The Warp Company moved into the former ABC Cinema on South End Green in Hampstead
in 2001and set up the -
Temporary Autonomous Zone (TAZ)
- the intention was to present a full programmeof theatre, music,
exhibitions, lectures and fun arts happenings, when the licensing formailities were completed,
- all part of a community artsproject called Larks and Sparks.

However, it all went wrong when the group were uncermoniously evicted by
the greedy property developers. It was good whilst it lasted, thanks to Daisy Campbell
and her loyal team.

The Warp has been reinstated as the World's Longest Play by the Guinness Book of Records
people and will feature as such in the next edition of the book (2002). For the last few years
the John Arden/Margaretta D'Arcy Non-Stop Connolly Show had been listed as such, but this
had included lots of other theatre pieces, films, talks and events in the extended intervals
between the play. So The Warp is officially the World's Longest Play.

The Warp - the Brighton show - and a rest for a while

The most recent production of the world's first twenty-four hour cycle of plays, The Warp by Neil Oram, was performed as part of the Brighton Festival 2000, being performed at the Concorde on the Seafront. Unusually, because of local licensing laws, The Warp was performed in two parts: Part One from 3pm on Saturday 20 May to 2am on 21 May; Part Two followed at 2pm on the Sunday, ending around 10.30pm. Now The Warp is taking a rest for a while, to allow time for a little reflection and see what the future holds.

The story of the life journey of Philip Masters, is something of a milestone in British Theatre history. "The world may soon divide," wrote critic Michael Coveney, "between those who have been through The Warp and those who have not." As Michael Coveney intimated those many years ago, the world is gradually dividing and in recent times the number who have been on that epic theatrical journey has been substantially growing.It is an experience that anyone with even a smattering of interest in theatre should try to see.

For more details look at http://www.thewarpexperience.org/

Look at this Oliver.htm  for a long interview with Oliver Senton, who played Phil Masters during the middle period of The Warp, in the legendary Albany performances.