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| Laban Theatre | |
|---|---|
| Name | Laban Theatre |
| Address | Creekside, Chapel Market |
| City | London |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Architect | Steven Holl, Sir Peter Cook (Hadid Association) |
| Owner | Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance |
| Capacity | 450 (Main Theatre) |
| Opened | 2002 |
| Tenants | Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance |
Laban Theatre is a contemporary performing arts venue located in Deptford, London, affiliated with the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. The theatre serves as a centre for contemporary dance, choreography, performance research and interdisciplinary work, hosting professional companies, student showcase events and international residencies. Its programming spans experimental choreography, repertory ballet, contemporary music-theatre and cross-disciplinary collaborations with artists from theatre, visual art, film and technology.
The site was developed as part of a wider regeneration initiative involving the London Borough of Lewisham, Deptford redevelopment schemes, and partnerships with cultural funders such as the Arts Council England, Greater London Authority, and private benefactors. The project was driven by Trinity College of Music and the Laban Centre for Movement and Dance prior to the 2005 merger that formed Trinity Laban Conservatoire. The theatre opened in the early 2000s amid debates similar to those surrounding the reopening of institutions like Sadler's Wells Theatre, the redevelopment of Royal Festival Hall, and the refurbishment of Lyric Hammersmith. Early seasons featured guest appearances by ensembles associated with Rambert, Batsheva Dance Company, and choreographers connected to Siobhan Davies Dance, DV8 Physical Theatre, and Shobana Jeyasingh Dance Company.
Programming in the 2000s and 2010s was influenced by international festivals such as Edinburgh Festival Fringe, collaborations with institutions like Barbican Centre and Greenwich Dance, and exchanges with conservatoires including Royal Academy of Music and Guildhall School of Music and Drama. The theatre has been used for premieres, rehearsals and research projects coordinated with organisations such as Wellcome Trust, British Council, and EU Culture Programme initiatives, echoing partnerships seen at Southbank Centre and Tate Modern community projects.
The building was designed by architects linked to contemporary practices that include names like Steven Holl and influences seen in works by Zaha Hadid and Renzo Piano. The theatre complex includes a 450-seat main auditorium, studio theatres, movement studios, recording suites and exhibition spaces comparable in scope to facilities at Royal Opera House and Sadler's Wells. Technical infrastructure supports lighting systems by vendors used at National Theatre, immersive audio rigs akin to those at Globe Theatre, and stage machinery similar to installations at Almeida Theatre.
Public spaces integrate architecture discourses found in projects by Richard Rogers, Norman Foster, and Daniel Libeskind, while the siting near the River Ravensbourne and Creekside references urban design precedents like Canary Wharf redevelopment and King's Cross Central. The complex accommodates dance science laboratories, costume workshops, and archive storage comparable to resources at Victoria and Albert Museum and British Library special collections.
Seasons combine touring productions, student showcases, commissions and festivals with artists drawn from networks including Wayne McGregor, Akram Khan, Crystal Pite, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa and companies such as Scottish Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, English National Ballet and Royal Ballet. The programme has hosted experimental works influenced by choreographers like Pina Bausch, Merce Cunningham, Martha Graham legacies and contemporary practitioners linked to William Forsythe and Ohad Naharin. Collaborations have involved composers and musicians from BBC Symphony Orchestra, London Sinfonietta, Electric Cinema sound artists and producers associated with Rufus Wainwright and Arvo Pärt projects.
Festivals and curated strands at the theatre have echoed formats from Prague Quadrennial, Jacques Offenbach operetta revivals, and site-specific work akin to Punchdrunk productions. The venue supports premieres, revivals, film screenings, and interdisciplinary evenings that bring together choreographers, set designers and directors from companies such as Complicité, Mouthpiece Theatre, and DV8.
As part of Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, the theatre is integral to undergraduate and postgraduate programmes allied to institutions like Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Conservatoire de Paris, and Juilliard School through exchange and Erasmus networks. Curricula combine practical training with research methodologies inspired by practitioners such as Rudolf Laban, whose movement theories underpin much of the institution's pedagogy, alongside contemporary somatic practices advanced by educators connected to Alexander Technique and Feldenkrais Method traditions.
Students and visiting scholars engage in research projects funded by bodies including Arts and Humanities Research Council and collaborate with laboratories such as Wellcome Collection research programmes and technology partners like MIT Media Lab and Goldsmiths, University of London research groups. The theatre hosts masterclasses led by teachers associated with Royal Academy of Dance, Cecchetti Society, and visiting choreographers from the Jerwood Charitable Foundation residency schemes.
The venue has presented work by, and hosted residencies with, a wide range of artists including Siobhan Davies, Wayne McGregor, Akram Khan, Antonio Najarro, Jiří Kylián, Crystal Pite, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Shobana Jeyasingh, Gaia Nova, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Russell Maliphant, Hofesh Shechter, Gillian Lynne, Martha Graham company alumni, and contemporary theatre-makers from companies such as Complicité and Frantic Assembly. Collaborations have extended to visual artists like Anish Kapoor, filmmakers connected to Ken Loach and Mike Leigh traditions, and composers affiliated with Oliver Knussen and Thomas Adès projects.
International exchanges have been conducted with ensembles from Paris Opera Ballet, Staatsballett Berlin, New York City Ballet, Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet, Batsheva Dance Company, and institutions such as Max Planck Institute research residencies and performance labs at Centre Pompidou.
Community programmes include participatory workshops, outreach projects with local schools in Lewisham and Greenwich, and partnerships with charities like Arts Emergency, Creative Alliance, and Community Links. The theatre's engagement initiatives mirror public-facing models used by Barbican Centre, Tate Modern, and National Trust community arts divisions, offering dementia-friendly sessions, youth engagement schemes akin to Big Dance UK and intergenerational projects linked to Age UK collaborations.
Local collaborations involve projects with Goldsmiths, University of London community arts departments, University of the Arts London outreach teams, and NHS arts and health partnerships comparable to those coordinated with Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. The venue has participated in borough-wide cultural festivals similar to Greenwich+Docklands International Festival and supports apprenticeship and employability programmes tied to regional initiatives funded by European Social Fund-style schemes and local enterprise partnerships.
Category:Theatres in London