Southwark Playhouse is one of our favourite London venues, and it is currently in the middle of moving to a new home. The opening of which has now been announced for next year! This new venue, in Newington Butts, comes as part of a major redevelopment project in the area. They already stage several productions a year and now even larger shows can be produced. 

Based in Elephant and Castle, the new space will accommodate 300 patrons at a time and will serve as a community hub. The building already runs a successful youth programme, which provides free tickets for thousands of school children, as well as a variety of workshops for adults. 

The project received a £920,000 loan to finalise its construction with Artistic Director Chris Smyrnios saying: "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." 

The building is due for completion later this month but its grand opening is not expected until early 2021. As with other theatres across the UK, Southwark Playhouse has been closed since March but its bar and cafe is opening on Thursday 9 July. The ‘Southwark Stayhouse’ scheme has also been streaming shows via their website since April. 

We can’t wait to visit!