Ophaboom Theatre Company

The Ophaboom Theatre Company (1991–2007[1]) was an English physical theatre company specializing in contemporary works in the Italian Commedia dell'Arte tradition.[2] Ophaboom was founded in 1991 by Geoff Beale and Howard Gayton. The troupe performed both in traditional theatre spaces as well as on street corners and other less conventional venues.

Although based in London, Ophaboom was primarily a touring company. With the aid of Arts Council England, they toured throughout the British Isles and continental Europe. They were the first English company to appear at the Medieval Festival in Le Puy-en-Velay, and they performed four times at the Carnival of Venice.

Performances included comic adaptations of Shakespeare.[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "The Later Years". ophaboom.weebly.com. Retrieved 2026-06-26.
  2. ↑ Rudlin, John (2001). Commedia dell'arte : a handbook for troupes. Internet Archive. London; New York: Routledge. p. 85. ISBN 978-0-415-20408-8.
  3. ↑ Barker, Clive; Trussler, Simon (2001-10-26). New Theatre Quarterly 67: Volume 17, Part 3. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-00280-6. A full commedia training involves learning a specific vocabulary of movement, but in performance these masks are often used with an improvised physicality and vocalization. Ophaboom, for example, is a UK touring company that works with commedia masks in this more modern way, using them in comic adaptations of Shakespeare plays.

Further reading

  • Beale, Geoff (Autumn 2001). "Ophaboom in Space". Total Theatre Magazine. Vol. 13, no. 3. pp. 8–9. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
  • Shakespeare Survey 50 edited by Stanley Wells (Cambridge University Press, 2002)
  • Faust: Icon of Modern Culture by Osman Durrani (Helms Information Ltd., UK, 2004)
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