Creation Theatre Company

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Creation Theatre Company is a producing theatre based in Oxford, England. [1] Founded in 1996 by David Parrish [2] the company became a charity in 2007 [3] and produces site-specific adaptations of classic stories and Shakespeare. [4]

Contents

Management

The founding Artistic Director David Parrish announced his departure in 2010, [2] to take on a producing role at the National Theatre of Norway. [5] He was succeeded by James Erskine, who had previously worked for The Gate Theatre and Shakespeare's Globe. [2] Erskine left the company in 2012 and since 2012 Lucy Askew has been Artistic Producer of Creation Theatre. [6]

Cast and creative team

Creation does not have a fixed company of actors or artistic staff, instead using a freelance team for each project. Past Directors include Laurie Sansom, [7] Joanna Read, [8] Richard Beecham, [9] Gareth Machin, [10] Tim Carroll, [11] Natalie Abrahami, [12] Jonathan Holloway [13] and Charlotte Conquest. [14]

Performance venues

Creation has never had a theatre building and produces shows in unusual spaces across the city of Oxford and beyond. The first productions, from 1996 to 2002 were performed open air in the grounds of Magdalen College School. For Christmas performances between 2004 and 2011 the company erected a Spiegeltent in the car park of BMW Group Plant [2] with shows such as Beauty and the Beast [15] and The Winter's Tale. Following its renovation in 2005 Creation has performed seven shows at Oxford Castle. In 2011, Creation was the first theatre company to perform at Blackwell's Bookshop to perform Doctor Faustus, [16] and has gone on to perform Hamlet and The Odyssey, a co-production with The Factory Theatre Company, [16] and Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde. [17] Since Christmas 2011 Creation has performed at The North Wall Arts Centre [18] with A Christmas Carol , Aladdin and the Magical Lamp, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and The Wind in the Willows . [19] Most recently, Creation has staged festive productions of Alice and Cinderella at The Mill Arts Centre, George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four at the Oxford Mathematical Institute and an adventurous production of A Midsummer Night's Dream with scenes set across the Oxford City Centre. In 2019 Creation put on Dracula at the London Library. [20] In 2020 Creation performed live performances online via Zoom including, The Tempest , The Time Machine | A Virtual Reality (an adaptation of The Time Machine ) and Alice | A Virtual Theme Park (an adaptation of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland ).

Pascale Aebischer and Rachael Nicholas, University of Exeter, released The Digital Theatre Transformation Report - A Case study & a Digital Toolkit in October 2020. The case study is based on Creation's digital production, The Tempest Live, Interactive and In Your Living Room, one of the first productions made for the digital stage utilising Zoom at the beginning of April 2020. The report is aimed at performers and companies embarking on transforming their physical theatre practice into a digital mode of home working for both office staff and creative practitioners.

List of Creation productions

ProductionYearVenueDirected by
Romeo and Juliet1996Magdalen College School GroundsSebastian Doggart
Macbeth1997Magdalen College School GroundsZoe Seaton
Hamlet1998Magdalen College School GroundsZoe Seaton
The Tempest/ Antony and Cleopatra1999Magdalen College School GroundsZoe Seaton
A Midsummer Night's Dream2000Magdalen College School GroundsZoe Seaton
Alice Through the Looking Glass2000Magdalen College School GroundsLaurie Sansom
Hamlet2001BMW Group PlantZoe Seaton
Romeo and Juliet2001Magdalen College School GroundsRichard Beecham
Macbeth2002BMW Group PlantZoe Seaton
A Midsummer Night's Dream2002Magdalen College School GroundsZoe Seaton
Twelfth Night2003Headington Hill Park, OxfordCharlotte Conquest
The Tempest2003Headington Hill Park, OxfordZoe Seaton
The Winter's Tale2004Mirror Tent, BMWJustin Butcher
Much Ado About Nothing2004Headington Hill Park, OxfordCharlotte Conquest
Romeo and Juliet2004Headington Hill Park, OxfordAbigail Anderson
A Christmas Carol2004Mirror Tent, BMWAbigail Anderson
The Comedy of Errors2005Mirror Tent, BMWCharlotte Conquest
A Midsummer Night's Dream2005Headington Hill Park, OxfordZoe Seaton
The Snow Queen2005BMW Group PlantCharlotte Conquest
King Lear2006BMW Group PlantDouglas Rintoul
Macbeth2006Headington Hill Park, OxfordGareth Machin
The Merchant of Venice2006Oxford CastleGari Jones
Robin Hood2006Headington Hill Park, OxfordAdam Meggido
Arabian Nights2006Mirror Tent, BMWDominic Cooke
Hamlet2007Oxford Castle GardensGari Jones
The Taming of the Shrew2007Oxford Castle Unlocked CourtyardHeather Davies
The Oxford Passion2007Oxford Castle GardensCharlotte Conquest
Tales from the Brother's Grimm2007Mirror Tent, BMWGari Jones
Measure for Measure2008The North WallCharlotte Conquest
Much Ado About Nothing2008Oxford Castle Unlocked CourtyardCharlotte Conquest
Saints and Sinners2008 St Michael at the North Gate Heather Davies
A Midsummer Night's Dream2008Headington Hill Park (in promenade)Zoe Seaton
Animal Farm2008Oxford Castle GardensJoanna Read
Hans Christian Andersen's Magical Tales2008Mirror Tent, BMWCaroline Leslie
Othello2009New Road Baptist Church, OxfordCharlotte Conquest
Twelfth Night2009Said Business School Rooftop AmphitheatreHeather Davies
Beauty and the Beast2009Mirror Tent, MINI Plant OxfordSarah Punshon
Romeo and Juliet2010Said Business School Rooftop AmphitheatreCharlotte Conquest
Rapunzel or The Magic Pig2010Mirror Tent, MINI Plant OxfordCharlotte Conquest
Doctor Faustus2010Blackwell's BookshopCharlotte Conquest
Tales from King James2011St Barnabus ChurchHelen Tennison
Antony and Cleopatra2011Said Business School Rooftop AmphitheatreHelen Tennison
A Christmas Carol2011The North Wall Arts CentreCharlotte Conquest
Hamlet2012Blackwell's BookshopTim Carroll
The Odyssey2012Blackwell's BookshopTim Carroll
Richard II2012Oxfam HouseAshtar Theatre Company
The Comedy of Errors2012Sheldonian TheatreCorinne Jaber
The Merchant of Venice2012Said Business School Rooftop AmphitheatreNatalie Abrahami
Aladdin and the Magic Lamp2012The North Wall Arts CentreCharlotte Conquest
Jekyll and Hyde2013Blackwell's BookshopCaroline Devlin
Henry V2013Oxford Castle Unlocked CourtyardCharlotte Conquest
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe2013The North Wall Arts CentreCharlotte Conquest
Macbeth2014Lady Margaret HallJonathan Holloway
The Wind in the Willows2014The North Wall Arts CentreGari Jones
As You Like It2015Lady Margaret HallTom Littler
Alice2015St Hugh's CollegeHelen Tennison
Treasure Island2015The North Wall Arts CentreGari Jones
Alice2015The Mill Arts CentreHelen Tennison
King Lear2016The Norrington Room, Blackwell's BookshopCharlotte Conquest
A Midsummer Night's Dream2016Across West Oxford (in promenade)Zoe Seaton
Hamlet2016University ParksGari Jones
Cinderella2016The Mill Arts CentreHelen Tennison
Snow White and Other Tales from

the Brother's Grimm

2016The North Wall Arts CentreGari Jones
Nineteen Eighty Four2017Oxford's Mathematical InstituteJonathan Holloway
A Midsummer Night's Dream2017Across West Oxford (in promenade)Zoe Seaton
Alice2017University ParksHelen Tennison
Pictures of Dorian Gray2019BlackwellsTom Littler (Jermyn Street Theatre)
The Tempest2019Osney Mead (in promenade)Zoe Seaton
Don Quixote2019Oxford Covered MarketJonathan Holloway
The Snow Queen2019/20North Walls Arts Centre
Bleak House2020Blackwell's BookshopDeborah Newbold
The Tempest Live2020Live online via ZoomZoe Seaton
The Time Machine | A Virtual Reality2020Live online via ZoomNatasha Rickman
Alice | A Virtual Theme Park2020Live online via ZoomZoe Seaton

Critical reception

PublicationYearExcerpt
2ndfrombottom2021"Visually the production is a treat and deploys some clever video trickery" [21]
From page to stage2020"An imaginative and enjoyable show for these extraordinary times" [22]
Love London Love Culture2020"immensely enjoyable, fun-filled and ambitious" [23]

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References

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  15. "Beauty and the Beast Review". The Guardian . Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  16. 1 2 "Deep Blue Sea, West Yorkshire Playhouse / Doctor Faustus, Blackwell's Bookshop, review". The Daily Telegraph .
  17. "Blackwell's and Creation Theatre Present Jekyll & Hyde". Blackwell's Bookshop website.
  18. "Creation Theatre". newburytheatre.co.uk. UK. Archived from the original on 2 July 2015.
  19. "The Wind in the Willows review – fine, meta-sprinkled adaptation". The Guardian . Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  20. "Dracula at the London Library: Influential Gothic Novel Returns To Its Spiritual Home". Londonist. 8 February 2019. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  21. Chapman, John (19 March 2021). "The Duchess Of Malfi (Online review)". 2nd from Bottom. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  22. "Review: The Tempest: Live, interactive and in your living room". From page to stage - and everything in between. 20 April 2020. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  23. Clarendon, AuthorEmma (8 August 2020). "REVIEW: Alice: A Virtual Theme Park, Creation Theatre". Love London Love Culture. Retrieved 20 April 2021.