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Workshop: Fundamentals for Theatre Tech

Tech is essential in the theatre. Without lights and sound, there is no show. Without special effects, ghosts or trains or waterfalls would never make their way onto stage. Tech makes the performance a show, and it should be designed, planned, and executed with the right vision.

Don’t let theatre tech scare you! Let us explain what it is, who does what, and how it works in our 2-hour Fundamentals of Theatre Tech workshop.

We will cover what tech is (lights, sound, special effects), who does what (director, designer, technician, programmer, operator), and how it works (QLab, lighting desk, programming, rigging, focusing). At the end of our workshop, you will feel prepared to consider how theatre tech fits into your shows, how to operate sound and lights for a show, and what the various tech roles expect from each other.

This is a workshop for everyone: directors that want to understand more about tech, actors that want to demystify tech day, stage managers and producers that want to prepare for tech, and anyone interested in contributing to tech in the theatre.

The workshop is free to join, but we do ask that you register your attendance so we can plan our day. Register by clicking on the button below and filling out the form:

FILL OUT THE FORM HERE

Date: Saturday 21 November 2026
Time: 12noon – 2pm
Location: Theatre Deli Crossharbour

If you can, please download QLab to your laptop / computer (Mac only) and have a play around.

Support a show in tech!

For those who want to put their new knowledge and skills into practice immediately, we are opening our tech booths for our Autumn 2026 shows to a few people to support with tech. Discuss with your workshop facilitator what the options are.

This is an additional optional opportunity, this is not part of the workshop itself.

Dates:
24-28 November, Barons Court Theatre, The War of the Worlds
01 – 05 December, Drayton Arms Theatre, Super High Resolution

KDC ScratchNight: October 2026

KDC Theatre ScratchNight
Thursday 8th October 2026, 7:30pm
The Castle, E1 1LN

BUY TICKETS HERE

ScratchNight is a celebration of new writing and the KDC community: its actors, directors and, of course, the writers. Join us for an evening of script-in-hand performances of brand new works: giving writers a chance to hear their words read aloud by a talented gang of actors, under the direction of budding (and fully bloomed!) KDC directors.

THE SHOWS:

“Elle”, by Sam Meyers, directed by Anna Markland
“In Knossos“, by Julian Walker, directed by Jennie Rich
“The Hunt“, by Emily Browning, directed by Helen Dickens
“Fruit Machine“, by Lydia Cashman, directed by Gracie Avery

Performances are followed by audience feedback and discussion, moderated by KDC’s Artistic Director Stephen Reimer.

The War Of The Worlds

KDC Theatre presents “The War Of The Worlds” by Rhum + Clay and Isley Lynn
Directed by Phoebe Benson

24-28 November 2026
Barons Court Theatre

buy tickets here

About

The War of the Worlds follows Meena, a podcast journalist investigating the legacy of Orson Welles’ infamous 1938 radio broadcast, which caused some listeners to believe that an alien invasion was actually taking place.

The play moves between the 1938 broadcast and 2016 present day. Meena travels to Grover’s Mill, New Jersey, to investigate the story of Margaret, a woman whose family allegedly abandoned her for 24 hours after believing the broadcast was real. Margaret’s son, Nick, has grown up with this version of events and initially agrees to share his family’s story for Meena’s podcast.

However, as Meena investigates further with Margaret’s family, different versions of the truth begin to emerge, and a familiar truth is unravelling in front of her.

The 1938 broadcast acts as a mirror for the modern world: people don’t necessarily believe something because it is true; they believe it because it is convincing, because someone they trust tells them, or because they desperately want to believe it.

Cast:
THE ORSONS:
Archie Turnbull
Brianna Russavage
Jack Curtin
Jenni Wredden
MEERA: Samia Soomro
NICK: Sean Counihan
PAOLA: Helena Roughton
LAWSON: Samantha Meyers
TED: Wolf Newton
JONATHAN: Luca Lovrich

Creative team:
Director: Phoebe Benson
Assistant Director: Aouda Ketrouci

Super High Resolution

KDC Theatre presents “Super High Resolution” by Nathan Ellis
Directed by James Taverner

1-5 December 2026
Drayton Arms Theatre

BUY TICKETS HERE

About

I like being a doctor but I’m slowly growing to hate the sight of sick people.

Being a doctor is a really good job and you get to save lives and help people, so Anna is determined not to quit. But when her patient runs out on her, and her personal life starts to spiral, she’s not sure how much more she can take.

Super High Resolution is a fast-paced and darkly funny play about being a doctor in the modern NHS and the limits of anyone’s ability to care for other people.

KDC Theatre presents the first amateur production and revival of this brilliant play by Verity Bargate Award shortlisted playwright Nathan Ellis, first performed at Soho Theatre in 2022.

Cast:
ANNA: Nataša Cordeaux
BECCA: Irene Valerie
DAVID: Dominic Sorrell
JANET: Helen McGill
MEREDITH: Raagni Sharma
SAMMY: Sunny Brice

Creative team:
Director: James Taverner
Assistant Director: Elisa Suanli Benham
Lighting Designer: Alexander Kampmann
Intimacy Coordinator: Romain Mereau

Autumn season 2026 auditions

Announcing auditions for actors for our autumn 2026 productions! We have two shows in autumn 2026, and you can audition for both:

The War Of The Worlds
Written by By Rhum + Clay and Isley Lynn
Directed by Phoebe Benson
Staged at Barons Court Theatre from 24 to 28 November 2026.
Audition notice

Super High Resolution
Written by Nathan Ellis
Directed by James Taverner
Staged at Drayton Arms Theatre from 1 to 5 December 2026.
Audition notice

Auditions are free and open to all. Please pick one of the dates to attend and read the audition notices carefully to prepare.

We have a maximum number of places to sign up for each evening – when we reach capacity, we will open a waiting list. If you sign up and can no longer make it, please let us know so we can allocate your place to someone else.

Don’t forget to fill out the audition form before you audition!

Dates: Monday 14 September or Thursday 17 September
Time: 6.45pm welcome and registration to ~10pm
Location: Cockpit Theatre, Gateforth Street, Marylebone, London, NW8 8EH

Recalls by invitation are Saturday 19 September, 10am-2pm at Theatre Deli Crossharbour (6th Floor, 5 Greenwich View Place, London, E14 9NN).

If you’d like to hear the directors speak about their productions and ask them any questions, you can meet them at the KDC Autumn 2026 Season Launch on Wednesday 9 September 2026, 7pm upstairs at The Castle (44 Commercial Road, Aldgate, London E1 1LN). You can also talk to them about getting involved in other backstage ways.

To help us manage numbers, if you’re planning to come to our Season Launch, please RSVP at the link here.

Join us for the 2026 AGM and wrap party!

As we end another year of brilliant plays, workshops, scratch nights and more, join us for the chance to celebrate and raise a glass to the brilliant directors, cast, crew, producers, workshop leaders and showrunners who have made it all possible!

It’s also the time of year for our AGM, where we vote in the trustees and committee members for the year ahead. Read down for the formal AGM notice.

We’ll be in the top room of the Castle pub, in Aldgate East, from 7pm (with the formal AGM 7:30-8:30pm) til late on Wednesday 5 August.

We’d love to see you there, and to help us manage space please RSVP to let us know if you can join us!

Please RSVP here: https://forms.gle/aBHJ1NcE5VwQZj7p9

Notice of the KDC AGM 2026

NOTICE IS GIVEN that an Annual General Meeting of KDC Theatre will be at 7.30pm on Wednesday 5 August 2026, held at The Castle Pub, 44 Commercial Rd, Aldgate, London E1 1LN, to transact the following business:

AGENDA

Reports and accounts
1. Introduction and verbal report from the Chair, Helen Dickens.
2. Verbal report from the Artistic Director, Stephen Reimer.
3. Verbal report from the Treasurer, Hugo Wilson, alongside the accounts for the year ending 31 July 2026.

Member proposed resolutions

Details of any proposed resolutions will be made available. Proposed resolutions should be sent to the Chair by 11pm on 3 August 2026. If applicable, a revised agenda will be issued prior to the AGM.

NB. Proposed resolutions may be submitted by full members of KDC by emailing helen@kdctheatre.com with the subject line “Proposed Resolution”. Find out who is a full KDC member here.

Appointment of charity trustees

Nominations are required for the following trustee roles: Chair, Artistic Director, Treasurer, Operations Director.

Nominations for all trustees must be received by 11pm on 3 August 2026.

NB Details of how to make a nomination are available from the KDC website (click here).

Appointment of non-trustees to specified roles to assist in the running of the charity

Nominations of non-trustees to specified roles to assist in the running of the charity must be received by 11pm on 3 August 2026.

NB Details of how to make a nomination are available from the KDC website (click here).

Any other business

To deal with any matters raised at the meeting.

On behalf of the Board of charity trustees,

Helen Dickens

Chair

KDC Theatre

Memoria: A double bill of one-act plays

KDC Theatre presents “Memoria”, a double bill show of one-act plays:

“The Anniversary” by Anton Chekhov, directed by Lucy Harper
“The Hut” by Iain Prest, directed by Diana Kessler

30 June-4 July 2026
Arches Lane Theatre
8 Arches Ln, Nine Elms, London SW11 8AB

TICKETS HERE

click here for programme

About

Money. Property. Memory. Progress.

KDC Theatre presents two sharply observed plays about institutions under pressure.

In The Hut, a village fights to save its Scout hut from demolition as old attachments and new ambitions collide.

In The Anniversary, a bank celebrates its success on the eve of the financial crash, where confidence quickly descends into comic chaos.

Funny, poignant and unexpectedly connected, this double bill asks what happens when the things we build—financial institutions, public spaces, even our own identities—prove less secure than we imagine.

The Hut

Can a hut be a home? According to Alec: no. That’s why he’s fighting his local council’s attempt to demolish the Scout Hut in his village and turn it into flats. Hannah is a lawyer from out of town who doesn’t care about the hut and doesn’t care about the flats. She just needs to smooth the path for the property developer so she can get married to Pete and live the life she’s been dreaming of ever since they met at uni. Except Pete isn’t so sure that’s the future he wants for himself. And when Alec’s old friend and first love turns up in the village after 20 years, suddenly Alec is forced to rethink his view of the past.

“The Hut” explores what it means to be rooted in a place vs being stuck: stuck in a town, a relationship, a job. It’s about learning to walk the line between holding on to memories and freeing ourselves from ideas about who we think we are.

And trees. It’s about trees.

Cast:
Alec: Felix Fabiny
Hannah: Caity O’Meara
Stephen: Vinny Williams
Vicky: Aoife Spengeman
Mrs Ibbotson: Fiona Spencer
Pete: Theo Savvides

Creative team:
Director: Diana Kessler

The anniversary

A respectable bank.
An important anniversary.
Everything must go smoothly!

As the chairman prepares a grand speech to celebrate the bank’s success, interruptions begin to pile up: a nervous clerk with his meticulously prepared report, a persistent wife demanding justice, and a series of increasingly absurd misunderstandings.

What begins as a formal occasion quickly spirals into chaos. The Anniversary is a sharp, fast-paced farce about pride, bureaucracy, and the fragility of social order. Beneath the comedy lies a satire of status, self-importance, and the desperate need to be heard.

Cast:
Shipuchin: Andy Fraser
Hirin: Sarmed Hyder
Mertchutkin: Ingrid Miller
Tatyana: Olivia Haart

Creative team:
Director: Lucy Harper

Content warning: Features mild drug use

KDC Theatre’s Finishing School for Writers

Are you a playwright with an idea for a new work, looking for that final push? Then come get the support you need at KDC’s Finishing School for Writers!

This 7-week workshop series will give you fun and focused exercises, peer support, weekly critique and access to directors and actors, all to help you work towards a full first draft or even final version of your script. After completing this course, you can pitch your script to KDC’s Autumn Scratch Night and see it staged.

Interested? Here’s what you need to know…
When: Sat 13th June to Sat 25th July, 3-6pm
Where: Central locations tbc for each workshop
Cost: £30 KDC membership (lasts for the year) + £55 workshop fee

We have up to 8 spaces on the workshop. If you would like to apply, please email anna@kdctheatre.com with:

a short synopsis of your play
a 1-2 scene extract of what you’ve written so far

Deadline to apply: Saturday 6th June

Anna will be running the course. She is an experienced director, co-writer of the devised piece Snatch & Merkin and a showrunner for KDC’s previous new writing programme Fullstack. You can also contact her for more information or if you are keen but can’t make Saturday afternoons.

Stepping Into Directing workshop May 2026

What does a director actually do?
How do they pick and research a play, run auditions and plan rehearsals?
What does it mean to direct a show for KDC, or elsewhere?

This masterclass will offer budding directors practical skills and approaches to the art of directing for the stage. Come along to hear Stephen Reimer (Artistic Director of KDC Theatre and director of KDC’s “W;t” and “The Bus”) and Saskia van ‘t Hoff (director of KDC shows including “Kill Local”, “13”, and “Chatroom”) take you step-by-step through the journey from creative vision to opening night. Experienced directors interested in brushing up on their skills and/or learning more about directing for KDC are also welcomed to attend.

Spaces are limited so book now! Please book your slot HERE.

There will also be optional drinks afterwards in the Theatre Deli bar where prospective directors and assistant directors can mingle, meet the KDC team and informally discuss potential show pitches.

Date: Wed 13 May 2026
Time: 7-9pm
Location: Theatre Deli, Leadenhall
Tickets: £15 / £13.50 for KDC members