Theatreship does exactly what it says on the tin - it's a theatre on a ship! Specifically, a new theatre, cinema, and grassroots music venue onboard a converted historic cargo ship.

The ship itself was built in 1913, so 113 years old this year! She was trading cargo continuously for over 100 of those years. You can read more about the history of the ship here

The project was set up out of a deep love for historic ships, and what those ships represent: programming onboard takes seriously the idea of what it is to be a boat in a port. We're a vessel - so we try to be just that - an open space that holds other people's ideas. Practically speaking this means we end up with programming that's so much more imaginative, creative, and inventive that what I could ever think to programme myself.

Being in a dock is important too: for centuries the docks have been the entry point to London for ideas from all over the world. It's that special alchemy - different ideas landing in one place and mixing, and the entirely new creations emerging from that process - that's part of what makes East London so special. In our own small way we try to continue that dockland alchemy onboard, providing a shared space for people, ideas, and art forms to arrive and mix, and celebrating what emerges from that chemistry.

As a historic ship we try to provide a connection to a shared past. The one thing that unites everyone in East London today is this place: it's a tautology, but everyone here is currently here. We hope that Theatreship reflects that sense of place - it's a tangible physical link to our shared past - and, open to the public now, it forms a shared present too.

I'll add more to this site about Theatreship over time. For now you can read about the history of Theatreship, visit the main Theatreship site, or read about our sister ship Artship

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