CANAL CAFÉ THEATRE


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PROFILE OF THE THEATRE &  INTERVIEWS




CANAL CAFÉ THEATRE 
Above Bridge House Pub   
Delamere Terrace, Little Venice, London W2 6ND 
 
Twitter: @CanalCafe


IN A NUTSHELL 
The award-winning Canal Café Theatre is beautifully situated on the Regent’s Canal in Little Venice. A renowned comedy and theatre venue since 1979, it has helped launch some of the biggest names in the comedy world ranging from John Oliver to Miranda Hart to The League of Gentlemen. It prides itself on producing little known revivals to great critical acclaim and it is home to Guinness World Record-Breaking News Revue which plays 4 nights a week, 50 weeks of the year. It is also fast becoming known as an important new writing venue and home of The American Season, Cream and an annual adult panto. 
  
THE PRODUCTIONS 
This 60 seater venue has performances ranging from stand-up, sketch, comedy, to drama and music. They also have new writing nights and revivals of plays. It is also home to satirical news show NEWSREVUE.  This award winning show runs four night a week 
  
LOCATION 
Set in the heart of Little Venice overlooking the canal, it is a very charming location. Known as one of the capital's most beautiful areas, it has gentle canals and quiet streets and is only a stone’s throw from Paddington's bars and pubs. 
By Tube - situated 3 mins from Warwick Avenue station (Bakerloo), 5 mins from Royal Oak (Hammersmith and City line) and 10 mins from Paddington (District, City, Bakerloo and National Rail Services). 
By Bus - 6, 46 and 187 buses all stop just outside Warwick Avenue tube station. The 18 bus also stops nearby. 
By Car – Parking; most of the area is for residents only, but there are pay and display spaces outside the pub.     
  
ADDED VALUE 
The seating is usually arranged by tables, perfect for informal gatherings. It's always best to book to avoid disappointment, particularly if you have a large group who want to sit together. 
This is a members-only theatre, which costs just £1.50 per person on the first ticket you buy. You will then be issued with a membership card (valid for 1 year) - pop it in your wallet and bring it along when you come next time - if you get it stamped 4 times within the year, you can trade it in for a free ticket to the News Revue. 
Opportunities for writers   
  
THE PUB 
The Bridge House pub 
Set in the heart of Little Venice, The Bridge House is the perfect place to indulge your theatrical side, with extravagant chandeliers, a roaring fire in Winter and sumptuous furnishings. You can savour the suitably theatrical surroundings, whilst enjoying pre or post show dining and drinks, or sit in the pub’s beer garden overlooking the canal. They also have a pub quiz, Sunday lunch, board games, free wi-fi, all with the added advantage of having disabled facilities. You can also buy gift cards for your loved ones to spend in the pub (available on line). 
  
DID YOU KNOW …  
  • Emma Taylor has been artistic director since 2001. 
  •   Emma Taylor is Producer of News Revue. She received the Guinness World Record on behalf of News Revue in 2004. She is also a recipient of Fringe Report’s Theatre Person of the Year 
  •  Professor Michael Hodd (d.2022) was founder of Canal Café Theatre and NewsRevue 
  • Michael Hodd (d.2022) was educated at Cambridge, LSE and Princeton and has worked as an economist in Universities in Australia, the UK and India. In 1979 he was responsible for creating NewsRevue and then the Canal Café Theatre in 1984. With John Close he has authored three musicals: Ronnie & Reggie Request on the Kray brothers; Joe on the life of Joe Orton; and Bogart on Humphrey Bogart. Michael is a commissioned writer for BBC Radio. 
  • This is the venue that launched the legendary comedy troupe, League Of Gentlemen


WINNER of the OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT AWARD 2022 (Image Ross Kernahan)


EMMA TAYLOR and PROFESSOR MICHAEL HODD (Decd ) for NEWSREVUE at CANAL CAFE THEATRE


NewsReview was founded in 1979 by Prof Michael Hodd who also founded Canal Cafe Theatre in 1984. Emeritus Professor of Economics at LSE, Professor Hodd sadly passed away recently (October 2022). This award is made in his honour and to Emma Taylor who has been Producer of NewsRevue since 2001. This popular current affairs parody song and sketch show runs 4 nights a week at Canal Cafe theatre and makes appearances at Edinburgh Festival and in the West End. It gives numerous opportunities to casts and directors which are changed every six weeks, and to writers with new sketches every week based on what's in the news.

 

LPT Editor Heather Jeffery said: “It’s a show for anyone who ever wanted to laugh out loud at what’s in the news, and to enjoy our right to freedom of speech.”


Interview with EMMA TAYLOR Artistic Director of CANAL CAFÉ THEATRE (June 2022)



Emma has been Artistic Director of the Canal Café Theatre, the UK’s leading launch pad theatre for the comedy industry and producer of in-house and touring show, NewsRevue since 2001.  Although Canal Café is renowned for comedy, it’s also an ideal venue for cabaret, Improv, magic, new writing and talks.  Recent talks have been on subjects as diverse as serial killers, fishing and cricket.


Of course, the pandemic was as challenging for Canal Café Theatre as the next venue. However, thanks to a successful funding application (“the form felt like doing a PhD” says Emma) they were able to open again as soon as was permitted. “We had Peter Pandemic Panto and it sold out very quickly (with the permitted capacity of 30 instead of the usual 60)” explains Emma.  We also did a “dining and drinks thing” in tandem with the pub below with everything done by an app with bar codes so that food and drinks could be brought to the table. Really nice to be waited upon in this way but Emma “missed the atmosphere, that shoulder to shoulder.”


“I noticed coming back, the impact on people’s mental health in a negative way has certainly increased, it’s more than just the pandemic, it’s also the impact of social media” explains Emma. 


However, she has been encouraged and very impressed by the auditions for NewsRevue. Performers have to be able to act, sing, do impersonations, accents, dance and learn a huge amount of script in a very short space of time. “The standard has been phenomenal” says Emma “sometimes in the past we’ve struggled but this year we have been spoilt for choice.”

NewsRevue which is open four nights a week at the Canal Café Theatre was the fastest selling show at Edinburgh fringe last year. It sold out the entire run at the huge EICC (socially distanced). It will be back at the EICC at full capacity this year. The previews will be in London for three weeks at Canal Café Theatre from 7 – 24 July. 

The show is always needing good scripts and writers are invited to submit their work. They will be paid for any submissions which are used in the show.  For those interested in submitting some work, it’s important to see the show first (complimentary tickets are available from the venue to see the show).  “The cast and director write a lot more than they used to” explains Emma.  “We may edit anything coming in, so it might be a shared credit.”

 

It's not the only change being made in working policy. Part of the commitment made by theatres who received funding was to do their best to increase the diversity both onstage and off. Hearing of the accusation of institutional and casual racism in some drama schools and in other areas of the profession, Canal Café Theatre has introduced a person of colour onto the NewsRevue audition panel.

 

The theatre currently has two resident companies performing in regular slots. The first is TECTUM, a working-class actor company. Tectum is a company that helps working class actors to get representation.  “Changes that need to take place are often at grass roots level”, explains Emma. The second is LiveWired Comedy Improv. LiveWired are an improvisation troupe who perform regularly and off the back of its success now run Saturday morning workshops for beginners through to advanced, usually with opportunities to take part in a showcase for friends and family.

In addition, Canal Café have a number of emerging playwrights and performers currently in association with the building. One being Alfie Cain, author of the play Dropped, the story of a young footballer’s dream turned reality which performed to sold-out audiences during its first run in early April with further performances planned. “Even had Jude Law and footballer Ian Wright come to see it” mentions Emma.  It’s about a young boy who spent his whole life preparing to become a professional footballer and then he was dropped. “It’s something like a 1 in 17,000 chance of actually making it as a professional footballer” says Emma, “it’s a bit different for us and has brought more diverse audiences into the theatre.” The theatre is also working with Ethan Olswang on his debut production of My Friend, Hershel Fink. This play is about antisemitism in the British queer community and British drama schools. Following live performances, the show will be available online to a more international audience.


Emma herself is no stranger to the international scene as she speaks several languages and works internationally. “Dad’s Hungarian – I’m not fluent but it spurred me on to learn languages” says Emma. She used to be a French teacher and Head of Drama in a secondary school. Her heart was “in theatre” but she did what her parents wanted her to do. Before committing to their choice of higher education, she had a successful audition at RADA just to prove something to herself.  Her degree at Liverpool led to creating French speaking theatre-in-education company A La Carte. Her enthusiasm was such that she produced Sartre’s No Exit in French, also directing the show and playing the role of Estelle.  Her dream was still to work professionally in the theatre. “That is the nature of vocations” smiles Emma, “I wouldn’t welcome it as a lifestyle for anyone unless they are called to do it, then the rewards are great, but there can be a lot of downtime.” During lockdown, Emma opened another business “Screen Presence” helping people to get confident and comfortable on screen and to create one-minute calling card videos. 

 

Emma’s passion for theatre and theatre arts is palpable. For anyone who hasn’t experienced Canal Café Theatre first hand, it’s a venue with its own unique qualities, in a lovely spot on the Regent’s Canal in Little Venice.    Check out the programme of shows here.

 

Interview with Artistic Director Emma Taylor below


INTERVIEW



Retrospective celebrating 40 year of NewsRevue can be read here.

Archive Interview with Artistic Director Emma Taylor May 2017

This interview gets off at a cracking pace with Emma Taylor being the best at pitching an idea I’ve ever come across. We’ve only just met and she’s straight into telling me about Canal Café Theatre’s latest project. It’s exhilarating. 
  
She has a brilliant schema for a show and as the interview progresses I discover she’s very much an 'ideas’ person; they just keep flowing. To make them into a reality is her job - she’s producer as well. She’s been Artistic Director at Canal Café and producer of their award-winning NewsRevue for 16 years. In addition to this, they launched The American Season last year. One of their major challenges is to let people know their shows are not just about comedy. 
  
Here at Canal Café musical theatre has worked very well. Emma’s inaugural show as a director was LUCKY STIFF which was nominated for What’s On stage best revival in 2002, up against the West End ’ My Fair Lady’ and 'Kiss Me Kate’. 
  
We’re so used to seeing huge musicals with spectacular sets, to see stripped back musicals, laid bare is rewarding in a different way and far more affordable! We’re so close to the performers and can really hear the clarity of their voices and feel as though we’re part of the action. It’s joyful. 
  
Tonight, I’m having my first date with NewsRevue and it proves to be a much better experience than the real one! One of the things you should know is that it isn’t 'Mock the Week’ or 'Have I Got News For You’. If you’ve ever wondered what politicians would look like as musical theatre stars, this is for you. It’s an amusing satirical show with savvy writers, accomplished performers et al - in short, you will not be disappointed.   
  
Emma explained that one of the reasons behind the Guinness World Record-breaking longevity and success of the show is due to the constant updating of material and all the people involved. They change the actors, the director and the musical director every 6 weeks. Chortle described it as “A rite of passage for all comedy newcomers.” 
  
NewsRevue was featured by Sky News during Edinburgh Fringe last summer post the Referendum, and now they want to come and film the London show ahead of the forthcoming elections with a particular interest in celebrity endorsement, or lack thereof, of the parliamentary candidates. 
  
The Canal Cafe has a cabaret style seating which works so well to create a relaxed atmosphere. However, it’s not always cabaret style. In their American season, which has three strands, past, present and future, they started with Driving Miss Daisy by Alfred Uhry. They used a 'Tramersive’ staging. It’s not a strict traverse. They got rid of the tables in the auditorium and just had chairs on either side with audience also sitting on a v- shape on the stage.  'Driving Miss Daisy’ was originally performed in a 70 seater off- Broadway, so they brought it back to its original format. 
  
This was followed by the 'present’; the critically acclaimed 'The Understudy’ by Theresa Rebeck, that director Russell Lucas described as 'a love letter to the theatre.’ This was another stripped back production with incredibly sophisticated lighting and soundscape created by in-house technical director, Stuart Glover. 
  
The 'future’ is a commission and Canal Café have been running a 'competition’ to find their writer. The broad remit is anything to do with the current American political climate. “We’ve had over 120 applications and choosing just one is extremely difficult” says Emma.   
  
Without doubt the jewel in the crown at Canal Café is their long running NewRevue. It’s now in its 38th year and it began its life at the Edinburgh Fringe in 1979. They always welcome new writers. The director sends out a spec of news stories they want covering each week which have thematic, topical, up-to-minute stories with links to the news stories. https://www.newsrevue.com/writing-for-newsrevue 
  
With this running four nights a week, scenery for dramas is kept minimal. Emma is particularly enthusiastic about Driving Miss Daisy: “A beautiful steering wheel was made, with a harness to attach it every time Hoke was driving. We had two boxes to give a suggestion of a car. It was beautiful and totally worked, so it encourages directors and producers to be really inventive with any props and scenery used.” 
  
With 14 slots a week, they have the potential to host a huge variety of shows and it’s a favourite with big name stand ups as well as sketch groups just starting out. The League of Gentleman famously began at the Canal Cafe and in Emma’s early years she has fond memories of booking John Oliver on Monday nights. Earlier this month, Katy Brand delighted a packed house, one of whom was Hugh Dennis, with her hit Edinburgh show. Often the people in the audience are as famous as than those on stage (if not more) and include the likes of Rik Mayall, Frank Skinner, Steve Coogan, Rob Brydon, Queen’s Roger Taylor and even Sir Paul McCartney! He bought everyone in the pub a drink after the show. 
  
Mark Owen from Take That bizarrely ended up in a scene when he came to watch NewsRevue. During the show, he had popped to the toilet and when he came back in, the scene had moved off stage to be staged in the entrance to the theatre, the actor was in a spotlight and then he was joined by Mark Owen who walked back into the theatre at that unfortunate moment. He quietly gasped and then froze until the scene was over. That was one of the most surreal moments I’ve ever seen at the theatre. 
  
Last but not least, the Canal Cafe have launched yet another in house production. Last year saw the return of adult panto, which they hadn’t done for over 10 years. Their first foray back into this arena was the highly successful and utterly tasteless AlladinMe written by NewsRevue stalwart Luke Coldham and directed by associate director and long-time friend of the theatre, Adam Morley. For 2017 they have commissioned a new adult panto by Matthew Floyd Jones, one of half of Frisky and Mannish entitled 'Beans!’ This will also be directed by Adam Morley. 
  
Emma Taylor was chatting with Heather Jeffery, Editor of London Pub Theatres 

All rights reserved 
London Pub Theatres Magazine Limited May 2017 
 
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