Iris Theatre

2009 Production of 'Romeo & Juliet' starring Laura Wickham and Sam Donnelly

Iris Theatre is a professional theatre company created in 2007 by Dr. Daniel Winder to produce work at the world-famous St. Paul's Church, Covent Garden. Its first show was T. S. Eliot's Murder in the Cathedral which was attended by the then Archbishop of Canterbury, The Right Rev'd & Right Hon. Lord Rowan Williams, who went on to be a patron of the company.

Its mission is to support the development of the next generation of professional theatre practitioners and it aims to produce an affordable and accessible repertoire of shows. Its collaborative approach explores performance of all styles (from classical theatre to circus-style acrobatics) working as a cohesive whole. Today the company is firmly rooted within the London West End theatre environment and provides a unique West End platform for emerging theatre artists.

It is particularly known for its outdoor immersive productions which run throughout the summer months, playing to audiences of 10,000 people a summer. These summer productions generally pair a Shakespeare play alongside a classic family show. Its past productions include: Murder in the Cathedral, The Nativity, Our Ellen, Alcestis, Romeo & Juliet.,^[1] The Wind in the Willows, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Circuit, As You Like It, Julius Caesar,^[2] Alice in Wonderland,^[3] Richard III,^[4] Alice Through the Looking Glass,^[5] Twelfth Night ^[6] and Pinocchio ^[7]

Alongside its summer shows Iris Theatre is active in producing new British musical theatre. It works collaboratively with partners such as Mercury Musical Developments to create new writing opportunities. Previous new musicals presented on an Iris Theatre platform include Gutter Press,^[8] RIP,^[9] H.R.Haitch, and the UK Premiere of Neil Bartram and Brian Hill (author)'s The Theory of Relativity.^[10]

Iris Theatre became a charity in 2009,^[11] its stated aim is "The furtherance of the promotion of performing arts education, especially amongst young adults through theatrical productions".^[12] In the financial year ending April 2014, Iris Theatre reported an income of £135,700.00.^[13]

Artistic director 2007–present: Dr. Daniel Winder.^[14]

Patrons of Iris Theatre: Dr. Rowan Williams,^[15] Thelma Holt,^[16] Jemma Redgrave^[17] and Liz Robertson.

In July 2014, the 2014 production of Alice In Wonderland at the Cockpit Theatre was nominated for an 'OFFIE' award for 'Best Production For Young People' and actor David Hywel Baynes was nominated for 'Best Male' for playing the title character in 2014 summer production of 'Richard III'.^[18] In 2015 actor Simon Kent was nominated for an 'OFFIE' award for 'Best Male' for playing Lampwick in 'Pinocchio'.^[19] The 2016 production of Much Ado About Nothing received four 'OFFIE' nominations: Anne-Marie Piazza for Best Female performance, Amy Draper for Best Director, Amber Scarlett for Best Set Designer and Benjamin Polya for Best Lighting Designer. ^[20]

References

External links

• Official website