Company

StoneCrabs is a contemporary theatre company creating unique performance experiences, providing the space for the development of young theatre-makers and the production of new and international untold stories through physicality, charged word and strong imagery at the highest standards.

StoneCrabs’ activities have three strands:

• All year-round theatre productions;
• Engagement & participation of young people and the community in projects celebrating cultural diversity;
• Development projects, such as our training programme for Directors In Practice.

These three strands interact with and support each other. Drawing upon the creativity of artists and writers of many cultures, we seek to create a deeper understanding of the richness and diversity of the society in which we live, making theatre beyond borders. We are particularly interested in developing new work, be it new writing or translations, and supporting the development of the next generation of theatre-makers.

The company is registered in England and Wales with base in London and Isle of Wight. The charity’s registered address is on the Isle of Wight. We have been creating work from the Isle of Wight since 2015. We have delivered projects and performed in theatre’s all around the UK including Yorkshire, Manchester, Leeds, Isle of Wight, Portsmouth, and London. And internationally Tokyo, Saitama, Fujino (Japan), Lisbon (Portugal), Salvador (Brasil).

The name of the company, StoneCrabs is derived from its first performance in 2000 on the theme of domestic violence, StoneCrabs, a Story of Violence, Vitriol and Victory. This was the fruit of the joint forces of Tereza Araujo, Franko Figueiredo and John Heyd. In devising their first project, they used improvisations and were inspired by the work of Boal Theatre of the Oppressed, Brecht’s Epic Theatre and Grotowski’s Poor Theatre to present a combination of social issues, performance and Brazilian verve. The result was not only extremely stimulating theatre, but at the same time an entertaining and provoking experience and received much critical acclaim. Since then, StoneCrabs has gone on to build up a strong body of theatre productions in London, UK regions and internationally. We remain small, but continue our significant community work, engaging especially with social health and integration issues.

Click here to read more about our charitable purpose

*Stone crab (Latin name menippe mercenaria), also called “moro” or “morro” crab, the stone crab loses its limbs easily to escape from predators or tight spaces, but their limbs will grow back. When a claw is broken such that the diaphragm at the body/claw joint is left intact, the wound will quickly heal itself and very little blood is lost. If, however, the claw is broken in the wrong place, more blood is lost and the crab’s chances of survival are much lower. Each time the crab molts, the new claw grows larger.