The history of Southwark Playhouse Elephant

Southwark Playhouse Elephant is a Southwark Playhouse venue. The 310 seater theatre in Elephant & Castle opened on Thursday, 26 January 2023.

Southwark Playhouse was founded in 1993 by Juliet Alderdice and Tom Wilson. Leasing a disused workshop, in a then comparatively neglected part of Southwark, they identified the need for a well-resourced and accessible theatre space that would serve as a place to showcase new productions by emerging theatre artists, and also be a resource for the local community in which it operates.

Since then it has established itself as one of London’s leading theatres. It curates a programme of world class theatre out of two venues situated in the Elephant and Castle area, as well as offering a varied and wide reaching programme of meaningful participation work.

About Southwark Playhouse Elephant

Southwark Playhouse is all about telling stories and inspiring the next generation of storytellers and theatre makers. It aims to facilitate the work of new and emerging theatre practitioners from early in their creative lives to the start of their professional careers.

Through their schools work they aim to introduce local people at a young age to the possibilities of great drama and the benefits of using theatre skills to facilitate learning. Each year they engage with over 5,000 school pupils through free schools performances and long-term in school curriculum support.

Through their Young Company (YoCo), a free youth-led theatre company for local people between the ages of 14-25, they aim to introduce young people to the many and varied disciplines of running a semi-professional theatre company. YoCo provides a training ground to build confidence and inspire young people towards a career in the arts.

Their theatre programme aims to facilitate and showcase the work of some of the UK’s best up and coming talent with a focus on reinterpreting classic plays and contemporary plays of note. Their two atmospheric theatre spaces them to offer theatre artists and companies the opportunity to present their first fully realised productions. Over the past 20 years they have produced and presented early productions by many aspiring theatre practitioners many of whom are now enjoying flourishing careers.