LONDON.- Room One is a 4000 sq.ft. creative space in the heart of historic Clerkenwell, a regional hub for artistic and intellectual thought within Central London.

Room One was founded by Mahdi Yahya, Managing Artistic Director and Director of Room One Productions, and James Kemp, Training Director and Managing Partner. Christopher Fettes, co-founder of Drama Centre London, is Room One’s Honorary Life President.

Taking its name from the original teaching room used by Yat Malmgren, one of the most influential method acting practitioners of the 20th Century, Room One has become the permanent home of the Yat Method training, led by Yat’s chosen successor, James Kemp.

The launch of Room One comprises of the development of a residency programme, membership scheme and Yat Method courses, offering emerging and established artists of multiple disciplines a collaborative environment to share knowledge, nurture new talent and build networks.

ROOM ONE: THE CREATIVE SPACE
Room One is comprised of a Studio, a Gallery, a Green Room, Study and fully equipped kitchen.

The Studio is the core space for artistic development and training. It hosts the Yat Method programme of classes and offers residents and members a place to rehearse, learn, experiment and discuss in a private and spacious environment.

The Gallery is a highly transformative space that serves as a backdrop for fashion shows, exhibitions, seminars, rehearsals and events. With a huge amount of natural light the gallery is Room One’s most versatile offering.

The Study is the central creative development space in Room One. A hub of research and learning, the space allows artists to devote themselves to their projects, consult other residents, share skills and inspire new thought.

ROOM ONE MEMBERSHIP SCHEME
The Room One Membership Scheme reframes the potential of the space, offering a chance to become an important part of a cultural community, to interact with artists and associates and to reap the benefits over a 12 month period.

The scheme offers a scale of Guest, Friend and Creator memberships with benefits including priority and reduced rate booking of the Gallery and Studio, access to the workspace, advance notice on classes and training and much more.

RESIDENCY PROGRAMME
The flexible residency programme offered by Room One is unique to central London. Bringing together artists of all disciplines, this dynamic development programme actively nurtures talent, allowing for exploration of new work, expansion of existing ideas and cross-discipline collaboration. Residents will be integrated into a growing network of artists, with the aim of forming a truly international creative community.

Successful applicants will have access to the full programme of Yat Method classes, the Room One workspaces and will benefit from the knowledge, expertise and support of the Room One founders, within the vibrant, cultural hub of Clerkenwell.

Residents will also have the chance to have their work produced by Room One Productions. One resident artist is Alaa Minawi, creator of My Light is Your Light:

Created as a tribute to the Syrian refugees, Alaa Minawi depicts six human scale statues, with radiating light reflecting the extraordinary and exquisitely tragic stories these refugees have to tell. The installation will be premiered at the Amsterdam Light Festival, 29th November 2014 - 6th January 2015.

Alaa Minawi was the first collaborative artist to join the residency programme. My Light is Your Light was created by Minawi and is supported by Room One.

TRAINING: THE YAT METHOD
The training is based on the work of Yat Malmgren and Rudolf Laban, pioneers of 20th Century performance research. The training fuses internal motivation and external expression, offering students a basis on which to construct character. Upon the retirement of Malmgren in 2001, James Kemp inherited the work and further developed the study and practice. In 2014 Room One became the permanent home of the Yat Method, where James delivers a full programme of training.

Notable students of James have included Michael Fassbender, Tom Hardy, Emilia Clarke, Santiago Cabrera, Stephen Wight, Jaime Murray and Gwendoline Christie.