Front view of new West End theatre @sohoplace with front screen and logo. Picture: Tim Soar and AHMM
The West End will welcome its first new build theatre in 50 years this autumn when the theatre @sohoplace opens as part of a multi-million-pound regeneration project.
Owned by leading West End producer and theatre owner Nica Burns and operated by Nimax Theatres, the theatre is at the heart of property giant Derwent London’s £300 million regeneration of a neglected corner of Soho.
The culmination of a 12-year project, the state of the art theatre is adjacent to the site of the old Astoria Theatre which was demolished in 2009 to make way for Crossrail. The entire development is located in the newly named Soho Place – the first new street name in Soho in 72 years.
Unveiling details of the theatre, Burns said: “I wanted to create a theatre which could add a different dimension to our vibrant West End landscape. I asked our greatest theatre creatives two questions: If we could build a new theatre in the heart of the West End, what would you like it to be? What additional facilities would be on your wish list?
“They dreamt of a flexible auditorium, perfect acoustics and audience/stage intimacy. An ability to create on-site with the dream of a rehearsal room, a Green Room and a bar all in the same building. So that’s what we built – with a few extras including an outside terrace.
“The incredible team of engineers pulled off the greatest of structural feats, building over a major underground transport hub – a challenging place to build a theatre – achieving perfect acoustics and no vibrations.”
The theatre boasts a flexible 602-seat auditorium configured in the round which sits directly above Crossrail’s new Elizabeth Line and the Northern and Central Lines at Tottenham Court Road station; a creatives’ floor with rehearsal room, Green Room, bar and terrace; and a ground floor public restaurant and bar. The public restaurant and bar will launch in mid-September ahead of the theatre’s debut. The first production will be announced soon.
Describing the inspiration behind the new theatre – the ancient Greek theatre, Epidaurus – Burns said: “I was standing on the stage of this great ancient theatre at 8 o’clock – show time – as the last rays of a golden sun were coming through the trees and the stars were starting to twinkle in an indigo sky. It was magic. It is one of the greatest theatres in the world and the plays of ancient Greece are still part of our theatre heritage today.
“The interior of @sohoplace reflects these colours and when you walk through the theatre you walk under crystal star lights, laid out in constellations. When you pass the building, look up to the terrace and you will see the constellations shine.
“I am incredibly privileged to be working with Derwent London who hand-picked the most outstanding team – all leaders and innovators in their sectors – to deliver this challenging build (architect Simon Allford, founder of Allford Hall Monaghan Morris; engineering giant Arup; and global construction company Laing O’Rourke).”
Totalling 285,000 square feet Soho Place is a mixed development on the corner of Oxford Street and Charing Cross Road. The area also includes offices, retail units and a new piazza.
Commenting on the theatre, Paul Williams, chief executive Derwent London, said: “Working alongside world-class architects and engineers, and in collaboration with Crossrail and our partner Nica Burns, we are delighted to have developed this new state of the art theatre together with substantial public realm as part of a successful commercial regeneration project above the Elizabeth line.”
Architect Simon Allford added: “@sohoplace is undoubtedly the most complex and delightful project I have ever worked on: the highly engineered architecture and design of a Swiss watch but built on an urban scale.”
Angela Thomas
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