New End Theatre
Encyclopedia
The New End Theatre, Hampstead
, was a 80-seat fringe theatre
venue in London
, England
, located in the London Borough of Camden
which operated from 1974 until 2011. It was listed widely on the internet, including with the New York Times.
It was founded in 1974 by Buddy Dalton in the converted mortuary of the now-defunct New End Hospital
. It was owned by Roy and Sonia Saunders from 1986-1997. Its Artistic Director
s included Sonia Saunders (1986-92), Jon Harris (1992-96), Neil McPherson (1996-97), and, from 1997 to 2011, it was both owned and run by Artistic Director
and Chief Executive Brian Daniels, who also ran the Shaw Theatre
in London
.
It had a number of successes including A Day in Hollywood / A Night in the Ukraine
, which transferred to both the West End
and Broadway
; world premieres of work by Jean Anouilh
, Steven Berkoff
, Tom Kempinski
, Richard Stirling, and Arnold Wesker
; and Tony McHale
and Geoffrey William's play Tunnels Without End, featuring Billy Lomas and Rebecca Simmons.
The building was converted into a synagogue and Jewish cultural centre in 2011.
Hampstead
Hampstead is an area of London, England, north-west of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Camden in Inner London, it is known for its intellectual, liberal, artistic, musical and literary associations and for Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland...
, was a 80-seat fringe theatre
Fringe theatre
Fringe theatre is theatre that is not of the mainstream. The term comes from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, which name comes from Robert Kemp, who described the unofficial companies performing at the same time as the second Edinburgh International Festival as a ‘fringe’, writing: ‘Round the fringe...
venue in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, located in the London Borough of Camden
London Borough of Camden
In 1801, the civil parishes that form the modern borough were already developed and had a total population of 96,795. This continued to rise swiftly throughout the 19th century, as the district became built up; reaching 270,197 in the middle of the century...
which operated from 1974 until 2011. It was listed widely on the internet, including with the New York Times.
It was founded in 1974 by Buddy Dalton in the converted mortuary of the now-defunct New End Hospital
New End Hospital
New End Hospital was a hospital in Hampstead, north London. It was founded in 1800 as a poor house, and operated until 1986. The buildings have now been redeveloped as housing.-History:...
. It was owned by Roy and Sonia Saunders from 1986-1997. Its Artistic Director
Artistic director
An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre company, that handles the organization's artistic direction. He or she is generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogul, since the organization is generally a non-profit organization...
s included Sonia Saunders (1986-92), Jon Harris (1992-96), Neil McPherson (1996-97), and, from 1997 to 2011, it was both owned and run by Artistic Director
Artistic director
An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre company, that handles the organization's artistic direction. He or she is generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogul, since the organization is generally a non-profit organization...
and Chief Executive Brian Daniels, who also ran the Shaw Theatre
Shaw Theatre
The Shaw Theatre is a theatre in Somers Town, in the London Borough of Camden. It is located near the Euston Road, beside the British Library and St Pancras Chambers , equidistant from King's Cross station and Euston station....
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
It had a number of successes including A Day in Hollywood / A Night in the Ukraine
A Day in Hollywood / A Night in the Ukraine
A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine is a musical comedy consisting of two essentially independent one-act plays, with a book and lyrics by Dick Vosburgh and music by Frank Lazarus...
, which transferred to both the West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
and Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
; world premieres of work by Jean Anouilh
Jean Anouilh
Jean Marie Lucien Pierre Anouilh was a French dramatist whose career spanned five decades. Though his work ranged from high drama to absurdist farce, Anouilh is best known for his 1943 play Antigone, an adaptation of Sophocles' Classical drama, that was seen as an attack on Marshal Pétain's...
, Steven Berkoff
Steven Berkoff
Steven Berkoff is an English actor, writer and director. Best known for his performance as General Orlov in the James Bond film Octopussy, he is typically cast in villanous roles, such as Lt...
, Tom Kempinski
Tom Kempinski
Tom Kempinski is an English playwright and actor. He is best known for his 1980 play Duet for One, which was a major success in London and New York and which has been much revived since. Kempinski also wrote the screenplay for the movie version of Duet for One...
, Richard Stirling, and Arnold Wesker
Arnold Wesker
Sir Arnold Wesker is a prolific British dramatist known for his contributions to kitchen sink drama. He is the author of 42 plays, 4 volumes of short stories, 2 volumes of essays, a book on journalism, a children's book, extensive journalism, poetry and other assorted writings...
; and Tony McHale
Tony McHale
Tony McHale is a British actor, writer and director who has the dubious honour of being best known as a "stooge" to Jeremy Beadle on Game For A Laugh and later, Beadle's About. He trained at Rose Bruford College. He also enjoyed a long stint as a writer/director on the top rated BBC1 soap opera...
and Geoffrey William's play Tunnels Without End, featuring Billy Lomas and Rebecca Simmons.
The building was converted into a synagogue and Jewish cultural centre in 2011.