By no means a definitive list, a selection of audience members from the last 15 years have nominated and commented on some of the stand-out memorable performances witnessed at the Isle of Dogs venue. We’d like to recognise every performer that has added to the history of the venue, from lead roles to third spear-carrier from the left, from virtuoso musicians and legendary comedians to theatre companies taking their first steps, we thank you for entertaining our audiences.
Read part one here.
Read part two here.
Add your favourites by tweeting us @spaceartscentre – and don’t forget the hashtag #Space20 as we celebrate our 20th year!
A Doll’s House, Feste and Flood
7-9 in a series of 20 memorable performances celebrating 20 years at the Space
Irina Borisova and Emma Thatcher – Set Design for A Doll’s House
In 2010, as part of our Canon season, Alex Crampton took up the directorial reins for Space Productions autumn show with a superb production of Ibsen’s A Doll’s House.
It may seem odd to credit the Set Designers in a list of memorable performances but Irina and Emma so completely and beautifully transformed the Space into Nora’s world that we had to include it. The walls were draped with white and peach material bunched together in the middle of the Space. Also hanging from the wooden frame were teapots, dolls and other trinkets. The effect was enchanting and for the two weeks that the performance ran at the Space, everyone who entered the hall gasped with delight.
The pair also created faceless puppets to play the parts of Nora’s children, providing two memorable scenes, the first a playful scene with their mother Nora (played superbly by Gina Abolins) and the second a haunting movement piece as Nora fears for their safety.
The puppeteers were a chorus of three performers (Hannah Dean, Charlotte Tallack and Carolina Main) who echoed Nora’s thoughts throughout the play, replacing Nora’s monologues with movement pieces and additionally played minor roles (one audience fondly remembers Hannah’s deadpan maid).
So impressive was the design of the show that Irina and Emma were shortlisted for the Off West End Awards for Best Set Design, a first for the Space.
Special mention must also go to wonderful performances by Dominik Golding and Emma Deegan, who along with Alex, Gina and Creative Producer Mari Rettedal-Westlake took the production on to the Arcola for an extended run, receiving critical acclaim and full houses.
Jane Lawson – Feste in Twelfth Night
In 2007, Bluedoor theatre company’s vibrant production of Twelfth Night, directed by Katie Hartwill, featured a talented and enthusiastic young cast. The Docklands gave the show a deservedly glowing review:-
“Watching EastEnders or Hollyoaks, it’s easy to forget the wealth of acting talent in this country. But this superb adaptation of the Shakespeare classic will leave you in no doubt how gifted some of our young actors are.
I haven’t got the space to give each performer the credit they deserve – suffice to say each brought a presence and energy that left me totally convinced.
Jon Nathan, playing Sir Toby Belch with booming voice and emptying wine bottle, was like a young Brian Blessed.
He was only outdone for laughs by Jamie Griffith-Jones, whose pompous Malvolio – complete with a voice from the Valleys – was played to perfection.
Best of all was the pint-sized jester Jane Lawson, so charming and delightful I wanted to put her in my pocket and take her home.”
One of our regular audience members recalls Jane’s performance:-
‘Jane brought the play to life with a huge dollop of fun, great vocals and comedic presence. Jane’s Feste was the glue that held the other characters and plotlines together.’
Chloe Osborne and Alex Evans in Flood
Private Ambulance performed Flood as part of the Enterprise festival in 2006. Enterprise was an annual multi-arts festival celebrating bold and ambitious work which ran for five years at the Space.
The copy provided by Chloe Osborne and Alex Evans was intriguing:-
‘Flood’ whispers the secrets of the city. A live performance exploring personal territories, movements and emotional engagements with urban space.
Eschewing the atmospheric interiors of the Space main hall, Chloe and Alex approached me with ‘We’d like to perform in your portacabin.’ A temporary building that had only recently arrived at the Space seemed an unlikely place for a live performance but the enthusiasm of the pair won me over and we set about applying for a license.
The performance itself was one of the most charming and enjoyable theatrical events I’ve experienced. Beginning in Hubbub’s beer garden, eight members of the audience were asked to wear waterproof shoes before being led into the portacabin.
Decked out with black bin liners, a network of string latticed the ceiling, hanging from which were different coloured light bulbs and clear bags filled with water and plastic goldfish. For seats, the intrepid audience sat on sandbags.
The piece included some dancing wellington boots, goldfish representing accommodation units and a lot of water. My absolute favourite moment was when an ordnance survey map of East London was unfolded, two audience members held the bottom corners whilst the performers held the top. Chloe and Alex poured water down the map whilst describing the items of furniture that were floating down the flooded London streets. It was a beautifully poignant moment and I was just as moved when the pair presented me with the map as a gift at the end of the run.
