Support Us
A Double Bill of Forbidden Love | directed by Anthony Biggs 2023
Sophie Ward in ARTEFACT by Rene Brennan
Amanda Waggott and Sarah Lawrie in SOMETHING UNSPOKEN by Tennessee Williams
Picture by Jonathan Phang
Generous donations from supporters, friends and patrons enable the Playground Theatre to develop new and exciting work.
Originally an old bus depot, The Playground became a home for experimentation and creative development within the arts. In 2017 the doors opened to the public and The Playground became a fully-fledged theatre.
From 2017 to 2020 The Playground Theatre produced, with the help and support of private donations, nine medium to small scale productions including Picasso by Terry d'Alfonso, Paradise Circus by James Purdy, Shirlymander by Gregory Evans, Ida Rubinstein: The Final Act by Christian Holder, amongst others.
In 2020, The Playground was successful in securing ACE's Covid-19 recovery fund, allowing the theatre to survive the lockdown and the uncertainty of the pandemic. The recovery fund allowed The Playground to continue to pay the core staff, improve the studio and technical equipment as well as supporting performers and companies alike, by offering our theatre with no hiring costs or financial risk, once the theatre was legally reopened.
In 2021/22, The Playground Theatre was able to produce three new productions and continue engaging with our community and outreach work. As a result of The Playground's consistency in creating new work and our community outreach projects, we are delighted to have attracted Les Ambassadeurs Group as our primary corporate partner.
The Playground Theatre currently derives a significant portion of its income from the hire of its space to external companies and other cultural events. Our aim is to be able to become a fully programmed theatre and to provide opportunities and a space for development work and for artist to take risks and experiment with new ideas.
All money raised through donations is used to support new work, to contribute to the development space and give artists a platform to take risks and try out new ideas.
A little more about the Playground Theatre:
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The theatre is a single studio with the capacity of 80-120 seats.
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The Playground is an Equity Theatre. We pay actors, performers and stage managers a base rate.
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The Playground Theatre is proud of its thriving outreach program which includes Well Read, Well Written, Valued, Back On Stage and We Start - a new project in collaboration with the National Theatre and the Royal Court.
