When Southwark Playhouse closed its doors in September last year, it was all too reasonable to suppose that, despite a reputation for adventurous programming, it would disappear like so many other Fringe theatres before it. In 1993, when the theatre opened, Southwark had yet to become one of London’s trendiest boroughs and rents were cheap. The old warehouse building was appealing. There was an attractive courtyard outside, and the theatre had the advantage of being on the ground floor, even if actors and audience had to cope with a number of inconvenient pillars. But by 2004, Tate Modern and Shakespeare’s Globe had opened along with numerous restaurants, and the landlord of the Southwark Playhouse was hungry for more money – more than a small fringe theatre could possible pay. So the company was given notice to leave by 2006, in spite of the fact that lottery money had been spent on structural improvements.
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Those of us who thought that that would be the end of Southwark Playhouse were ignoring both the strength of its education and community programmes, which made it popular with the borough, and the determination of the three remaining members of staff that the company should continue. Chief executive Chris Smyrnios, education director and company founder, Tom Wilson, and associate education director, Ellen Hughes, were determined to find a new home. As a result of their efforts, there’s a good chance that the Playhouse will move to a purpose-built theatre in a Richard Rogers-designed tower block in the Elephant and Castle in 2012. In the meantime, they have a new home in the evocatively named Shipwright Yard under the arches at London Bridge, just a couple of spans along from Shunt Vaults, and opposite the Unicorn Theatre. Tooley Street is increasingly providing plenty of other options for those who don’t fancy the London Dungeon and its Drop Ride to Doom.
‘I loved the fact that there was a huge challenge ahead,’ says the amiable Smyrnios, ‘and I feel proud that I’ve played a part in getting Southwark Playhouse up and running again.’ So he should be. He raised £300,000 from a variety of sources towards the cost of the transformation, and is busy creating a traditional theatre studio seating 150 without losing the visual appeal of the arches. The space is huge, more than enough to create a foyer, bar, and dressing room. Site specific specialists, Goat and Monkey, who have the honour of opening the theatre, will be using the whole building for their new show ‘Reverence’, based on the lives of Abelard and Heloise. Signs of their preparations include red rags resembling hunters’ trophies dangling from one of the arches, but which Smyrnios explains to me are cloths stained with the blood of Heloise’s periods.
It’s hardly surprising that companies are lining up to play at the new theatre. Apart from the attractions of the space, Smyrnios intends to offer a box office split rather than charging rent. That willingness to share in the risk is becoming increasingly rare on the Fringe, where rents can be beyond the reach of many young companies. Smyrnios is also experimenting with airline-style ticketing which means that those who are prepared to take a punt and book early pay as little as £7, while those who wait until the last minute pay £20, and those in between £13. After ‘Reverence’ comes ‘Richard III’ presented by Tangram, a promising company which has already shown its versatility by following an acclaimed production of Sarah Kane’s bleak ‘4.48 Psychosis’ with ‘Crunch!’, a comical history of the apple for kids. Their 90-minute version of Shakespeare’s history play will be seen for free by hundreds of Southwark and Lambeth schoolchildren. Finally, the season comes to an end with the perhaps surprising choice of the Kaufman and Hart farce ‘You Can’t Take it with You’ complete with live kittens and a couple of pythons. Later in the year, the very new artistic director, Ellie Jones, who follows in the footsteps of Mehmet Ergen, Erica Whyman and Thea Sharrock, will be hoping to direct her own show.
Smyrnios is very much dependent on the box office to make sure the theatre survives. A late-night licence until midnight (Mon-Thur), and 1am (Fri-Sat) should help. He is keen that it should become a welcoming place to visit. ‘I hope,’ he says, ‘we have a venue where young emerging artists can show their work cost effectively, with the potential to make some money. I’d love it if people felt they could drop along any time, have a drink and suggest work to be done in the place, and that we should also have a great education and community programme which is integrated with what we present in the theatre.’
‘Reverence’ previews from Tuesday.
