Belt Up Theatre was a British theatre company based in the north of England. Company directors Dominic J Allen, Jethro Compton, James Wilkes and Alexander Wright met whilst attending the University of York. The foursome set up the company in 2008 in the city of York.
The short-lived company entered protracted hiatus in January 2013.
Productions and major awards In April 2008, Belt Up Theatre premiered at the National Student Drama Festival, presenting Kafka's Metamorphosis, which attracted high acclaim and several awards. Belt Up Theatre made the first of their many visits to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August 2008, with a production of "The Red Room". "Its ambition invited your respect - and the talent was there to cement it."Fringe Guru interview Shows featured in "The Red Room" were The Tartuffe, Volpone, The Women of Troy, The Park Keeper and others which collectively won the Edinburgh International Festival Award 2008 for the best work on the Fringe.BBC News 27 August 2008 It also won the ThreeWeeks Editor's Award 2008Threeweeks awards 2008 At the 2009 Edinburgh fringe, Belt Up Theatre staged a well-reviewed production of Kafka's The TrialLyn Gardner in The Guardian reviews The Trial, August 2009 as well as re-staging 'The Tartuffe' in 'The Squat'. The Southwark Playhouse in November 2009 staged a double bill of The Trial and James Wilkes' The Tartuffe.London-SE1 on The Trial and Tartuffe, November 2009British Theatre Guide: The TrialBritish Theatre Guide: The Tartuffe May 2010 saw a re-staging at the York Theatre Royal of The Tartuffe, described by Charles Hutchinson as "young Monty Python does Moliere".York Press review of The Tartuffe, May 2010 At the Edinburgh Festival fringe in August 2010, Belt Up staged a set of eight productions in the C Soco venue, all original compositions or adaptations, called collectively "The House Above". The playsViewreview August 2010 were Metamorphosis,Lyn Gardner on Metamorphosis, Guardian, August 2010 Lorca is Dead,The Stage Edinburgh: Lorca is Dead, August 2010 Odyssey,fringeguru on Odyssey, Edinburgh 2010 Atrium,Edinburgh List, Atrium, August 2010 Antigone,The Stage Edinburgh: Antigone, August 2010 Quasimodo,EdinburgGuide.com August 2010 on Quasimodo The Boy Jamesfringereview The Boy James, Edinburgh 2010 and Octavia.Herald Scotland August 2010 on OctaviaStage Edinburgh August 2010 on Octavia Three of the plays were transferred to the Southwark Playhouse the following November. Following its debut in Edinburgh, The Boy James was revived in the Southwark Playhouse in January 2011, then again at The Goldsmith in Southwark from January to February 2012, and became the company's first production to tour internationally, at the Adelaide Fringe Festival in March 2012 alongside 'Outland'.The Barefoot Review: Belt Up Theatre's 'The Boy James' 28 February 2012 The old vault of Clerkenwell Prison was the location for Belt Up Theatre's site specific production of Shakespeare's Macbeth in April–May 2011.Londonist Review: Macbeth at Clerkenwell House of Detention and again in 2012. Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2011 showed Belt Up Theatre's "The Penthouse" which featured a return of The Boy James, Outland, Twenty Minutes to Nine . Belt Up Theatre presented two showings of Outland in the University Women's Club in Mayfair. in July 2012. At the 2012 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Belt Up returned with The Boy James and Outland, as well as a world premiere of A Little Princess, an adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett's children's fiction novel.
Other awards
NSDF FestGoer's Award for Metamorphosis
NSDF Buzz Goodbody Award for best Director for Alexander Wright for Metamorphosis
NSDF Spotlight Award for Best Actor for James Wilkes as Gregor Samsa in Metamorphosis
NSDF Judges' Award for Best Lighting Design for Jethro Compton for Metamorphosis
NSDF Judges' Award for Best Ensemble for Metamorphosis
Residency at York Theatre Royal
In autumn 2009, Belt Up Theatre were announced as a resident company at the York Theatre Royal
References