The Yard Reveals Plans For A Bigger, Better Theatre in Hackney Wick

The Yard Theatre has announced a major step forward. They have secured a significant £700,000 grant from Arts Council England (ACE) towards their building project, bringing the total raised by the organisation for the capital works to over £6m including generous support from London Legacy Development Corporation and Greater London Authority, as well as a host of private trusts.

The project will see the organisation secure a long lease on its current site, and transform The Yard into a state-of-the-art theatre designed by award-winning Takero Shimazaki Architects (RIBA) after spending the last 12 years in what was planned to be a temporary warehouse conversion.  The project entails a major refurbishment and extension of the organisation's current building, creating a new auditorium which will double the seated capacity to 200; improving comfort for all audiences including new cushioned seats; and ensuring all artists have the resources they need to bring their visions to life, whether making a show in the theatre or a performance event in the bar space. The larger auditorium and high-quality facilities will provide new income streams to sustain the organisation financially.  

Embracing green innovation, the theatre will boast a naturally ventilated auditorium, utilise recycled waste-based brick, and incorporate solar power, minimising its environmental impact. Accessibility is at the forefront of the design, with a level floor, a wheelchair-accessible technical box, and an accessible lighting rig. 

The new space will also include a workshop, spacious dressing rooms with showers for performer comfort, and a permanent Young Artists Space – a legacy project replacing Hackney Wick's temporary community centre, Hub67. A vibrant cafe/bar and front-of-house area will further complement the new Yard Theatre continuing to be the home for independent nightlife collectives that champion new performance and underrepresented communities, as well as hosting daytime visitors, and now boasting performance specialised technology.

From pop-up to powerhouse

The Yard Theatre's story is one of remarkable growth and artistic impact. Founded in 2011 by Artistic Director Jay Miller, The Yard began as a daring experiment – a disused warehouse transformed into an amphitheatre and nightclub using reclaimed materials from Olympic Park, a £10,000 ACE grant and 50 volunteers. Originally intended as a three-month pop-up, The Yard's dedication to fostering bold artistic voices resonated and the organisation has continued long past its initial expected life. Shows first staged at The Yard have gone on to become TV series, transferred to The National Theatre, and gone on international tours. Artists including Michaela Coel and Alexander Zeldin, and nightlife collectives including INFERNO and Pxssy Palace have all found a platform at The Yard, pushing the boundaries of theatre and igniting conversations that shape contemporary culture. The Yard Theatre, now a permanent fixture in the UK's cultural landscape, is a testament to the power of a grassroots space that generates energy and new ideas by doing things differently. 

The Yard will be sharing further details of this exciting transformation over the coming months.

A new era

The new space will transform not only the audience and performer experience but also the venue's ambition. The Yard will continue to produce ground-breaking, critically acclaimed shows but with an additional focus on generating national and international tours, and transferring their shows from the East End to West End. 

New leadership

The Yard also announced the appointment of Simon Tate as Chair of the organisation's Trustee Board. Simon is the founder and managing director of Wetherby, a private real estate investment and development company, and will be leading the organisation through this ambitious capital project.

Simon Tate said: “I am honoured and excited to have been asked to chair the trustee board to support and guide The Yard at this pivotal moment. Together we will deliver a theatre fit to host all the wonderful work that The Yard does - creating productions that redefine what theatre can be, supporting the development of artists, and engaging with the communities of East London. On behalf of the board, I give huge thanks to Arts Council England for their support of our project at this time, as well as to the generous and tireless support of our other principal funders, LLDC and GLA, alongside other private trusts who have supported” 

Yard Theatre's Artistic Director Jay Miller said, "For 13 years, the entire Yard Theatre team has poured its heart and soul into the vision of a permanent, state-of-the-art space. Today, thanks to the tireless efforts of everyone involved and the generous support of Arts Council England and other funders, that vision gets closer. This new space in Hackney Wick marks a monumental step forward for The Yard Theatre. It demonstrates our commitment to long-term artistic growth and allows us to create an even more dynamic space for artists and audiences. We are incredibly proud of the journey that led us here, but we're also excited about what's to come. Watch this space!”

Darren Henley, Chief Executive, Arts Council England said: “This infrastructure investment will help a whole range of different cultural organisations across England to flourish, increasing opportunities for people to enjoy creatively excellent cultural events close to where they live. It's particularly important that we're making this happen in communities where cultural investment has historically been low.”

This crucial funding joins major contributions from a consortium of visionary funders, including the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC), the Greater London Authority, the Garfield Weston Foundation, Foundation for Future London, Cockayne Grants Trust, the Foyle Foundation, the Portal Trust, and the Clothworkers Foundation.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay, Minister for Arts, Heritage and Libraries, said: “Cultural venues enrich our lives, and it's vital that their infrastructure matches the excellence of the creative work that goes on inside them. Our funding is helping both to create new venues and to adapt existing ones to make them more accessible, helping to deliver the Government's plan to make sure that everyone, no matter where they live or what their background, has access to excellent, life-changing cultural opportunities.” 

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