Playhouse East, a new creative arts hub with a 100-seat theatre and diverse studio spaces, has opened in Haggerston, East London. The unashamed ambition from husband and wife team, James Alexandrou and Avital Lvova, is to create THE home for new theatre and film.

The Playhouse theatre will house groundbreaking new writing under the same roof as their innovative acting studio Actors East, alongside various new creative studios fully serving everything from pre to post production for theatre, TV and film production.

Playhouse East is designed to challenge traditional routes to the industry by providing an accessible and collaborative space for emerging voices in theatre, film, and beyond. By offering flexible, cost-effective pathways—including a unique ‘pay what you can’ model for studio hire—the venue actively fosters a community where creative risk and high-quality production thrive side by side.

The founders bring extensive creative industry experience to their new venture. James is a filmmaker, writer, theatre maker, and actor with a 27-year acting career, most notably in EastEnders and at The Globe, and 15 years in filmmaking. He will be next seen on screen in Lewis Arnold’s Broken News and the Russo Brothers’ Citadel for Amazon. He also completed an MA in Directing Fiction at the NFTS (National Film and Television School). Co-founder Avital is an award-winning actress and theatre-maker, having been a two-time Fringe First Award Winner (2017 & 2018) and an Off West End Theatre Award: Best Female Performer nominee in 2017. Her recent acting work includes The Tattooist of Auschwitz (Sky) and Treason (Netflix). She is next seen starring as Elena Ceaușescu in Yasha and Leonid Brezhnev, representing Armenia at the Oscars 2025 in the Best International Feature category.

James and Avital said: "We intend to create a creative building that facilitates new work, from theatre to film, pre- and post-production. We are expanding our work in lowering the barriers to entry in the arts—supporting unfunded artists and focusing on producing quality new writing that puts outstanding acting at the forefront. Expanding on this, Playhouse East will become a centre for creative businesses that, like us, are dedicated to crafting original, high-quality work without traditional support—relying instead on our own ingenuity and resourcefulness."

For more info on Playhouse East, please click here.