The Bunker Theatre to close due to proposed site redevelopment

The Bunker Theatre will close in 2020, it has been announced.

The venue, located in the heart of London Bridge, will play its final performance on Saturday 28 March, after which the site will close for a proposed redevelopment.

First opening in October 2016, The Bunker has hosted over 160 shows, with run lengths ranging from a single night to over a month. In 2019, 86 per cent of writers and 90 per cent of directors working in the theatre identified as women, and the majority of writers and directors working with the venue identified as being from a background underrepresented on UK stages. It has also made over 500 tickets available for free this year through Black Ticket Project.

In 2020, the south London theatre will host a month-long run for BAZ Production's new piece The Process, exploring an alt-right alternative present using spoken English and BSL, with OPIA collective's The Girl with Glitter in her Eye running on Sundays and Mondays. For its final weeks the venue will host a Takeover Season (3 February to 28 March 2020) of artist-led week-long runs of experiments, events and performances.

Artistic director Chris Sonnex said: "I'm incredibly proud of what The Bunker has achieved in such a small time and the achievements of the community of artists, producers and theatre professionals who have graced the underground theatre. This is why it is not with sadness that we announce our closure, but with pride. We had much more to do, but redevelopment means that we have to cut short our mission: to make a different kind of theatre, a theatre of inclusivity, transparency and kindness without losing any of our revolutionary soul.

"This may be the end for The Bunker in London Bridge, but it will be the place that launched careers, that supported people, that solidified crafts and provided incredible shows for audiences, whether you were a seasoned theatregoer/maker or had never made/been to the theatre before. You won't get to experience The Bunker after early 2020 but I guarantee that you will see the theatrical ripples of what our community of artists, staff and audiences did for years to come."

The venue's executive team have stated plans to explore options for other spaces to support, develop and champion emerging artists.