Theatre Royal Stratford East

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The Theatre Royal Stratford East is a theatre in Stratford, London, which opened in 1884. It is home of the Theatre Workshop company.

The Theatre Royal Stratford East was designed by architect James George Buckle, he was commissioned to design the theatre by the Actor/Manager Charles Dillon in 1884.

The theatre opened on December 17th 1884 with a performance of 'Richeliu' by Lytton Strachey.

Joan Littlewood with Gerry Raffles as manager made the Theatre Royal famous with productions such as 'A Taste of Honey' and 'Oh What A Lovely War'.

When Gerry Raffles died on 11th April 1975 Joan Littlewood left the Theatre Royal Stratford East and she never returned to the theatre.

In 2005 the Theatre Royal Stratford East made history by having the first British Black musical to transfer to Londons West End where it played at the Apollo Theatre.

The current artistic director is Kerry Michael, he was chosen to succeed Philip Hedley who was the artistic director from 1979 to 2004.

Recently the Theatre Royal Stratford East produced a musical version of the cult Jamaican film 'The Harder They Come', the production was written by the films director Perry Henzel. This was one of the most successful productions the theatre has ever produced resulting in 2 extensions and sold out nights each night of the week.