The Mayor Of London, Sadiq Khan, Awards £750K Grant To Southwark Playhouse

Southwark Playhouse are pleased to announce the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has today awarded the theatre a grant of £750,000. The award is part of the Mayor of London's £70 million Good Growth Fund, £30 million of which has been awarded to projects which put local communities at the heart of regeneration, enabling Londoners to actively participate in their local communities and give people a voice in shaping how the capital will grow. The theatre's grant will enable the development of its new flagship venue in the borough of Southwark.

The theatre has now raised 90% of the £2.8 million target required to fit-out their new home at the Elephant. This means that they can start building works early next year with a scheduled opening in the second half of 2019. The new Southwark Playhouse at the Elephant puts the local community at the heart of the project, delivering a new 300-seat performance space, a dedicated Youth, Community and Development Space, a new bar and café and office space.

Southwark Playhouse would like to thank the Mayor of London and all their supporters who have given time and money to help the Future Playhouse campaign since it was launched in May 2018. If you would like to get involved, there is still time to donate to The Two Million Pound Wall, a crowd-generated artwork which will take pride of place in the new theatre bar and café.

Jules Pipe, Deputy Mayor for Planning, Regeneration and Skills says "Southwark Playhouse is a great example of a project which aims to give Londoners of all backgrounds and ages the opportunity to be actively involved in shaping how their city develops. The Mayor and I are committed to supporting 'good growth' by building a city where all Londoners have access to the same opportunities and I look forward to seeing the positive impact the new theatre has in the future."

Chris Smyrnios, Artistic Director and Chief Executive of Southwark Playhouse says "We're very grateful that the Mayor of London has made such an invaluable investment in us. We're a small team with no fundraising support, so for our application - which centres around our work in the community - to be given full funding is an incredible achievement for the whole team and one which will help us to start building works onsite from early next year."

For more information on the Good Growth Fund, visit the Mayor of London's website.