Welcome
Claque are the founders and leading exponents of community plays. Since 1979 they have been transforming the way in which people view theatre and community through large-scale and inclusive community plays.
“The plays ... are very much about shared energy. It’s an old fashioned notion; a couple of hundred people come together and surprise themselves by what they can do.” Times Educational Supplement
Claque Theatre began life as the Colway Theatre Trust with the production of the Lyme Regis community Play in 1978. The Trust was formed by Ann Jellicoe as a vehicle for exploring and developing the community play as an accessible and innovative form of theatre. In 2000, Colway relocated to Kent and changed its name to Claque to reflect the South East's close proximity to Europe.
Under the direction of Jon Oram since 1985, Claque has produced 50 community plays across the United Kingdom and in Canada, the United States and Europe. The plays are always of high artistic quality which they achieve by working with leading playwrights and respected experienced directors and associates from across the theatre disciplines. Together, the production teams offer design, set and stage management services as well as creative and educational workshops, Empty Gallery installations and events.
“The plays ... are very much about shared energy. It’s an old fashioned notion; a couple of hundred people come together and surprise themselves by what they can do.” Times Educational Supplement
Claque Theatre began life as the Colway Theatre Trust with the production of the Lyme Regis community Play in 1978. The Trust was formed by Ann Jellicoe as a vehicle for exploring and developing the community play as an accessible and innovative form of theatre. In 2000, Colway relocated to Kent and changed its name to Claque to reflect the South East's close proximity to Europe.
Under the direction of Jon Oram since 1985, Claque has produced 50 community plays across the United Kingdom and in Canada, the United States and Europe. The plays are always of high artistic quality which they achieve by working with leading playwrights and respected experienced directors and associates from across the theatre disciplines. Together, the production teams offer design, set and stage management services as well as creative and educational workshops, Empty Gallery installations and events.
What’s New?
Happy Highways
A Devised Community Play for Rusthall Common 2021
DEVISING the play is happened over ten months from September 2020.. A Devising group met every other Wednesday on Zoom through to June 2021.. They helped with research, developing plot and narrative. A group of community Improvisers met every Monday on zoom putting flesh on the structure developed by the Devisers.. Happy Highway was then developed into a theatrical walk through Happy Valley, a beautiful landscape of rocks and woodland on Rusthall Common, near Tunbridge Wells.
Visit our other Project websites
The Empty Gallery
The Empty Gallery produce collaborative projects between Claque and a local community or group to create a mobile 'interactive theatre-art exhibitions' that reflect the lives, thoughts and ideas of the community who create it. The creators could be the community within a city, town, village, street, an organisation, an 'interest group' or your community or group. Each exhibition varies in content, size, scale and running time depending on the theme, community and location. We start with an empty shop, a village hall, a school, a gazebo, a bus stop, or anywhere at all. Our most recent projects have been The Aldgate Project for the City of London, and The War Time Silhouette for Rusthall Community Arts
Claqueur Impro
If you are interested in learning improvised theatre you can join Claque Impro . These are a core twelve community improvisers who workshop regularly at 7.30pm on Monday nights at the Rusthall Club.although now with the covid pandemic they meet on line using zoom. The workshops are open to all but please enquire first through our contact page. We occasionally hold full day and week end workshops but this is unlikely until later next year. We are also preparing a play for Rusthall and there will be plenty of opportunity for impro, see Paths and Highways above. The workshops are led by Jon Oram, though the group collectively run their own sessions from time to time. They perform five or six times a year. The early show were performed 'games' but in recent years they have been developing long form improvisation. Presently the group is exploring more long form improvisation.
OTHER PAST EVENTS
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