Theatre503 to support early career playwrights with new world-class studio in Nine Elms
Hattie Fisk
Tuesday, June 29, 2021
Theatre503 are supporting emerging playwrights and encouraging new writers to share their stories, by building a new state-of-the-art studio space in Nine Elms.
Opening its doors by 2023, the new centre will be open for anyone in the local community and has been named the 503Studio.
The Battersea-based new writing venue has £250,000 of support from Galliard Homes, after being chosen as part of a competitive Cultural Anchor Tenancy with Galliard, Royal Mail Group and Wandsworth Council, managed by BOP Consulting.
Lisa Spirling and Andrew Shepherd, artistic and executive directors of Theatre503, said: ‘The 503Studio at Nine Elms is a game changing moment in the history of Theatre503 and will have a seismic impact on the new writing ecology for generations to come.
‘Diversity begins with who is telling the stories. While this has been a driving force in how we programme throughout the year, we cannot achieve this without actively seeking out writers and the artists who bring their words to life from all backgrounds and support them to put their work on stage.
‘The 503Studio gives us the opportunity to take this commitment even further with a unique, world class centre opening up even more creative opportunities for all. It will be a vibrant, open, accessible and welcoming space where early career playwrights from all over the world rub shoulders with local residents looking for a creative outlet.
‘The 503Studio will be a vital destination for writers of the future to find their voice, develop their craft and feed directly into the final productions in our Latchmere home.’
Jack Sain
Artistic director Lisa Spirling and executive director Andrew Shepherd, Theatre503
Erica Whyman, chair of Theatre503 and deputy artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, said: ‘The team at Theatre503 never cease to inspire me with their energy, ingenuity and commitment to new voices. I am delighted that this opportunity will allow them to spread their wings, and will mean we can share their visionary and accessible work with many more people.’
The 503Studio at Nine Elms is due to be built and completed before the end of 2023, alongside the installation of a lift and refurbished floor to open up access to Theatre503 at their existing home above the Latchmere pub.
For more information on the project, visit their website, or watch the video below.