Welcome to the sixth post in my series celebrating London’s theatres and performance spaces. Today it is the turn of those beginning with ‘F’.
Finborough
The Finborough Theatre is a fifty-seat space above the Finborough Arms pub in West Brompton/Earl’s Court. Its current artistic director is Neil McPherson and the space specialises in new British writing and British premieres of new plays from the English-speaking world. It has also revived 19th and 20th century plays and musicals.
Opened in 1980 by June Abbott, the venue was closely associated with actor-producer Ken Campbell during its first decade, before developing a number of key new plays from 1994 under the management of The Steam Industry (such as Mark Ravenhill’s Shopping and Fucking). In more recent years the Finborough has benefited from several West End transfers, and since 2008 has hosted an annual Vibrant: a Festival of Finborough Playwrights.
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Fortune
The Fortune Theatre, a 432-seat West End venue near Covent Garden, has been the home of the play The Woman in Black since 1989. It was construced between 1922-24 on the site of the old Albion Tavern, a pub frequented by actors in the Georgian and Victorian eras.
Grade II listed, the Fortune is “the oldest public building designed wholly using concrete as a textured and exposed façade”. On its opening, the theatre was known as the Fortune Thriller Theatre, and hosted ENSA performances during the Second World War. It is now owned by ATG.
Fresh Ground London
The Fresh Ground, on Battersea Rise, is a faith community building which has served as a venue for the Wandsworth Arts Fringe and other shows. The space has three halls available to hire, with respective capacities of 100, 80, and 60 seated.
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