Southwark Playhouse prepares for final show at London Bridge
As previously reported, the venue is relocating to a temporary home in Elephant and Castle before a planned return to London Bridge once current development work has finished.
Speaking to Whatsonstage.com, artistic director Chris Smyrnios said: “We’re all going to miss the arches but it’s become clear from the beginning that our new home on Newington Causeway is going to be a brilliantly versatile space with the scope to do shows we wouldn’t have been able to think about doing in our London Bridge home.”
Southwark Playhouse’s future was made uncertain in August 2011 when it was announced that the theatre would have to move from its current premises in Shipwright Yard, Tooley Street. After a high-profile campaign backed by Stephen Fry the theatre managed to secure a permanent home within the London Bridge Station development which completes in 2018, as part of a Section 106 agreement.
The new venue (pictured below) – at 77-85 Newington Causeway, SE1 – is situated three minutes from Elephant and Castle tube station and six minutes from Borough.
The building is a converted 1960’s office space/warehouse which provides over 2,000 extra square feet enabling the theatre to expand from a 150-seat capacity Main House and 100-seat Vault space to a 240-seat Main House and 120-seat Studio with, for the first time in its almost 20 year history its own café, rehearsal rooms and a dedicated space for education work.
Full details of the first season at the new venue will be announced in the next few weeks.
