British Theatre

Venue

white-bear-theatre

4.5 · 1.6k Google reviews Box office closed · opens 12pm

The White Bear Theatre is a fringe theatre founded in 1988 at the White Bear pub in Kennington, London, and run by artistic director and founder Michael Kingsbury. It is one of London's leading pub theatres, as well as one of the longest established, dedicated since inception to both new writing and to its Lost Classics Project, which focuses on productions of obscure historical works.

Photos via Google. Attributions: White Bear, Mike Fairbank

Google rating

4.5 ★ (1.6k)

Venue info

The White Bear Theatre is a fringe theatre founded in 1988 at the White Bear pub in Kennington, London, and run by artistic director and founder Michael Kingsbury. It is one of London's leading pub theatres, as well as one of the longest established, dedicated since inception to both new writing and to its Lost Classics Project, which focuses on productions of obscure historical works.

History

Alongside the theatre's new writing output, the long-running Lost Classics Project focuses on the production of obscure, underperformed or unperformed plays from previous generations. In the modern history strand this has included the first uncensored productions of two of John Osborne's supposedly lost early plays (Personal Enemy and The Devil Inside Him), J.P. Donleavy's The Ginger Man, together with a successful revival of Sylvia Rayman's long-unperformed all-female play Women of Twilight. The project's historical strand has been praised by academics for featuring "an extensive range of non-Shakespearean plays" and for seeking to "extend the repertory beyond the select group of frequently revived plays". Alongside the Read Not Dead project at Shakespeare's Globe and the Royal Shakespeare Company's Jacobethan seasons, the Lost Classics Project is considered one of the three most influential attempts to "reshape the twenty-first-century 'early modern repertory'", with past productions including the first modern performances of Westward Ho by Thomas Dekker and John Webster, and Ben Jonson's final play, The Magnetic Lady.

2012 Empty Space Peter Brook Awards – Mark Marvin Rent Subsidy Award: Instant Classics Company in association with White Bear Theatre

Box office hours

Box office closed · opens 12pm

  • Monday: 12:00 – 11:00 PM
  • Tuesday: 12:00 – 11:00 PM
  • Wednesday: 12:00 – 11:00 PM
  • Thursday: 12:00 – 11:00 PM
  • Friday: 12:00 – 11:00 PM
  • Saturday: 12:00 – 11:00 PM
  • Sunday: 12:00 – 10:00 PM

These are the box office (ticket desk) hours supplied by Google. The theatre itself opens around 45 minutes before curtain-up — always check your ticket for the performance start time. You can book online any time through British Theatre.

Accessibility

Available at this venue:

  • Wheelchair-accessible entrance
  • Wheelchair-accessible toilet

Not available at this venue:

  • Wheelchair-accessible parking

Accessibility information supplied by Google Maps. Please contact the venue directly to confirm details for your visit.

What visitors say

5.0 · 2 months ago
Went in here on a Wednesday evening. It’s got really nice decor and a nice flow to the pub. Good selection of beers / lagers / wine. I had a bottle of picpoul. I ordered the cauliflower soup and some prawns in garlic. Both starters. The soup was yummy. Had a very nice cosy flavour to it. The prawns were well cooked and sizzled a bit in the pan. The accompanying bread was also very tasty. I could see they had a quiz on top which was busy. The pub had a very good vibe to it. I will definitely go again.
— Tom
3.0 · a month ago
As it's a sports bar it was very noisy with the rugby on. I know this has always been a sports pub but it's not pleasant for a post theatre meal. Staff were very nice but clueless on wine service. I ordered a Rioja, he came and plonked two glasses and an open bottle on the table. No showing me the label of the unopened bottle to confirm it was what I ordered; it wasn't, it was the Rioja Reserva which was twelve pounds more and too complex for what we wanted in that moment. Turns out there were a few wines on the menu not available. It would've been nice to have been made aware of that at the start. And the staff should be trained in wine etiquette to save expensive mistakes. Food was nice, the starter much better than the main course. My friend had the venison Scotch egg on piccalilli that she raved about and I had arancini which was tasty. Burger as the main course was a bit mid. We were going to go for a dessert but the wine mixup ate into our budget so we left earlier than expected. On the whole, because of the sport bar set up, I wouldn't be rushing back here. It's nice for a pre- or post-theatre meal but be aware of this.
— darrenjb71
5.0 · 3 months ago
Adrian was fantastic. This place had a great atmosphere. Adrian answered our questions and was very hospitable. The food was great. I recommend the sausage and mash. There was three in our group. The treacle tart, creme brulee, and apple fig crumble were all very good. I highly recommend.
— Steven Davis
5.0 · 7 months ago
Our first visit for dinner. Its well laid out, with the bar at the front and dining at the back. Choice of in or out dining weather permitting. Oh, and a theatre up stairs! The food was excellent and staff attentive. Pricing fair for London. The pub has a good atmosphere and the facilities are well maintained. We pre booked on line, but as it was a Monday evening it wasn't really necessary. We will definitely consider coming again.
— Richard Ecob

Reviews sourced from Google Maps.

Live venue listings

REVIEW: The Watching, White Bear Theatre ✭✭✭

18 October 2018

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REVIEW: Love Bites, White Bear Theatre ✭✭✭

9 April 2018

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REVIEW: Kathy Kirby Icon, White Bear Theatre ✭✭

25 October 2015

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REVIEW: Stitching, White Bear Theatre ✭✭✭

6 October 2015

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REVIEW: Hecuba, White Bear Theatre ✭✭✭

24 July 2015

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Frequently asked questions

What's on at white-bear-theatre?

There is no production currently on sale at white-bear-theatre. Check back soon, or browse our full list of West End shows.

How can I contact white-bear-theatre?

You can call white-bear-theatre on 020 7735 8664. For tickets and bookings, please use British Theatre to secure the best seats.

What are the box office hours at white-bear-theatre?

The white-bear-theatre box office (ticket desk) operates: Monday: 12:00 – 11:00 PM; Tuesday: 12:00 – 11:00 PM; Wednesday: 12:00 – 11:00 PM; Thursday: 12:00 – 11:00 PM; Friday: 12:00 – 11:00 PM; Saturday: 12:00 – 11:00 PM; Sunday: 12:00 – 10:00 PM. Right now the box office is closed · opens 12pm. The theatre itself opens around 45 minutes before curtain-up — and you can book online any time through British Theatre.

Is white-bear-theatre accessible?

white-bear-theatre offers wheelchair-accessible entrance, wheelchair-accessible toilets. Please contact the venue directly if you have specific access requirements.

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