A Message from Seven Dials Playhouse
Seven Dials Playhouse has sold the long-term lease on our home, enabling the organisation to enter an exciting period of development, and to continue providing opportunities for people to collaborate on bold, creative, high-quality work.
Seven Dials Playhouse is a space for artists/creatives to develop, a place in the heart of the West End to congregate, network, share stories and voices, and to hone one’s craft. We do this by working with theatre producers and artists/creatives to present a year-round programme of theatre in the main space, and a programme of professional development and work in development in the studios and 50-seat studio theatre.
Across the last two years we have worked with over 250 artists/companies developing and co-producing work, including comprehensive packages of support in kind however, like other theatres and arts spaces, the organisation has struggled since its reopening (February 2022) due to the ongoing ramifications of COVID-19, the contraction of the wider industry due to the economic climate, and changes in audience behaviours.
Through COVID-19, the organisation was forced to make 75% of its roles redundant, challenging internal capacity. With this in mind, the focus has been on keeping the doors open.
As an unsubsidised charitable organisation, Seven Dials Playhouse was ‘cash poor’ yet ‘asset rich,’ owning the long-term leasehold on its building.
In order to secure the organisation's future, work on the sale and leaseback (started in the late 1990s) was progressed to make it a reality for today.
Selling the lease means that the organisation can clear substantial debt associated with purchasing the lease in 1994 and other historical debt accrued as The Actors Centre. It will enable the organisation to continue reimagining the business model so that we can further collaborate with artists/creatives in a way that best supports them today. It also means the organisation can recruit for several key roles, returning to capacity.
This decision has been made to protect the future of the organisation, the legacy of the building, and the vital support it is able to provide.
Over the next few months, the organisation will work to rebuild and recruit, continuing to evolve with a programming announcement in the new year.
We want to thank the artists and companies that have, to date, entrusted us with their work, and their time. We are excited to continue supporting individuals and companies, inviting artists, and audiences into our home in the West End, and expanding our impact on the industry.
