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{{Short description|British theatre company}}
'''Creation Theatre Company''' is a producing theatre based in [[Oxford]], [[England]].<ref name=Tripadvisor>{{cite web|url=http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g186361-d267163-Reviews-Creation_Theatre_Company-Oxford_Oxfordshire_England.html%7cwebsite=Tripadvisor|title=Creation Theatre Company|work=tripadvisor.co.uk}}</ref> Founded in 1996 by David Parrish <ref name="The Oxford Times">{{cite web|url=http://www.oxfordtimes.co.uk/news/9749716.Creation_Theatre_company_celebrates_its_16th_birthday/|website=[[The Oxford Times]]| title=Creation Theatre company celebrates its 16th birthday (The Oxford Times)}}</ref> the company became a charity in 2007 <ref name="The Charity Commission">{{cite web|url=http://apps.charitycommission.gov.uk/Showcharity/RegisterOfCharities/CharityWithPartB.aspx?RegisteredCharityNumber=1119379&SubsidiaryNumber=0|website=The Charity Commission | title= Charity Overview}}</ref> and produces site specific adaptations of classic stories and Shakespeare.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.shakespearemag.com/creation-oxford.asp |title=Creation Theatre on Shakespearemag.com |access-date=20 May 2015}}</ref>
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2019}}
'''Creation Theatre Company''' is a producing theatre based in [[Oxford]], England.<ref name=Tripadvisor>{{cite web|url=http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g186361-d267163-Reviews-Creation_Theatre_Company-Oxford_Oxfordshire_England.html%7cwebsite=Tripadvisor|title=Creation Theatre Company|work=tripadvisor.co.uk}}</ref> Founded in 1996 by David Parrish<ref name="The Oxford Times">{{cite web|url=http://www.oxfordtimes.co.uk/news/9749716.Creation_Theatre_company_celebrates_its_16th_birthday/|website=[[The Oxford Times]]| title=Creation Theatre company celebrates its 16th birthday (The Oxford Times)|date=8 June 2012 }}</ref> the company became a charity in 2007<ref name="The Charity Commission">{{cite web|url=http://apps.charitycommission.gov.uk/Showcharity/RegisterOfCharities/CharityWithPartB.aspx?RegisteredCharityNumber=1119379&SubsidiaryNumber=0|website=The Charity Commission | title= Charity Overview}}</ref> and produces site-specific adaptations of classic stories and Shakespeare.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.shakespearemag.com/creation-oxford.asp |title=Creation Theatre on Shakespearemag.com |access-date=20 May 2015}}</ref>


==Management==
==Management==
The founding Artistic Director David Parrish announced his departure in 2010,<ref name="The Oxford Times" /> to take on a producing role at the [[National Theatre of Norway]].<ref name="National Theatre of Norway website">{{cite web|url=http://www.nationaltheatret.no/no/om_oss/kontakt/|website=National Theatre of Norway website | title=Contact – nationaltheatret.no}}</ref> He was succeeded by James Erskine, who had previously worked for [[The Gate Theatre]] and [[Shakespeare’s Globe]].<ref name="The Oxford Times" /> Erskine left the company in 2012 and since 2012 Lucy Askew has been Artistic Producer of Creation Theatre.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oxfordtimes.co.uk/leisure/focus/11272891.For_Art_s_Sake_with_Creation_Theatre_s_Lucy_Askew/|website=The Oxford Times | title=For Art's Sake with Creation Theatre's Lucy Askew (From the Oxford Times)}}</ref>
The founding Artistic Director David Parrish announced his departure in 2010,<ref name="The Oxford Times" /> to take on a producing role at the [[National Theatre of Norway]].<ref name="National Theatre of Norway website">{{cite web|url=http://www.nationaltheatret.no/no/om_oss/kontakt/|website=National Theatre of Norway website|title=Contact – nationaltheatret.no|access-date=5 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150307090905/http://www.nationaltheatret.no/no/om_oss/kontakt/|archive-date=7 March 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> He was succeeded by James Erskine, who had previously worked for [[The Gate Theatre]] and [[Shakespeare's Globe]].<ref name="The Oxford Times" /> Erskine left the company in 2012 and since 2012 Lucy Askew has been Artistic Producer of Creation Theatre.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oxfordtimes.co.uk/leisure/focus/11272891.For_Art_s_Sake_with_Creation_Theatre_s_Lucy_Askew/|website=The Oxford Times | title=For Art's Sake with Creation Theatre's Lucy Askew (From the Oxford Times)|date=12 June 2014 }}</ref>


==Cast and creative team==
==Cast and creative team==
Creation does not have a fixed company of actors or artistic staff, instead using a freelance team for each project. The company's Associate Artists are Charlotte Conquest, [[Pram (band)|Matt Eaton]], Ashley Bale and Ryan Dawson Laight. Past cast members have included [[Amy Noble]].<ref name="The Oxford Times" /> Past Directors include [[Laurie Sansom]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Daily Info Oxford|url=http://www.dailyinfo.co.uk/reviews/theatre/alicethrough.html|accessdate=6 March 2015}}</ref> [[Joanna Read]],<ref>{{cite web|title=United Agents|url=http://unitedagents.co.uk/joanna-read|website=United Agents}}</ref> Richard Beecham,<ref>{{cite web|title=The Oxford Times|url=http://www.oxfordtimes.co.uk/leisure/theatre/theatre/reviews/10493918.Richard_Beecham_directs_Dancing_at_Lughnasa__Oxford_Playhouse/|website=The Oxford Times}}</ref> [[Salisbury Playhouse|Gareth Machin]],<ref name="National Theatre Website">{{cite web|title=National Theatre Website|url=http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/discover-more/artists/gareth-machin|website=National Theatre Website}}</ref> Tim Carroll<ref>{{cite web|title=The Public Reviews|url=http://www.thepublicreviews.com/the-odyssey-creation-and-the-factory-blackwells-bookshop-oxford/|accessdate=6 March 2015}}</ref> [[Natalie Abrahami]]<ref>{{cite web|title=United Agents|url=http://unitedagents.co.uk/natalie-abrahami|website=United Agents|accessdate=6 March 2015}}</ref> and [[Jonathan Holloway]].<ref name="Red Shift Theatre">{{cite web|url=http://www.redshifttheatreco.co.uk/jonathanbiog.html|website=Red Shift Theatre | title=Jonathan Holloway}}</ref>
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]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Daily Info Oxford|url=http://www.dailyinfo.co.uk/reviews/theatre/alicethrough.html|access-date=6 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150702190835/http://www.dailyinfo.co.uk/reviews/theatre/alicethrough.html|archive-date=2 July 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Joanna Read]],<ref>{{cite web|title=United Agents|url=http://unitedagents.co.uk/joanna-read|website=United Agents}}</ref> Richard Beecham,<ref>{{cite web|title=The Oxford Times|url=http://www.oxfordtimes.co.uk/leisure/theatre/theatre/reviews/10493918.Richard_Beecham_directs_Dancing_at_Lughnasa__Oxford_Playhouse/|website=The Oxford Times|date=20 June 2013 }}</ref> [[Salisbury Playhouse|Gareth Machin]],<ref name="National Theatre Website">{{cite web|title=National Theatre Website|url=http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/discover-more/artists/gareth-machin|publisher=Royal National Theatre|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150702231358/http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/discover-more/artists/gareth-machin|archive-date=2 July 2015}}</ref> Tim Carroll,<ref>{{cite web|title=The Public Reviews|url=http://www.thepublicreviews.com/the-odyssey-creation-and-the-factory-blackwells-bookshop-oxford/|access-date=6 March 2015}}</ref> [[Natalie Abrahami]],<ref>{{cite web|title=United Agents|url=http://unitedagents.co.uk/natalie-abrahami|website=United Agents|access-date=6 March 2015}}</ref> [[Jonathan Holloway (playwright)|Jonathan Holloway]]<ref name="Red Shift Theatre">{{cite web|url=http://www.redshifttheatreco.co.uk/jonathanbiog.html|website=Red Shift Theatre | title=Jonathan Holloway}}</ref> and Charlotte Conquest.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.shepperd-fox.co.uk/|title=Shepperd-Fox Theatrical Agency|website=shepperd-fox.co.uk|access-date=7 April 2018}}</ref>


==Performance venues==
==Performance venues==
Creation has never had a theatre building and produces shows in unusual spaces across the city of Oxford. The first productions, from 1996–2002 were performed open air in the grounds of [[Magdalen College School, Oxford|Magdalen College School]]. For Christmas performances between 2004 and 2011 the company erected a [[Spiegeltent]] in the car park of [[BMW Group]] Plant <ref name="The Oxford Times" /> with shows such as [[Beauty and the Beast]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2010/jan/08/beauty-and-the-beast-review |title=Beauty and the Beast Review |publisher=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=20 May 2015}}</ref> 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,<ref name="The Telegraph">{{cite web|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/theatre-reviews/8343958/Deep-Blue-Sea-West-Yorkshire-Playhouse-Doctor-Faustus-Blackwells-Bookshop-review.html|website=[[Daily Telegraph]] | title=Deep Blue Sea, West Yorkshire Playhouse / Doctor Faustus, Blackwell's Bookshop, review}}</ref> and has gone on to perform Hamlet and The Odyssey, a co-production with [[The Factory Theatre Company]],<ref name="The Telegraph" /> and Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde.<ref name="Blackwell's Bookshop website">{{cite web|url=http://bookshop.blackwell.co.uk/stores/oxford-bookshop/category/creation-theatre-2/|website=Blackwell's Bookshop website | title=Blackwell’s and Creation Theatre Present Jekyll & Hyde}}</ref> Since Christmas 2011 Creation has performed at [[The North Wall Arts Centre]]<ref name="Newbury Theatre">{{cite web|url=http://www.newburytheatre.co.uk/theatres/creation.htm|website=[http://www.newburytheatre.co.uk/ Newbury Theatre] | location=UK |title=Creation Theatre}}</ref> with [[A Christmas Carol]], Aladdin and the Magical Lamp, [[The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe]] and [[The Wind in the Willows]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2015/jan/01/the-wind-in-the-willows-review |title=The Wind in the Willows review – fine, meta-sprinkled adaptation |publisher=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=20 May 2015}}</ref>
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, Oxford|Magdalen College School]]. For Christmas performances between 2004 and 2011 the company erected a [[Spiegeltent]] in the car park of [[BMW Group]] Plant<ref name="The Oxford Times" /> with shows such as ''[[Beauty and the Beast]]''<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2010/jan/08/beauty-and-the-beast-review |title=Beauty and the Beast Review |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=8 January 2010 |access-date=20 May 2015 |last1=Gardner |first1=Lyn }}</ref> 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'',<ref name="The Telegraph">{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/theatre-reviews/8343958/Deep-Blue-Sea-West-Yorkshire-Playhouse-Doctor-Faustus-Blackwells-Bookshop-review.html|website=[[The Daily Telegraph]] | title=Deep Blue Sea, West Yorkshire Playhouse / Doctor Faustus, Blackwell's Bookshop, review|date=23 February 2011 }}</ref> and has gone on to perform ''Hamlet'' and ''The Odyssey'', a co-production with [[The Factory Theatre Company]],<ref name="The Telegraph" /> and ''Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde''.<ref name="Blackwell's Bookshop website">{{cite web|url=http://bookshop.blackwell.co.uk/stores/oxford-bookshop/category/creation-theatre-2/|website=Blackwell's Bookshop website | title=Blackwell's and Creation Theatre Present Jekyll & Hyde}}</ref> Since Christmas 2011 Creation has performed at [[The North Wall Arts Centre]]<ref name="Newbury Theatre">{{cite web|url=http://www.newburytheatre.co.uk/theatres/creation.htm|website=newburytheatre.co.uk|location=UK|title=Creation Theatre|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150702210634/http://www.newburytheatre.co.uk/theatres/creation.htm|archive-date=2 July 2015}}</ref> with ''[[A Christmas Carol]]'', ''Aladdin and the Magical Lamp'', ''[[The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe]]'' and ''[[The Wind in the Willows]]''.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2015/jan/01/the-wind-in-the-willows-review |title=The Wind in the Willows review – fine, meta-sprinkled adaptation |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=January 2015 |access-date=20 May 2015 |last1=Pulver |first1=Andrew }}</ref> 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, University of 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]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://londonist.com/london/on-stage/dracula-the-london-library-theatre-review|title=Dracula at the London Library: Influential Gothic Novel Returns To Its Spiritual Home|date=8 February 2019|website=Londonist|access-date=11 March 2019}}</ref> In 2020 Creation performed live performances online via [[Zoom Video Communications|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 [https://www.creationtheatre.co.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Digital-Toolkit-for-web-compressed.pdf 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 ==
{| class="wikitable"
!Production
!Year
!Venue
!Directed by
|-
|Romeo and Juliet
|1996
|Magdalen College School Grounds
|Sebastian Doggart
|-
|Macbeth
|1997
|Magdalen College School Grounds
|Zoe Seaton
|-
|Hamlet
|1998
|Magdalen College School Grounds
|Zoe Seaton
|-
|The Tempest/ Antony and Cleopatra
|1999
|Magdalen College School Grounds
|Zoe Seaton
|-
|A Midsummer Night's Dream
|2000
|Magdalen College School Grounds
|Zoe Seaton
|-
|Alice Through the Looking Glass
|2000
|Magdalen College School Grounds
|Laurie Sansom
|-
|Hamlet
|2001
|BMW Group Plant
|Zoe Seaton
|-
|Romeo and Juliet
|2001
|Magdalen College School Grounds
|Richard Beecham
|-
|Macbeth
|2002
|BMW Group Plant
|Zoe Seaton
|-
|A Midsummer Night's Dream
|2002
|Magdalen College School Grounds
|Zoe Seaton
|-
|Twelfth Night
|2003
|Headington Hill Park, Oxford
|Charlotte Conquest
|-
|The Tempest
|2003
|Headington Hill Park, Oxford
|Zoe Seaton
|-
|The Winter's Tale
|2004
|Mirror Tent, BMW
|Justin Butcher
|-
|Much Ado About Nothing
|2004
|Headington Hill Park, Oxford
|Charlotte Conquest
|-
|Romeo and Juliet
|2004
|Headington Hill Park, Oxford
|Abigail Anderson
|-
|A Christmas Carol
|2004
|Mirror Tent, BMW
|Abigail Anderson
|-
|The Comedy of Errors
|2005
|Mirror Tent, BMW
|Charlotte Conquest
|-
|A Midsummer Night's Dream
|2005
|Headington Hill Park, Oxford
|Zoe Seaton
|-
|The Snow Queen
|2005
|BMW Group Plant
|Charlotte Conquest
|-
|King Lear
|2006
|BMW Group Plant
|Douglas Rintoul
|-
|Macbeth
|2006
|Headington Hill Park, Oxford
|Gareth Machin
|-
|The Merchant of Venice
|2006
|Oxford Castle
|Gari Jones
|-
|Robin Hood
|2006
|Headington Hill Park, Oxford
|Adam Meggido
|-
|Arabian Nights
|2006
|Mirror Tent, BMW
|Dominic Cooke
|-
|Hamlet
|2007
|Oxford Castle Gardens
|Gari Jones
|-
|The Taming of the Shrew
|2007
|Oxford Castle Unlocked Courtyard
|Heather Davies
|-
|The Oxford Passion
|2007
|Oxford Castle Gardens
|Charlotte Conquest
|-
|Tales from the Brother's Grimm
|2007
|Mirror Tent, BMW
|Gari Jones
|-
|Measure for Measure
|2008
|The North Wall
|Charlotte Conquest
|-
|Much Ado About Nothing
|2008
|Oxford Castle Unlocked Courtyard
|Charlotte Conquest
|-
|Saints and Sinners
|2008
|[[St Michael at the North Gate]]
|Heather Davies
|-
|A Midsummer Night's Dream
|2008
|Headington Hill Park (in promenade)
|Zoe Seaton
|-
|Animal Farm
|2008
|Oxford Castle Gardens
|Joanna Read
|-
|Hans Christian Andersen's Magical Tales
|2008
|Mirror Tent, BMW
|Caroline Leslie
|-
|Othello
|2009
|New Road Baptist Church, Oxford
|Charlotte Conquest
|-
|Twelfth Night
|2009
|Said Business School Rooftop Amphitheatre
|Heather Davies
|-
|Beauty and the Beast
|2009
|Mirror Tent, MINI Plant Oxford
|Sarah Punshon
|-
|Romeo and Juliet
|2010
|Said Business School Rooftop Amphitheatre
|Charlotte Conquest
|-
|Rapunzel or The Magic Pig
|2010
|Mirror Tent, MINI Plant Oxford
|Charlotte Conquest
|-
|Doctor Faustus
|2010
|Blackwell's Bookshop
|Charlotte Conquest
|-
|Tales from King James
|2011
|St Barnabus Church
|Helen Tennison
|-
|Antony and Cleopatra
|2011
|Said Business School Rooftop Amphitheatre
|Helen Tennison
|-
|A Christmas Carol
|2011
|The North Wall Arts Centre
|Charlotte Conquest
|-
|Hamlet
|2012
|Blackwell's Bookshop
|Tim Carroll
|-
|The Odyssey
|2012
|Blackwell's Bookshop
|Tim Carroll
|-
|Richard II
|2012
|Oxfam House
|Ashtar Theatre Company
|-
|The Comedy of Errors
|2012
|Sheldonian Theatre
|Corinne Jaber
|-
|The Merchant of Venice
|2012
|Said Business School Rooftop Amphitheatre
|Natalie Abrahami
|-
|Aladdin and the Magic Lamp
|2012
|The North Wall Arts Centre
|Charlotte Conquest
|-
|Jekyll and Hyde
|2013
|Blackwell's Bookshop
|Caroline Devlin
|-
|Henry V
|2013
|Oxford Castle Unlocked Courtyard
|Charlotte Conquest
|-
|The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
|2013
|The North Wall Arts Centre
|Charlotte Conquest
|-
|Macbeth
|2014
|Lady Margaret Hall
|Jonathan Holloway
|-
|The Wind in the Willows
|2014
|The North Wall Arts Centre
|Gari Jones
|-
|As You Like It
|2015
|Lady Margaret Hall
|Tom Littler
|-
|Alice
|2015
|St Hugh's College
|Helen Tennison
|-
|Treasure Island
|2015
|The North Wall Arts Centre
|Gari Jones
|-
|Alice
|2015
|The Mill Arts Centre
|Helen Tennison
|-
|King Lear
|2016
|The Norrington Room, Blackwell's Bookshop
|Charlotte Conquest
|-
|A Midsummer Night's Dream
|2016
|Across West Oxford (in promenade)
|Zoe Seaton
|-
|Hamlet
|2016
|University Parks
|Gari Jones
|-
|Cinderella
|2016
|The Mill Arts Centre
|Helen Tennison
|-
|Snow White and Other Tales from
the Brother's Grimm
|2016
|The North Wall Arts Centre
|Gari Jones
|-
|Nineteen Eighty Four
|2017
|Oxford's Mathematical Institute
|Jonathan Holloway
|-
|A Midsummer Night's Dream
|2017
|Across West Oxford (in promenade)
|Zoe Seaton
|-
|Alice
|2017
|University Parks
|Helen Tennison
|-
|Pictures of Dorian Gray
|2019
|Blackwells
|Tom Littler (Jermyn Street Theatre)
|-
|The Tempest
|2019
|Osney Mead (in promenade)
|Zoe Seaton
|-
|Don Quixote
|2019
|Oxford Covered Market
|Jonathan Holloway
|-
|The Snow Queen
|2019/20
|North Walls Arts Centre
|
|-
|Bleak House
|2020
|Blackwell's Bookshop
|Deborah Newbold
|-
|The Tempest Live
|2020
|Live online via Zoom
|Zoe Seaton
|-
|<nowiki>The Time Machine | A Virtual Reality</nowiki>
|2020
|Live online via Zoom
|Natasha Rickman
|-
|<nowiki>Alice | A Virtual Theme Park</nowiki>
|2020
|Live online via Zoom
|Zoe Seaton
|}

== Critical reception ==
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Publication
!Year
!Excerpt
|-
|2ndfrombottom
|2021
|"Visually the production is a treat and deploys some clever video trickery"<ref>{{Cite web|last=Chapman|first=John|date=2021-03-19|title=The Duchess Of Malfi (Online review)|url=https://2ndfrombottom.wordpress.com/2021/03/19/the-duchess-of-malfi-online-review/|access-date=2021-04-20|website=2nd from Bottom|language=en}}</ref>
|-
|From page to stage
|2020
|"An imaginative and enjoyable show for these extraordinary times"<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-04-20|title=Review: The Tempest: Live, interactive and in your living room|url=https://from-page-to-stage.com/2020/04/20/review-the-tempest/|access-date=2021-04-20|website=From page to stage - and everything in between|language=en}}</ref>
|-
|Love London Love Culture
|2020
|"immensely enjoyable, fun-filled and ambitious"<ref>{{Cite web|last=Clarendon|first=AuthorEmma|date=2020-08-08|title=REVIEW: Alice: A Virtual Theme Park, Creation Theatre|url=https://lovelondonloveculture.com/2020/08/08/review-alice-a-virtual-theme-park-creation-theatre/|access-date=2021-04-20|website=Love London Love Culture|language=en-GB}}</ref>
|}


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Reflist}}

{{authority control}}


[[Category:1996 establishments in England]]
[[Category:1996 establishments in England]]

Latest revision as of 08:38, 19 April 2024

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]

Management

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]
Production Year Venue Directed by
Romeo and Juliet 1996 Magdalen College School Grounds Sebastian Doggart
Macbeth 1997 Magdalen College School Grounds Zoe Seaton
Hamlet 1998 Magdalen College School Grounds Zoe Seaton
The Tempest/ Antony and Cleopatra 1999 Magdalen College School Grounds Zoe Seaton
A Midsummer Night's Dream 2000 Magdalen College School Grounds Zoe Seaton
Alice Through the Looking Glass 2000 Magdalen College School Grounds Laurie Sansom
Hamlet 2001 BMW Group Plant Zoe Seaton
Romeo and Juliet 2001 Magdalen College School Grounds Richard Beecham
Macbeth 2002 BMW Group Plant Zoe Seaton
A Midsummer Night's Dream 2002 Magdalen College School Grounds Zoe Seaton
Twelfth Night 2003 Headington Hill Park, Oxford Charlotte Conquest
The Tempest 2003 Headington Hill Park, Oxford Zoe Seaton
The Winter's Tale 2004 Mirror Tent, BMW Justin Butcher
Much Ado About Nothing 2004 Headington Hill Park, Oxford Charlotte Conquest
Romeo and Juliet 2004 Headington Hill Park, Oxford Abigail Anderson
A Christmas Carol 2004 Mirror Tent, BMW Abigail Anderson
The Comedy of Errors 2005 Mirror Tent, BMW Charlotte Conquest
A Midsummer Night's Dream 2005 Headington Hill Park, Oxford Zoe Seaton
The Snow Queen 2005 BMW Group Plant Charlotte Conquest
King Lear 2006 BMW Group Plant Douglas Rintoul
Macbeth 2006 Headington Hill Park, Oxford Gareth Machin
The Merchant of Venice 2006 Oxford Castle Gari Jones
Robin Hood 2006 Headington Hill Park, Oxford Adam Meggido
Arabian Nights 2006 Mirror Tent, BMW Dominic Cooke
Hamlet 2007 Oxford Castle Gardens Gari Jones
The Taming of the Shrew 2007 Oxford Castle Unlocked Courtyard Heather Davies
The Oxford Passion 2007 Oxford Castle Gardens Charlotte Conquest
Tales from the Brother's Grimm 2007 Mirror Tent, BMW Gari Jones
Measure for Measure 2008 The North Wall Charlotte Conquest
Much Ado About Nothing 2008 Oxford Castle Unlocked Courtyard Charlotte Conquest
Saints and Sinners 2008 St Michael at the North Gate Heather Davies
A Midsummer Night's Dream 2008 Headington Hill Park (in promenade) Zoe Seaton
Animal Farm 2008 Oxford Castle Gardens Joanna Read
Hans Christian Andersen's Magical Tales 2008 Mirror Tent, BMW Caroline Leslie
Othello 2009 New Road Baptist Church, Oxford Charlotte Conquest
Twelfth Night 2009 Said Business School Rooftop Amphitheatre Heather Davies
Beauty and the Beast 2009 Mirror Tent, MINI Plant Oxford Sarah Punshon
Romeo and Juliet 2010 Said Business School Rooftop Amphitheatre Charlotte Conquest
Rapunzel or The Magic Pig 2010 Mirror Tent, MINI Plant Oxford Charlotte Conquest
Doctor Faustus 2010 Blackwell's Bookshop Charlotte Conquest
Tales from King James 2011 St Barnabus Church Helen Tennison
Antony and Cleopatra 2011 Said Business School Rooftop Amphitheatre Helen Tennison
A Christmas Carol 2011 The North Wall Arts Centre Charlotte Conquest
Hamlet 2012 Blackwell's Bookshop Tim Carroll
The Odyssey 2012 Blackwell's Bookshop Tim Carroll
Richard II 2012 Oxfam House Ashtar Theatre Company
The Comedy of Errors 2012 Sheldonian Theatre Corinne Jaber
The Merchant of Venice 2012 Said Business School Rooftop Amphitheatre Natalie Abrahami
Aladdin and the Magic Lamp 2012 The North Wall Arts Centre Charlotte Conquest
Jekyll and Hyde 2013 Blackwell's Bookshop Caroline Devlin
Henry V 2013 Oxford Castle Unlocked Courtyard Charlotte Conquest
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe 2013 The North Wall Arts Centre Charlotte Conquest
Macbeth 2014 Lady Margaret Hall Jonathan Holloway
The Wind in the Willows 2014 The North Wall Arts Centre Gari Jones
As You Like It 2015 Lady Margaret Hall Tom Littler
Alice 2015 St Hugh's College Helen Tennison
Treasure Island 2015 The North Wall Arts Centre Gari Jones
Alice 2015 The Mill Arts Centre Helen Tennison
King Lear 2016 The Norrington Room, Blackwell's Bookshop Charlotte Conquest
A Midsummer Night's Dream 2016 Across West Oxford (in promenade) Zoe Seaton
Hamlet 2016 University Parks Gari Jones
Cinderella 2016 The Mill Arts Centre Helen Tennison
Snow White and Other Tales from

the Brother's Grimm

2016 The North Wall Arts Centre Gari Jones
Nineteen Eighty Four 2017 Oxford's Mathematical Institute Jonathan Holloway
A Midsummer Night's Dream 2017 Across West Oxford (in promenade) Zoe Seaton
Alice 2017 University Parks Helen Tennison
Pictures of Dorian Gray 2019 Blackwells Tom Littler (Jermyn Street Theatre)
The Tempest 2019 Osney Mead (in promenade) Zoe Seaton
Don Quixote 2019 Oxford Covered Market Jonathan Holloway
The Snow Queen 2019/20 North Walls Arts Centre
Bleak House 2020 Blackwell's Bookshop Deborah Newbold
The Tempest Live 2020 Live online via Zoom Zoe Seaton
The Time Machine | A Virtual Reality 2020 Live online via Zoom Natasha Rickman
Alice | A Virtual Theme Park 2020 Live online via Zoom Zoe Seaton

Critical reception

[edit]
Publication Year Excerpt
2ndfrombottom 2021 "Visually the production is a treat and deploys some clever video trickery"[21]
From page to stage 2020 "An imaginative and enjoyable show for these extraordinary times"[22]
Love London Love Culture 2020 "immensely enjoyable, fun-filled and ambitious"[23]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Creation Theatre Company". tripadvisor.co.uk.
  2. ^ a b c d "Creation Theatre company celebrates its 16th birthday (The Oxford Times)". The Oxford Times. 8 June 2012.
  3. ^ "Charity Overview". The Charity Commission.
  4. ^ "Creation Theatre on Shakespearemag.com". Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  5. ^ "Contact – nationaltheatret.no". National Theatre of Norway website. Archived from the original on 7 March 2015. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  6. ^ "For Art's Sake with Creation Theatre's Lucy Askew (From the Oxford Times)". The Oxford Times. 12 June 2014.
  7. ^ "Daily Info Oxford". Archived from the original on 2 July 2015. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  8. ^ "United Agents". United Agents.
  9. ^ "The Oxford Times". The Oxford Times. 20 June 2013.
  10. ^ "National Theatre Website". Royal National Theatre. Archived from the original on 2 July 2015.
  11. ^ "The Public Reviews". Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  12. ^ "United Agents". United Agents. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  13. ^ "Jonathan Holloway". Red Shift Theatre.
  14. ^ "Shepperd-Fox Theatrical Agency". shepperd-fox.co.uk. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
  15. ^ Gardner, Lyn (8 January 2010). "Beauty and the Beast Review". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  16. ^ a b "Deep Blue Sea, West Yorkshire Playhouse / Doctor Faustus, Blackwell's Bookshop, review". The Daily Telegraph. 23 February 2011.
  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. ^ Pulver, Andrew (January 2015). "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.
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