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Southwark Playhouse: What You Need To Know
By: Aliya Al-Hassan Sep. 30, 2019
Founded in 1993, Southwark Playhouse has always been a local theatre, fostering strong community links and helping to revive neglected parts of Southwark. After settling into its Elephant and Castle home after several temporary venues, the theatre is now fundraising to relocate again to a truly secure and permanent home on Newington Butts, with a satellite studio back under the arches of London Bridge.
The theatre has two spaces, The Little and The Large, seating around 100 and 200 respectively.
Here is everything you need to know if you are travelling there.
Where to eat
Mercato Metropolitano is a huge food marketplace opposite the theatre. They have a strong environmental and social ethos, with a focus on sustainability and ethical food sourcing. Featuring an Italian supermarket and a plethora of amazing street food stalls, the variety is incredible - from Argentinian empanadas to authentic Neapolitan pizza. There are plenty of places to eat in the lively food hall, or outside in the pretty patio.
Flavours of Naples is an excellent family-run café about a three-minute walk from the theatre. Open all day; prices are low, service is friendly, and food is delicious. Dishes range from speedy panini to homemade pasta. The lasagna is legendary.
Toulouse Lautrec is an atmospheric little piano bar and restaurant, just up the road from the theatre. They offer a great, if short, pre- or post-theatre menu for £20 for three courses, or two courses and a drink. It's a warm and friendly place, with a pleasant outdoor terrace for the summer months.
Where to drink
The Southwark Playhouse Bar is a lovely place to have a drink before a show. With incredibly friendly staff and lots of cosy nooks and crannies to settle into, it's the perfect spot to relax and chat pre-theatre.
southwarkplayhouse.co.uk/your-visit/playhouse-bar/#tab-3-2
The Ship is a traditional, wood-panelled pub on Borough Road. A three-minute walk from the theatre, the wine is particularly good, with a large selection of wine by the glass.
Champagne Plus Fromage is situated in Mercato Metropolitano (see Where to Eat), but is worth a special mention simply for its brilliant selection of champagnes by the glass and spectacular charcuterie and cheese boards. They are open all day until 11pm (10pm on Sundays), so perfect for a pre- or post-show tipple.
www.champagneplusfromage.co.uk
Ticket Offers
The Southwark Playhouse offers a brilliant Pay-As-You-Go subscription where you pay £60 for five tickets to any of their shows. You can use up to two of these tickets at a time. Concessions are available from Monday to Thursday and for all matinees.
Location and transport
The Southwark Playhouse is in the heart of Southwark and near lots of transport links.
Train
The nearest Tube stations are Borough, served by the Northern line (Bank branch), and Elephant & Castle, served by the Northern line (Bank branch) and Bakerloo line. The Playhouse is five minutes from Borough Station and three minutes from Elephant & Castle.
Bus
The theatre is served by bus lines (to Elephant & Castle): Numbers 1, 12, 35, 40, 45, 53, 63, 68, 100, 133, 148, 155, 168, 171, 176, 188, 196, 333, 343, 344, 360, 363, 415, 453, 468, C10, P5
...and (to Borough): Numbers 21, 35, 40, 133, 343, C10.
Parking
Pay and display parking is available nearby. NCP on the corner of Snowsfield and Kipling Street. Free street parking nearby is available after 6.30pm. Use the brilliant app AppyParking to check street rules.
Bike
There are bike racks outside the theatre.
Accessibility
There is ground level access to all areas of the theatre and there is an accessible toilet.
There are two wheelchair spaces available in each auditorium in the front row, which are bookable online. Guide dogs and hearing dogs are welcome in the auditorium or staff are happy to dog-sit.
For selected performances, they use The Difference Engine captioning software. This enables users to follow along with captions on their smartphone during the performance.
While you're there...
The Cinema Museum is a quirky and fascinating museum exploring the history of cinema from the 1890s to the present day, and just a five-minute walk from the theatre. It's run entirely by volunteers, so the only way to visit is by pre-booking a tour or attending an event. It is well worth the effort, as the variety of artefacts and knowledge of staff is brilliant. The archive of film posters is a highlight.
Contact Details
Address
Southwark Playhouse
77-85 Newington Causeway
London SE1 6BD
Phone 020 7407 0234
Website southwarkplayhouse.co.uk
Photo Credit: Southwark Playhouse
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