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Initially established in 1982 as an offshoot of The Gate, Theatre 503 is a stalwart of the London fringe. It's enjoyed the odd dazzling moment in the spotlight; in 2017, Jon Brittain's 'Rotterdam' landed a Olivier, as did its 2009 premiere production of Katori Hall's 'The Mountaintop', which beat Jez Butterworth 'Jerusalem' to the title of Best New Play.
Clearly that's not an annual occurrence, but the theatre is serious about its new writing and pumps out a steady stream of productions that are indubitably worth a look. Artistic director Lisa Spirling supports artists on the rise as well as directing the odd show herself, like 2017's hit 'In Event of Moone Disaster'. There are plenty of efforts to make its line-up more accessible, too, like regular Pay What You Can matinees, Parent & Baby performances, and captioned shows.
Theatre503's 63-seater black box space is more comfortable than your average fringe theatre, with a spacious air-conditioned auditorium and cosy leather sofas in its front of house area. It sits above the Latchmere Pub, a spacious, agreeable boozer that recently had a gastro makeover - it's got a popular heated beer garden area, and specialises in homemade scotch eggs.