The Royal Court Theatre in London's Sloane Square is Britain's leading theatre company dedicated to new work by innovative writers. The Court's 50th anniversary celebrations are centred around 8 May 2006, fifty years to the day from the 1956 opening of John Osborne's Look Back In Anger, widely judged to be the play that marked the beginning of modern British drama. Since that time, the Court has premiered plays by many writers, who include: Edward Bond, Peter Gill, Christopher Hampton, Athol Fugard, Howard Brenton, Sam Shepard, and Hanif Kureishi.
The Court's influence on theatre design has been equally important, with the theatre leading the way in the stripping back of the 'artifice' of theatre and presenting shows in carefully designed open spaces lit by exposed lighting rigs often coloured using just correction filters during the 1960s under the influence of designers such as Jocelyn Herbert and lighting designers Andy Phillips and Rory Dempster. Their influence has continued in the decades since, at the Court itself and beyond.
White Light was founded in 1971 by three staff from the Royal Court: lighting designers Andy Phillips and Rory Dempster, and theatre administrator John Simpson, along with David Henderson and Angela Fox. The company took its name from the Court's 'white light' style of lighting; one of its earliest jobs was the transfer of The Rocky Horror Show from the Court's Theatre Upstairs to the Kings Road Theatre; more than three decades later, White Light, still run by John Simpson, is supplying the new touring production of the show.
"Those of us who work in lighting sometimes become convinced that ours is the most important element of any show," says Simpson. "In fact, all theatre is collaboration, but that collaboration starts with the story and with the words, the creations of the writer. The Royal Court is the leading supporter of theatre writers in this country. Since White Light, in a sense, grew out of the Royal Court, we are delighted to able to support them in their 50th Anniversary year."
White Light will be supplying the Royal Court with lighting equipment for the many organised events to mark the anniversary, including a tribute to Look Back In Anger, and a special Rocky Horror tribute show performed by the cast of the current tour along with celebrity guests including author Richard O'Brien. Also of interest will be I Remember The Royal Court, in which writers, actors, directors, designers and others share their memories of working at the Royal Court, which runs from May 18th-20th, and A History of Royal Court Design, to be held this autumn.
Further information about the Royal Court and the events marking its anniversary can be found on the website: www.royalcourttheatre.com. A timeline of White Light's 35 year history, can be found at www.WhiteLight.Ltd.uk.
(Chris Henry)
