Feature: The Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
Published: 9 June, 2011
by JOSH LOEB
I’ve always said we are a balmy nation,” says Ian Talbot, who served as artistic director at the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre from 1987-2007. “You have only to go to the coast to see people picnicking in a gale. When The Globe opened we were worried that this would spell the end of the theatre, but in fact it increased in popularity.”
Founded by producer Robert Atkins and former critic Sydney Carroll in 1933, this airiest of venues has an illustrious history.
It was the one of just two theatres to remain open throughout the Second World War – the other was the Windmill – and it has launched the careers of Ralph Fiennes, Samantha Spiro and Rhys Ifans, among others.
At one point the Open Air Theatre was at risk of collapsing, but a Lottery-funded refurbishment shored it up.
Memorable shows over the years have included a production of Bartholomew Fair which used boar pigs borrowed from nearby London Zoo.
Last year the theatre hosted the highest-grossing show in its history, a production of Stephen Sondheim’s Into The Woods, and this summer staff are hoping to emulate that success with a lively programme including The Lord of the Flies (to June 18); The Beggar’s Opera (June 23-July 23), Gershwin’s Crazy for You (July 28-September 10) along with the traditional Shakespeare, this year’s offering being Pericles (July 2-July 23).
“I’ll never lose my affection for the place,” says Talbot, who is currently directing Lend me a Tenor, The Musical at the Gielgud Theatre. “Those that go there go because they want to, not because it’s fashionable, and it caters for everyone from ages five to 95. And it doesn’t get rained off half as much as you would think.”
• Open Air Theatre, Regent’s Park, box office: 0844 826 4242, www.openairtheatre.org/