The celebrated House of Bernarda Alba by Federico García Lorca
West London’s premier drama school Lamda – the oldest one in the UK – is giving a half-price deal to Hammersmith & Fulham residents for its summer programme.
If you live in the borough, you qualify for the discount on a season of plays and films showcasing the talents of a new generation of actors, from now until 18 July.
The Lamda (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art) students, based at the college at 155 Talgarth Road in Hammersmith, are performing nine plays, while the young stars-of-tomorrow also feature in six professionally directed short films.
“We want to give residents from a wide range of backgrounds the opportunity to experience the vibrant arts scene in H&F they would otherwise be unlikely to access,” said Cllr Andrew Jones, H&F Cabinet Member for the Economy and the Arts. “Our goal is to make H&F one of the country’s leading destinations for the arts which includes giving residents the chance to enjoy, create and perform high quality art in the borough.”
The plays
The academy’s new 210-seat theatre, The Sainsbury, hosts four of the plays: Mikhail Bulgakov’s darkly comic and moving drama The White Guard; the celebrated House of Bernarda Alba by Federico García Lorca; Rodney Ackland’s tragi-comedy Strange Orchestra; and the provocative drama Welcome to Thebes by Moira Buffini.
Meanwhile, in the intimate setting of The Carne studio theatre, students will stage Polly Teale’s After Mrs Rochester, inspired by the life of tortured and passionate novelist Jean Rhys; Under the Blue Sky by David Eldridge, which explores the degrees of love; and Sam Holcroft’s dark comedy Rules for Living.
The world premiere of LADS by Jon Brittain will be staged in The Linbury studio. A comedy about friendship, death and drinking, the production was created as part of Lamda’s new writing programme by the Olivier award-winning team behind Rotterdam.
Also running at The Linbury studio is modern musical Hello Again by Michael John LaChiusa, which explores the joys and depths of sexual attraction.
The summer season’s premiere screenings feature short films by Michelle Bonnard, Suhayla El-Bushra, Shaun Prendergast, Alex Warren and Daniel Kanaber.
As part of its mission to offer local residents increased access to the dramatic arts, Hammersmith & Fulham residents qualify for £7 tickets instead of the £14 full price. Discounts also apply to U18s, over 65s and unemployed people.
The new generation of students are following in the footsteps of such alumni as Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Ruth Wilson, David Oyelowo and Rory Kinnear.
Full listings, dates, prices and online booking at lamda.ac.uk or call the box office on 020 8834 0550.
There will be a post-show Q&A, hosted by Lamda principal Joanna Read, after the performance of LADS on Thursday 7 June at the Linbury studio, with writer Jon Brittain, director Donnacadh O'Briain and cast members fielding queries from the audience.
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