Independent Theatre Club

British company

Also known as: Independent Theatre Society

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June 29, 2026

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The Independent Theatre Club was a British company founded in 1891 by Jack Thomas Grein, inspired by the Théâtre-Libre in France. It aimed to bring "theatre of ideas" to England, challenging established theatrical norms and presenting modern English drama. The club opened with a controversial production of Ibsen's Ghosts, sparking moral outrage but also garnering support from critics like George Bernard Shaw, whose play Widower's Houses was produced there. Though it ceased activity in 1897, the Independent Theatre Club paved the way for future experimental theatre groups in Britain.1

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English literature
The Victorian theater
Grein founded the Independent Theatre in 1891 to foster such work and staged there the first plays of George Bernard Shaw and translations of Ibsen.
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Grein founded the Independent Theatre in 1891 to foster such work and staged there the first plays of George Bernard Shaw and translations of Ibsen.
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André Antoine
…Bühne in Berlin and the Independent Theatre in London. In 1896 financial losses forced him to close the theatre, but a year later, after serving briefly as co-director of the Théâtre de l’Odéon, he founded the Théâtre-Antoine, offering productions similar to those of his original company. In 1906 he was…
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…Bühne in Berlin and the Independent Theatre in London. In 1896 financial losses forced him to close the theatre, but a year later, after serving briefly as co-director of the Théâtre de l’Odéon, he founded the Théâtre-Antoine, offering productions similar to those of his original company. In 1906 he was…
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Western theatre
The independent theatre
…living in England, organized the Independent Theatre Club. The theatre opened in 1891 with Archer’s translation of Ibsen’s Gengangere, provoking a storm of moral fury. One champion of the new group and its policies was the theatre critic George Bernard Shaw; his first play, Widower’s House (1892), which dealt with…
Read More
…living in England, organized the Independent Theatre Club. The theatre opened in 1891 with Archer’s translation of Ibsen’s Gengangere, provoking a storm of moral fury. One champion of the new group and its policies was the theatre critic George Bernard Shaw; his first play, Widower’s House (1892), which dealt with…
Read More