Draft:Act'in Theatre

Act'In Theatre is a French and English drama company based in central London. It was founded in 2015 by Dunkirk actress Candice Desmet.

History
Act'in Theatre offers drama, improvisation and cinema classes for adults and children, in French and in English. It started as a small occupation for Candice Desmet in September 2015, with a few students on an evening. Today, it hosts weekly classes every evening during the week day, and some during the week-end, and has several teachers and about 100 students registered.

The company
The aims and philosophy of the classes include making theatre accessible to everyone, being relevant to everyday life, and prioritizing fun and good atmosphere, while allowing the possibility of becoming semi-professionals or professionals.

The company and its students have performed over 30 plays in various London theatres, like Toulouse-Lautrec, The Young Vic, Chelsea Theatre. A majority of the shows are originally written for the students.

Within Act'In Theatre, there are three troupes in London: the Gueules de Bois (French drama), the Gin & Scenic (English drama), and the Improzac (French improvisation).

Les P'tit Act are the children branch of Act'in Theatre.

Save Waterloo Paradise
Since its creation, Act'in Theatre was located in Old Paradise Yard, on the site of an urban redevelopment project near Waterloo. In 2021, Act'in Theatre became a leader in the campaign Save Waterloo Paradise against the project, as representative of local businesses and a meeting point for the group. Save Waterloo Paradise raised a petition with 45,000 signatures and a temporary Article 31 hold on the project, that was then waived. It accused Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, the owners of the grounds, of breaking their promises towards the businesses on the site.

Act'in Theatre has had to move out in January 2024 due to the development project deadlines and a subsequent eviction by Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust.