The Almeida exists to launch the next generation of British artists onto the world stage. A small room with an international reputation, the Almeida began life as a literary and scientific society – complete with library, lecture theatre and laboratory. From the beginning, our building existed to investigate the world. Today, we make brave new work that asks big questions: of plays, of theatre and of the world around us. We bring together the most exciting artists to take risks; to provoke, inspire and surprise our audiences; to interrogate the present, dig up the past and imagine the future. Whether new work or reinvigorated classic, whether in our theatre, on the road or online, we make live art to excite, enliven and entertain. The Almeida makes argument for theatre as an essential force in an increasingly fragmented society.