Hytner and Starr unveil plans for new 900-seat theatre

Nicholas Hytner and Nick Starr, the former artistic director and chief executive of the National Theatre, have submitted plans for a new 900-seat theatre at Tower Bridge.

On the website of their newly formed London Theatre Company, the pair said the new venue will open in spring 2017 at One Tower Bridge, the new Berkeley Homes' development.

"It feels like the time is right for a new theatre that answers the needs of contemporary audiences and theatre-makers, and will be the home to our new company," they said.

"We're going to make shows that are both challenging and popular. We know there’s a large audience which responds to new work that is ambitious and stimulating; and the more adventurous it is, the more popular it turns out to be."

The space will be designed by architects Haworth Tompkins, who worked on the recent redevelopment at the National. It will be "London’s first theatre of scale in 40 years and the only commercial theatre not in the historic West End," according to Hytner and Starr.

They added that they're already working with playwrights and directors on a programme of work that will be "predominantly new but will include, on occasion, a re-invention of a great work from the past".

And they say they are "actively exploring other venues and hope over the next few years to be able to open a number of new independent theatres, of different scales but operating on similar principles."

Hytner and Starr ran the National from 2003 until April 2015. They announced plans for the London Theatre Company last year, promising to "find new ways to make commercial theatre".

Their plans for the Tower Bridge venue have been submitted to Southwark Council.

London Mayor Boris Johnson said: "Bringing two of the most respected names in British theatre to this part of south London is fantastic news. Their well-deserved reputation and The London Theatre Company's location will ensure it becomes a magnet for theatregoers and other culture lovers."