RADA Studios

I went to RADA studios this week to see ‘Mixed Doubles’ — comedy sketches by four very talented comedians (you should check them out). There’s a bar where the drinks are about reasonable for London standards (£5 for a glass of wine, £4.50 for a Corona). Downstairs where we saw the show was small and intimate. It worked really well for this comedy. The seats were basic but surprisingly comfortable. The only problem with the room was that it was super super hot. I’m not a fan of sweating whilst out for the evening!

We recently attending a BBC radio comedy recording here. Having attended TV recordings in the past, I can now say that radio recordings are a big more fun and laid back! The staff here were very friendly — especially the bar staff at the interval-​ish time. Great facilities and a great experience.

How have I never heard of this place before? For those of you that don’t know (like me), RADA stands for Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Basically, it’s a collection of theatres and studio spaces smack dab in the middle of Bloomsbury. The entrance is on a short street more or less opposite Goodge St station which makes it easily accessible via public transport.
Thanks to Unilocal,I got a couple of free tickets to the charity comedy show headlined by Josh Widdecombe. The warm up acts were a few amateurs that had won recent stand up competitions and overall were pretty good. I felt a bit guilty getting free tickets once I learned it was a charity fundraiser, but that was quickly dispelled when the charming organisers persuaded me to buy a book of raffle tickets instead.
The theatres have a common area with a cash bar and they handily will provide you with a plastic cup if you want to take your drink into the show with you. The drink range is limited with your a few beers and ciders in draught and bottle form and your basic 4 – 5 spirits. This isn’t a place for a fancy cocktail but luckily the prices reflect the no frills attitude.
To be honest, the theatres aren’t grand works of architecture, but function perfectly for a bit of stand up. Josh Widdecombe was hilarious as expected and all the comedians handled the standard heckler in the front row pretty well.
Overall, a great experience in a very comfortable theatre.

Yay for Rada Studios and the BBC!
I had more free tickets from the BBC but this time at RADA rather than the main broadcasting house. I looove going to radio comedy recordings… they are free, funny and just a really fun evening out! This place seems slightly more chaotic than other BBC venues, but they have a nice bar with decent wine, and plenty of lovely folks to chat to.
I watched ‘Sketchorama’ (find it here
) Humphrey Ker was hilarious and so were all three groups of funny-​sketch performers. They attempted to make the audience roar like pirates, and one group made me giggle so much that I had to go and find the loo — subsequently getting slightly lost backstage and bumping into one of the comedians who was trying to get to his next cue. Oops.
The venue itself was not particularly posh — it sort of reminded me of a school theatre. However it is really intimate, has great acoustics and I think you’d have a good view wherever you sat in the audience. Fantastique.

Lively place with some very interesting performances.

This Bloomsbury theatre and arts center includes a small 200-​seat auditorium that stages alternative works, frequently with LGBT themes, by up-​and-​coming playwrights. Because there are only seven rows, the sightlines and acoustics are good no matter where you sit. We have seen a couple of productions here and were impressed by how professional they were. Ticket prices usually range from £5 to £17.50.
There’s a bar serving a wide selection of beers, wines, soft drinks, and simple snacks open one hour before performances and during the interval.

I heard they are closing this place which will be a shame as it’s been a great venue, particularly for radio recordings.
The lay out of the auditorium really makes you feel involved, and everyone has a great view, regardless of where you sit.
A look at the programme shows you what a varied range of performances they hold here, quite a few touring shows and new works.
I think RADA students also perform here.