Part of the London Theatre Direct network.

Arts Theatre

Arts Theatre

6-7 Great Newport Street, London, WC2H 7JB

Book tickets for The Lion King, West End theatre ticket offers and discount theatre tickets London Theatre Direct

Lilies On The Land tickets

Lilies On The Land

Booking to 17 July 2010

Click here to book tickets for Lilies On The Land

The booking process is provided by LondonTheatreDirect.com and booking fees may apply.

Limited season: 6 weeks only - 8 June - 17 July 2010

Lilies on the Land is a truly remarkable and sparkling piece of theatre which celebrates an extraordinary episode in Britain’s history – the Women’s Land Army of World War II.
These gripping but charming tales chart the personal journeys of four women who sign up to become Land Girls, determined to work endless, backbreaking hours on farms across the country in a bid to do their best for the War Effort.

But how will these women, hailing from all different walks of life, torn from their families and bereft of all basic home comforts, deal not only with the hardships of farming life and the pressures of war, but also with being outsiders in new surroundings? Maybe work clothes full of mice and toilet rolls falling from the skies are just what it takes for these girls to get through…

Based on hundreds of letters from and interviews with the original Land Girls along with songs from the period, Lilies on the Land is a revealing, funny, wonderfully moving and utterly captivating portrait of some of Britain’s pluckiest, unsung heroes. Simply unmissable, this is theatre at its most memorable.

Cast:

Rosalind Cressy is Vera
Sarah Finch is Poppy
Dorothy Lawrence is Margie
Kali Peacock is Peggy

THIS WONDERFUL SHOW... IS BEAUTIFULLY CRAFTED - The Daily Telegraph

THIS LIVELY PLAY COLOURFULLY REVEALS THE REALITIES OF DIGGING FOR VICTORY - The Times

THIS JOYOUS CELEBRATION OF BRITAIN’S FORGOTTEN ARMY - Extra! Extra!

Theatre history

The Arts Theatre is a club theatre in Great Newport Street, in Westminster, Central London. It reopened in February 2009 following a refurbishment.

History

The Arts Theatre seats 347 in a two-tier basement auditorium. It opened on 20 April 1927 as a members only club for the performance of unlicensed plays, thus avoiding theatre censorship by the Lord Chamberlain's office. It was one of a small number of committed, independent theatre companies, including the Hampstead Everyman, the Gate Theatre Studio and the Q Theatre, which took risks by producing a diverse range of new and experimental plays, or plays that were thought to be commercially non-viable on the West-End stage. The theatrical producer Norman Marshall referred to these as ‘The Other Theatre’ in his 1947 book of the same name.

The theatre opened with Picnic a revue by Herbert Farjeon, produced by Harold Scott and music by Beverley Nichols. Its first important production was Young Woodley by John Van Druten, staged in 1928, which later transferred to the Savoy Theatre when the Lord Chamberlain's ban was lifted. In 1938 a four week revival of the Stokes brothers' Oscar Wilde, starring Francis L. Sullivan and produced by Ronald Adam, opened on 25 October. This coincided with a Broadway production of the play. In 1942 Alec Clunes and John Hanau took over running of the theatre, and for ten years produced a wide range of plays, winning a reputation as a 'pocket national theatre.'

In August 1955, Peter Hall, aged 24, directed the English-language premiere of Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot at the theatre. This was an important turning point in modern theatre for Britain. Subsequently, from 1956 to 1959, Hall ran the Arts Theatre.

According to Who's Who in the Theatre (14th and 15th editions), between April 1962 and January 1967 the Arts Theatre was known the New Arts Theatre.

From 1967 to 1999, the Arts also became a home for The Unicorn children's theatre under the direction of its founder Caryl Jenner who took over the lease. Meanwhile adult performances continued in the evening, including Tom Stoppard's satirical double-bill, Dirty Linen and Newfoundland which, opening in June 1976, ran for four years at the Arts.

The theatre's lease was taken over by a consortium of UK and US producers in 2000, for a five-year period, and relaunched as a West End Theatre with the anniversary production of Julian Mitchell's play Another Country, directed by Stephen Henry. Notable productions during this time included The Vagina Monologues and Closer to Heaven the Jonathan Harvey/Pet Shop Boys Musical.

The Arts is now owned by Kingdom Entertainment Group and Wimpole Theatre, a notable theatre production company.

Location and Seating Plan

Arts Theatre
6-7 Great Newport Street
London
WC2H 7JB

how to get there ...

find your seats ...

This website is owned by London Theatre Direct Ltd, an official agent of London theatre venues. The website is provided for informational purposes only and whilst every effort is made to ensure that the information on these pages is correct, we cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions. Images are the property of the copyright holder(s) and are used with permission. The booking process is provided by LondonTheatreDirect.com and booking fees may apply.

© 1999-2009 London Theatre Direct Ltd. All rights reserved.

Other West end theatres and useful links

List of Shows