Now in its second season Trafalgar Transformed does what it says on the tin (or the poster as the case may be). It’s a long-term mission to turn Trafalgar Studios, once a not too popular West End venue ‘where touring productions went to die’ into a theatre with a repertoire that responds to the world around it, rather than blissfully ignoring it.

It was Artistic Director Jamie Lloyd who took on the ATG’s challenge to reinvent their venue, mixing the popular names and alluring titles with political engagement. The season opened with his staging of Richard III (starring Martin Freeman) and continues with Ayub Khan Din’s East is East, directed by Sam Yates; intriguingly, the playwright will also take on the role of George, originally based on his father. In conversation with Run Riot Jamie talks about why ‘commercial’ is a dirty word, how he is attempting to change the demographic of the West End audiences and the nature of British identity.

Run Riot: At the start of the first Trafalgar Transformed season you made a commitment to bringing politically charged, socially conscious theatre to the West End. Is Theatreland missing a connection to the real world?

Jamie Lloyd: The West End isn't necessarily associated with politicised theatre. That's much more prevalent in the subsidised sector. We've seen some political plays transfer to the West End recently, but very few start off there. We're trying to do something a little different at Trafalgar and that's all down to our location on Whitehall. It seems perverse not to embrace the fact that we're situated just a few yards away from the centre of British politics. I prefer theatre that engages in some sort of conversation with the outside world, but that doesn't mean we create dull, dry, didactic work. The productions might be unashamedly energetic, atmospheric, cinematic or comedic, with the plays themselves acting as springboards for discussion. I want Trafalgar to continue to be a crucible for debate by placing political discussion, as inspired by the themes of each play, at the centre of our events programme - Traf Extras. I hope that makes the work in the theatre vital and necessary, rather than decorative or frivolous.

Run Riot: How do you see the relationship between commercial and subsidised theatre? It sometimes seems the terms are not really fit for use anymore: commercial theatre often loses money and subsidies are getting so small theatres often depend on exporting their productions to the West End.

Jamie Lloyd: I agree. The word "commercial" is still a dirty word, however. For too long it has been used as a belittling adjective for work that apparently has less artistic value or has less integrity. If something is commercial, it must be less creatively accomplished and overtly populist, mustn't it? I just don't understand that. I've directed in both the commercial and subsidised sectors, but I haven't directed in a different way simply because a project was created for the West End. The Trafalgar Transformed seasons are not about maximising profits (it is very hard to break even) and I hope the productions are as bold, inventive and, perhaps, challenging as anything you would find in a subsidised theatre.

Run Riot: What’s the link between first and second Trafalgar Transformed season? What are the main considerations when putting together the plan for a whole year?

Jamie Lloyd: The Political and the Social are even bigger concerns this time around, and I think that has become more explicit in Richard III. We've attempted to create an overtly political reading of the play. At the same time, the idea is to surprise the audience every time they walk into our auditorium. The transformation is always remarkable and we’ll endeavour to take that to an extreme later in the season. The plays are united by their timeliness or pertinence, but are often radically different in tone and style. I like that the bloody darkness of Richard III is juxtaposed with the family comedy of East Is East. However, I like that there is a wit in the Shakespeare and a violent edge to Ayub Khan Din's play. There are interesting links across the plays. Each of the pieces has a psychological complexity and, interestingly, they have frequently investigated the nature of Evil. There has been a desire to get into the heads of dictators, corrupt leaders, rapists, murderers and domestic abusers - a uniquely gruesome collection of characters that have graced the stage across the seasons, which we have been alternately charmed, disgusted, intrigued and repelled by. There are also happy accidents –both our production of Richard III and East is East are set in the 1970s. There is something about that decade that chimes with our own times and is an appropriate lens through which we can view our own social and political situation.

Run Riot: What made you include East is East in this season’s répertoire?

Jamie Lloyd: It is one the very best modern British plays and it feels more apposite than ever. It deals with the nature of British identity, which is still in flux today. I think it is crazy to pigeon hole it as an Asian play, but, as many of the cast have told me, it resonates with many British Asian families in a very immediate way, so I hope it will help to attract an even more diverse audience to our theatre. The West End still attracts a predominantly white, middle class, middle-aged audience, which is simply not representative of our dynamic, multi-cultural city. We’re attempting to transform the demographic of the audience in our corner of the West End, just as we have transformed the space. I am very proud that our £15 Mondays continue to attract a young, diverse crowd to the West End.

Run Riot: You made serious changes to the stage and the auditorium when you first took over Trafalgar Studios. What made these a necessity?

Jamie Lloyd: The bigger space at Trafalgar Studios was famously difficult. There was an impossibly vertiginous auditorium, which meant that actors had to crane their necks to connect to the audience. We have raised the stage by over two metres so that the actors' feet now stand above where their heads once were. We've also built out into the auditorium, so that everyone is much closer to the action. We've played around with putting audience members on stage and the feedback about that has been great. People feel like they are immersed within the world of the production, which can enhance the emotional connection to the play. We won't do that every time, but I do hope to completely reconfigure the space very soon. The idea is to create a theatre that has no airs and graces. There's a rough and ready quality both front of house and backstage that gives the place a special energy in the West End. Both actors and audiences have to muck in and leave their egos at the door.

East is East

Trafalgar Studios

4 October 2014 –3 January 2015