engage with Stockwell’s
sizeable Portuguese and Cape Verdian community, the largest in Europe outside
Portugal itself. The new theatre will host a fortnight of Portuguese culture in
April and May, featuring local actors, musicians, film-makers and artists.
Before that, the venue’s opening production will be Universal
Citizens’ Panphobia, a site-influenced horror piece based on
the fairy tale of ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ and running from 26 January to 14
February.
