Southwark Playhouse confirms new venue will open in early 2021

Southwark Playhouse has announced plans to open its new space in early 2021 following a major funding boost from Unity Trust Bank.

The bank provided a £920,000 loan to help finalise the construction of the new space, based at Newington Butts in Elephant and Castle. Though the building work will be completed this month, the new 300-seater venue and community hub is expected to open early next year, following delays due to the coronavirus.

Artistic director and CEO Chris Smyrnios said: "This was an ambitious project for a small organisation like ours. The developers built the shell and core of the theatre but we needed to raise £3m to complete the building.

"The financial support we received from Unity Trust Bank at the beginning of this project gave confidence to other backers and we were able to reach our target. Unity's support unlocked everything for us and helped make this project happen."

He added: "The new theatre will provide dedicated space for all of our community groups and will enable us to put on bigger shows."