The Melodramatic Elephant in The Haunted Castle

THE MELODRAMATIC ELEPHANT IN THE HAUNTED CASTLE
PLAY STAGED AT THE CORONET, 8 NOVEMBER 2017
ART EXHIBITION FROM 9-20 DECEMBER 2017, THE ART ACADEMY, SE1 1RS

This was an arts project about the Coronet theatre and how performance and art has always been at the heart of London’s Elephant and Castle. The Coronet will be closing its doors after 147 years on New Year’s Day 2018.
A play was performed at the Coronet on 8 November 2017 that told the story of the building through the perspective of a Victorian actress, Marie Henderson, who ran the theatre from 1875-1880. The ghost of Marie Henderson haunted the Coronet in scenes that depicted the building as a cinema and a night club. A cast of 19 actors from the People's Company based at Southwark Playhouse were directed by John Whelan. A follow-up art exhibition curated by Constantine Gras documented the project with film, drawings and installation art. The project also involved the input of Southwark residents who shared reminiscence of the Coronet and made drawings that were featured as theatre models in the exhibition.

Learn more about the cast, crew and collaborative artists here

This was an Arts Council England funded project supported by Southwark Playhouse and The Coronet.
The exhibition was supported by The Art Academy and CoolTan Arts.

The dance in Bedlam

"We have life! The ghosts of dance and delectation!"

Shelagh Farren as Marie Henderson in the play staged at the Coronet on 8 November 2017

Michael Tuffnell and Tiberius Chis as Caine and Chaplin in the stage play

Short film homage to Marie Henderson and Charlie Chaplin screened during stage play

Homage to Hammer Horror and 1970s exploitation film trailers screened during stage play

A film about the last ever gig at the Coronet, New Year's Eve, 2017

Blog

Reviews looking at the past, present and future
I would like to thank everyone involved with the show. I had a great night and thought the cast and the play were outstanding.
Councillor Charlie Smith, Mayor of Southwark
The creative imagination of all involved in this wonderful project for the Coronet, inspired within me the need to petition and advocate for those without a voice. The work beautifully encapsulates a multilateral web of issues from mental health to the loss of our rich history as regeneration rises up to consume the memories of old.
Sharlene
The exhibition was a beautiful introduction to both the history and continuing story of the Elephant and Castle area. I'm leaving gripped by a desire to see the theatre and look behind the things surrounding my new home here.
Luke

The Bedlam Dance, Music and Animation
This Arts Council England funded project about the life and imminent closure of the Coronet theatre, has resulted in a unique and exciting fusion of art forms and collaboration. Primarily performance and drawing, but now we can highlight the role played by music and digital animation.

Tiberius Chis on playing Charlie Chaplin
I imagined Chaplin at that ripe, old age as an onion with many layers: first, as the young orphan from East Street who lost his parents too early (his father to alcoholism and his mother to the mental asylum), then as the ambitious artistic pioneer who took on America and inspired the world; and finally as the isolated elder clutching onto memories of his distant past ("They don't make proper movies like they used to, Michael.").

Shelagh Farren on playing Marie Henderson
It is no exaggeration to say that I have lived this part for months - just trying to learn the lines took forever, never mind positions - and I have spent some time, generally when drifting off to sleep, wondering how Marie would have handled this.

Interview with Sam Porter, manager at the Coronet
I’ve walked around this building on my own, at night, in pitch black, with just the little fire lights on and not felt uncomfortable at all. Apart from one space.

Coronet theatre

The Coronet lies at the heart of the Elephant and Castle in South London. It was opened as a theatre by "speculative capitalists" in 1872 and provided blood and thunder melodrama and seasonal pantomimes for its local working class audience. It was converted to a cinema in the 1930s and became a music and events venue in 2003, hosting the biggest club nights in the capital with 2,600 capacity. It will close its doors in 2017. The building is scheduled for demolition as the adjoining Elephant and Castle shopping centre is being redeveloped.

Miss marie henderson

Marie Henderson was a Victorian actress who learnt her stage craft in Dublin and Liverpool, before becoming a star of the East End at the Britannia Theatre. With her second husband, Marie ran the Elephant and Castle Theatre from 1875-1880. At the height of her fame, she was reported as having gone mad when the theatre was destroyed in a fire. Marie Henderson was diagnosed with "general paralysis of the insane" and died at Bedlam mental hospital in 1882. She is buried in an unmarked grave at Brompton cemetery.

Constantine Gras
Constantine is a multi-media artist. For this project he created a narrative body of drawings and filmic sequences about the Coronet's history. In addition, he ran pop-up art events for the public.

John Whelan
John is a community arts and theatre practitioner. He collaborated with Constantine to develop ideas and images for the performance piece. John wrote and directed the play.

People's Theatre Company
Southwark Playhouse is the home of the People's Company. They are Southwark residents who worked with John and Constantine to develop the play.

Photo below: former Heygate Estate, artist unknown
"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but melodrama won't hurt me!"