Open Rehearsal is a weekend-long campaign inviting Londoners to experience the capital's range of arts and culture at first hand.
Over the course of the 72-hour period it will offer a glimpse into what really goes on behind the scenes in London's many theatre, music, dance and opera venues. All activities are free - even to an 18-stone rugby star - and participation is a key element. The campaign will run from Friday 29 September to Sunday 1 October. Budding writers will be offered a free Introduction to Playwriting workshop at the Royal Court Theatre, while putative singers will be given the chance to perform with the London Community Gospel Choir at a Soho jazz venue. unique access Young teens will be encouraged to learn the songs and dance-steps from West End shows, past and present, at the Shaftesbury Theatre. There will also be unique access to productions that are in rehearsal, from the London Philharmonic Orchestra's preparations for an evening performance at the Queen Elizabeth Hall to the Lyric Hammersmith's forthcoming Christmas show Watership Down. Performers and artists taking part in Open Rehearsal include choreographer Richard Alston, renowned tenor Mark Padmore, and Shakespearean actor Colin Hurley. Among the arts venues backing the campaign, in conjunction with the Mayor of London, are the South Bank Centre, the Barbican, the Royal Albert Hall, Wigmore Hall and the Globe Theatre. Interested? For more details and a full programme of events, click on the link in the right-hand column of this page. | 
