The Southwark Playhouse, Elephant and Southwark Playhouse, Borough

1 Dante Place, Elephant & Castle and 77-85 Newington Causeway

Above - A photograph showing the Southwark Playhouse on Newington Causeway, in March 2017.

The Southwark Playhouse Theatre Company currently has two venues and three Theatres, the most recent being the one situated at Dante Place, Elephant & Castle which opened in January 2023 and has a reconfigurable auditorium capable of seating 310 people, along with a smaller youth and community space. The second and older of the two Southwark Playhouse's is situated in a former warehouse building in Newington Causeway, Borough which first opened in 2013 and has two Theatres.

The Southwark Playhouse Company was founded by Juliet Alderdice and Tom Wilson in 1993 and was first based in a disused former workshop building in Playhouse Court, off the Southwark Bridge Road. However, in 2007 they moved to a new Theatre space situated beneath the Platforms of London Bridge Station on Tooley Street. But in 2013 the Company were forced to move again, due to the redevelopment of London Bridge Station.

Their new Theatre was situated on Newington Causeway, Borough and had two performance spaces, a 240 seat main Theatre and a 120 seat Studio Space. This Theatre however, was only supposed to be a temporary home for the Company until they could return to London Bridge.

Right - A Google StreetView Image showing the Southwark Playhouse, Dante Place, Elephant & Castle in June 2023 - Click to Interact.

However, today the Company is still using the Newington Causeway Theatre and also has a new Theatre on Dante Place, Elephant & Castle, which opened in January 2023, meaning that they now have two venues and three Theatres in all - Namely Southwark Playhouse Borough and Southwark Playhouse Elephant. The Company plan to keep using the Newington Causeway Theatre until 2026 when it is hoped that a new purpose built replacement for it, on the site of Colechurch House in London Bridge, will be completed. This new Theatre for the Company will have two flexible Theatre Spaces, planning permission for which was granted in September 2023, the new Theatre will be called Southwark Playhouse London Bridge.

The Company have staged a huge variety of productions since they first opened in 1993, you may like to visit their own website here.

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