The Space is celebrating ten years of Space Productions at its home in the Isle of Dogs, east London, with a rare revival of Howard Barker’s 1985 play The Castle, which runs from 10 to 28 October 2017 only. Sneak a peek into how rehearsals are going for Barker’s “theatre of catastrophe” offering in this historic converted church building…
First there was the bailiff, and we broke the bailiff. Then there was God, and we broke God. And lastly there was cock, and we broke that too. Freed ground. Freed religion. Freed the body.

The cast of The Castle
It’s a rainy day in middle England and Stucley returns home from War to find his land untended, his sheep wild and his wife in bed with a witch. In the absence of men, a new way of life has emerged. No religion. No class. No hunger. The women are in charge now. They have their freedom and they’re not going to give it back. Stucley orders the erection of a castle to restore order and revive the old way of life. Will he succeed or will he inspire more conflict?
The ten-strong cast, directed by Adam Hemming, features Anthony Cozens, Shelley Davenport, Chris Kyriacou and Kate Tulloch, along with Nick Pearse, Isabel Crowe, Matthew Brett, Matthew Lyon, John Sears and Ross Kernahan.
For more on the production, The Space and Howard Barker, click here.