Royal Court responds with sadness to the news of Arnold Wesker's death.

‘It is with such sadness we pay respects to Arnold Wesker and his family today at the Royal Court. But also with the fierce knowledge that his brilliant plays in his unique voice shifted something forever at the Court and beyond. His working class characters and his outsider status changed who theatre was for and enabled a new generation of audience, actors and playwrights to feel they had a right to belong. His legacy is uncontainable. His work and his values are part of our everyday conversations at the Royal Court. Now we will cherish those moments with even greater care.’

Vicky Featherstone Royal Court Artistic Director

‘My experience working on CHICKEN SOUP WITH BARLEY in 2011 was one of the most enjoyable I can remember. We were rehearsing in the East End two streets away from where Arnold grew up and where the first scene of the play was set. He and Dusty came to our final run-through and it was very moving seeing him, quite frail at this point, watching Danny Webb bring his even frailer father vividly to life. He made a speech beforehand which combined his customary warmth with a sense of high expectation. As a result we were all incredibly nervous but both he and Dusty were pleased with what they’d seen and afterwards we went to a nearby pub where he shared memories of his early days in the neighbourhood.’

‘As a writer Arnold’s warmth set him apart from his contemporaries. He combined sincerity and compassion with a skepticism rooted in a knowledge of how cruel life can be. This combination gives his best plays emotional depth without the slightest sentimentality. He had a particular brilliance in making the inner lives of his characters absolutely at one with their social and political circumstance. He also understood that theatre is always metaphorical, even when the social context of the play is realistic and detailed. In CHICKEN SOUP, for example, the gradually disintegrating family stands for the fading political idealism of the 20th century but the daily life of the family on stage is brought to life with insight and honesty.’

Dominic Cooke Royal Court Artistic Director from 2007 – 2013

‘Arnold Wesker was one of the most committed and impassioned writers of his generation. He was also a fantastic collaborator and one of the sweetest men I have ever worked with. He was an adventurer and delight in the rehearsal room, who challenged and stretched every director he worked with.’

‘He felt himself an outsider, the characteristic that gave his writing its power. As a young man he was jailed for marching against nuclear weapons. This tenacity and determination marked a friendship with me that lasted decades, and began when I directed the revival of his play The Kitchen at the Royal Court Theatre, which was always his spiritual home. Dominic Cooke’s revival of Chicken Soup With Barley was one of the highlights of the theatre’s history.’

‘With his passing, and that of Bill Gaskill recently, we are beginning to lose the voices of a generation that shaped theatre as we understand it today. The working class Jewish idiom that Arnold gave expression to was unique, heartfelt and radical.’

‘As the son of refugees, he articulated a moment in British history which has since been repeated many times, and reminds us all of the role of the artist to articulate the problems and opportunities of arrival, discovery and assimilation.’

‘I know his family will be devastated at his loss, his sisters particularly. We must cherish the life of their brother Arnold – his humanity, generosity and humour, and his continuing influence on British theatre at a time when we are anxious and resistant to the dazzling brilliance the outsider can bring to this nation.’

Stephen Daldry Royal Court Artistic Director from 1992 to 1998