Change is in the air.
Arcola’s new season investigates a world on the brink of profound change. It explores the causes and the colossal impact of the Russian Revolution 100 years on, and considers the people and ideas which could shape the next century.
Join the Revolution Project for new productions,
readings, talks, screenings, special events and more >>
We are proud to present one of London’s leading off-West End theatres, creating word-class work and often engaging with international artists. They stage these two seminal pieces as part of a major season on the Revolution.
For you, there is the exclusive chance to see each of the shows for only £10, by pre-ordering online for one of their opening nights. Use the promo code REV10 on checking out for discounted tickets on the dates noted in red below and join their Facebook events to plan a visit with fellow club members.
The Lower Depths – Maxim Gorky
January 11-14 / – February 11 ▶ join event
Out of sight and out of mind, Russia’s lost souls spend their days in squalor. Hope can be found in a drink or a dream. But when reality is ignored, how can it be changed?
Visceral, fierce, stark and often funny, The Lower Depths pushes at the limits of the human spirit and reveals a society at breaking point.
“The truth is a blade that can turn.”
Having shocked audiences right across Europe, Maxim Gorky’s masterful portrait of the disenfranchised and left-behind became one of the most celebrated and influential plays of the 20th century. For this major and timely new production, internationally-acclaimed director Helena Kaut-Howson returns following her productions of Platonov: Sons Without Fathers, Uncle Vanya and Yerma at Arcola, King Lear at the Young Vic and A Tender Thing at the RSC.
The Cherry Orchard – Anton Chekhov
February 15-18 / – March 25 ▶ join event
Madame Ranevsky has come home to her family estate, and the cherry orchard is just as glorious as ever. But debts are beginning to pile up, and a momentous change is brewing… Anton Chekhov’s final masterpiece is a gleaming and shattering drama about a family on the edge of ruin, and a nation on the brink of revolution.
“Something will happen, you see;
if not today, then tomorrow.”
The acclaimed English version by Trevor Griffiths, author of Comedians and Party, comes to London for the very first time in a major new production from Artistic Director Mehmet Ergen.
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★★★★★ “Electrifying” – The Independent
★★★★★ “The performances are nothing short of captivating. Not to be missed.” – WhatsOnStage
★★★★★ “Hits you like a steam train with no warning light … Miss it at your peril” – One Stop Arts
★★★★ “An extraordinary production.” – The Guardian
“Only decades of learned behaviour stopped me leaping up, punching the air and yelling “Yowza!” at some aspect of the acting, the lighting, the sound, music, design – the whole damn thing.” – The Observer
★★★★★ “Hugely recommended.” – Morning Star
★★★★ “Sparkling performances by the cast under Mehmet Ergen’s taut direction” – Daily Telegraph
★★★★ “Fabulous central performances … highly recommended” – The Times
★★★★ “Mehmet Ergen’s energetic production is full of faithfully drawn figures … highly effective” – The Guardian