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Wednesday 27 August 2008  |  Published in Funky Events Peter Hall Company at the Rose Theatre, Kingston this autumn – plus win theatre tickets!

This autumn, the Rose Theatre, Kingston reaches a new milestone in the venue’s history. As well as hosting a seven week residency from the Peter Hall Company, the Rose will be presenting its first home-grown production since the theatre opened in January this year. The auditorium of the Rose is modelled on the designs of the original Elizabethan playhouse on London’s Bankside. Three levels of horse-shoe shaped seating curve around a lozenge shaped stage, with a pit area in front, where audience members can sit on cushions for as little as £7. The intimate yet epic dimensions of the Rose help to create a wonderful intimacy between audience and actors.

“The Rose in Kingston upon Thames is a wonder. The curved foyers are instantly pleasing, like a snug ship with steel staircases and wood floors” Independent on Sunday
“The theatre, which has been doggedly championed by Sir Peter Hall, is a palpable hit” Telegraph

Following the opening production in the Peter Hall Company residency, The Portrait of a Lady, the season continues with a new version of Ibsen’s masterpiece A Doll’s House (9-27 September), also directed by Peter Hall, and featuring a cast including Catherine McCormack, Finbar Lynch and Christopher Ravenscroft . The residency ends with Born in the Gardens (30 September – 11 October), the classic comedy by Peter Nichols, directed by Stephen Unwin (Artistic Director of the Rose), and with a cast including the legendary Stephanie Cole and Simon Shepherd. 

Later in the autumn, The Rose will be presenting its first home-grown production, Love’s Labour’s Lost, running from 21 October - 15 November. Peter Hall will direct a cast including Peter Bowles and Finbar Lynch in this early comedy by Shakespeare, famous for its dazzling wit and word-play.

Interspersed with these productions, the Rose will be hosting a series of talks from eminent figures from the British theatre industry including Timothy West, Richard Briers and Neil Pearson. The Rose will also be hosting a series of one-night events, including a new musical theatre cabaret show from the legendary Sian Phillips, a night of enchanting music from the OperaBabes, and comedy from Ken Campbell and The Comedy Store. 

To win tickets to one of the opening performances of A Doll’s House on 9 September at 7.30pm, answer the following question;

In what year did the Rose officially open to the public?

Send your answers, with your name and telephone number to, with ‘Funky venues competition’ in the subject line.

Rose Theatre, Kingston
Tickets from £7
Box office: 0871 230 1552
www.rosetheatrekingston.org