COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Updates
Updated: End of June 2020

GENERAL INFORMATION

All OffWestEnd venues are currently closed.

Venues with Online Shows or Other Activities in the next tab aims to provide information on those OffWestEnd VENUES presenting online and other activities and services, including recorded performances.

Other Venues in the last tab is a listing of all other OffWestEnd venues with their website – most of these are seeking donations to help ensure their survival.

For any queries or to send info to be added to this page, please email info@offwestend.com.

Please note that we have included links where possible – they should all be working – apologies if there are any problems – do let us know if there any broken or incorrect links – send an email to info@offwestend.com.

You can click on Theatres in the top menu above, and select either Browse Events or Browse Venues but please note that most of the data regarding shows is now out of date – this will be updated by venues when they re-open.

There is also a useful update at the London Pub Theatres website: https://www.londonpubtheatres.com/pub-theatre-news/4594058044.

London Pub Theatres are also seeking donations to help pub theatres survive: https://www.londonpubtheatres.com/donations-help-pub-theatres-to-survive

VENUES WITH ONLINE SHOWS OR OTHER ACTIVITIES

OffWestEnd is now offering the OnComm award for online shows – winners and more info are listed at www.offies.london/oncomm.

For information on online shows, there is an excellent listing offered by Theatre Online at: https://bit.ly/2UZM10Q

Albany, The / www.thealbany.org.uk

Meet Me on the Radio: A weekly radio show featuring sonic journeys through Lewisham, news and sounds from the Albany garden, creative activities, provocations, and conversations with members and artists. With many members of the Meet Me at… community already at risk of social isolation and without access to digital devices, the show will provide a vital, accessible and regular source of connection and entertainment led by the creative voices of vulnerable adults in challenging times. On the radio every Tuesday 11:30am-12 midday on Resonance FM, 104.4 FM (central London) and Resonance FM’s website worldwide. More information here

Read about The Albany’s re-opening plans here

Arcola Theatre / www.arcolatheatre.com

Not streaming any shows, but the site features various news clips.

artsdepot / www.artsdepot.co.uk

New Digital Programme: A series of online creative workshops and interactive shows for children, young people and their families will be launched soon. Further details here and in the coming weeks. Check out Artsdepot’s Weekly What to Do here

Battersea Arts Centre / www.bac.org.uk

Going Digital: Following the Going Global season being cancelled due to Covid-19, artists whose performances were cut short or cancelled have been invited to share a version of their work online. they will be sharing projects created during lockdown including a film by Sleepwalk Collective; the filmed trilogy of The Spirit by New Perspectives and Thibault Delferiere; an online response to Rich Kids by Javaad Alipoor; a new live writing work from Jo Fong and Sonia Hughes and music from the album Life: LIVE! by Lucy McCormick. More details here

Performance Live: brings innovative theatre, dance and spoken word to your TV screen. Strand produced by Battersea Arts Centre in partnership with BBC Arts and Arts Council England. Watch the full Performance Live boxset now on BBC iPlayer

Blue Elephant Theatre / www.blueelephanttheatre.co.uk

The Blue Elephant has always prided itself on the breadth and depth of its theatrical offerings for younger audiences and, during the lockdown, its focus has been on the provision of online workshops on a variety of themes, aimed at children, all available at http://www.blueelephanttheatre.co.uk/whatson

Brixton House (ex Ovalhouse) / www.ovalhouse.com

The former Ovalhouse Theatre, situated next to the Oval Cricket Ground, was in the early stages of a relocation to Brixton when the pandemic began. The physical transformation may have been delayed, but a virtual one has been all but completed. The venue formerly known as Ovalhouse is now, across all media, @BrxHouseTheatre. Through June and into July, the venue has been sharing past productions from Ovalhouse that felt relevant to the current crisis. House to House is FREE to watch. These shows were originally filmed in VR, and the venue has been offering the “full experience”, with 360° video direct from its website. Meanwhile, the opening of the new, fir-for-purpose theatre in Brixton has been delayed until at least March 2021, but will happen as soon as possible.

Bush Theatre / www.bushtheatre.co.uk

Ongoing BushPhotoChallenge on Twitter @bushtheatre; Monday Monologues released each fortnight from May 18, available online for 12 months

Calder Bookshop & Theatre / https://calderbookshop.com/

Has re-opened as a bookshop only with reduced opening hours, Monday to Saturday 11-7. No performances listed for 2020, though they have put something on their website – – for 2021. Twitter –https://twitter.com/CalderBookshop. Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/Calder-bookshop-theatre-150244141684998/

Chickenshed / www.chickenshed.org.uk

Blowin’ in the Wind | Spring Show 2017 Available online. They are using YouTube to show some of their previous work and appear to be active on there. Links to these productions are all on their website.

Cockpit Theatre, The / www.thecockpit.org.uk

They recommend the best way to keep up is by joining their mailing list, which is at the bottom of every page of their website – They do have a page which lists all the events they are hosting online at the moment – “Expect performances, Q&As, talks, music, classes, readings, scratch nights and good old fashioned chats” – which seems to go up to August 2020. Twitter is – https://twitter.com/cockpittheatre. Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/CockpitTheatre/

Coronet Theatre / www.thecoronettheatre.com

The theatre is running a series of free on-line presentations called “Coronet Inside Out” including dance, art, poetry and seminars etc. Full details can be found here: https://www.thecoronettheatre.com/whats-on/coronet-inside-out/

Finborough Theatre / www.@finboroughtheatre.co.uk

Donations: https://finboroughtheatre.co.uk/support-us/. What’s On (free streaming) https://finboroughtheatre.co.uk/production/april-december-2020/

Gate Theatre / www.gatetheatre.co.uk

Donations: https://www.gatetheatre.co.uk/updates-from-the-gate-theatre/ . What’s On: https://www.gatetheatre.co.uk/whats-on/town-hall-how-do-we-rebuild-better/ and https://www.gatetheatre.co.uk/from-our-archive/

Greenwich Theatre / www.greenwichtheatre.org.uk

Continues its Connects series with “Monologue Mondays,” “Wednesday Wisdom,” “Flashback Fridays” and “Short Play Submission Sundays.” Online premiere of “The Secret Love Life of Ophelia” from 31 July and available free to stream till 14 August

Iris Theatre / www.iristheatre.com

In May Iris had its request for Government funding turned down. It relies on income mainly (80%) on the 8 week summer season at St Paul’s, Covent Garden, and therefore is urgently in need of donations. They have just started a START DIRECTING&DESIGNING course for a limited number of young wannabes who wish to gain experience online with the requirements of those key theatrical roles via exploration of texts.

Jack Studio Theatre (Brockley Jack) / www.brockleyjack.co.uk

Keeping their blog updated with news and links to streaming, such as a retrospective video of 2018’s The White Rose is online, including rehearsal footage and thoughts from the actors and writer-director. Little Wing was due to premiere in April at the Jack, so they are profiling the writer and include the opening scene online. You can also find a Picture Quiz of past productions!

Jermyn Street Theatre / www.jermynstreettheatre.co.uk

Recovering from a terrible flooding during lockdown Tom Littler, the A.D. has put out a video appealing for financial help and with the sad news of closure until next year. However, there is an ongoing Shakespeare Sonnets online series, readings by actors mainly affiliated to the theatre from past shows; also, evening piano Cabarets with Stefan Bednarczyk, a Podcast ‘Prompt Corner’,and A Cup of JS Tea where audience members link up with freelancers connected to the theatre.

King’s Head Theatre / www.kingsheadtheatre.com

The KHT continue their online series of lunchtime live streams

Lyric Hammersmith: Studio / www.lyric.co.uk

August Filmmaking classes, Acting for Film & TV j3 different age groups 14-25 range. Taking bookings for Aladdin 14 Nov-03 Jan Anyone who can donate Big Give before midday 30/6 bit.ly/3dxWg21 or later bit.ly/3djQEtQ

New Diorama / www.newdiorama.com

work_from_home is an interactive play performed entirely by participants on a Zoom call, about when things stop working. It is playing on select dates in June and July and you have to book a free ticket for your chosen performance: https://www.newdiorama.com/news/an-online-theatrical-experience-from-ndt-incoming-festival

Omnibus / www.omnibus-clapham.org

Providing daily lunches together with Lunchbox to disadvantaged families in the Lambeth area and an Electric Beans van given permission to sell top-quality take-away coffees outside, on top of a two day Gay Pride mini-festival of improv, talks and discussions . Coming up in the summer,socially-distanced free show for 5 to 11 year-olds called “Routes” and in collaboration with Age UK LAMBETH starting creative writing on-line sessions to encourage therapeutic storytelling under the guidance of storyteller Sally-Pomme Clayton.

Orange Tree Theatre / www.orangetreetheatre.co.uk

The Mikvah Project by Josh Azouzon Radio 4 until 14 July

Rosemary Branch / www.rosemarybranch.co.uk

Events from May onwards are being updated on Facebook, writing opportunities are being shared on Twitter, and other picture posts on Instagram. Merchandise is also available online though please check if they are processing orders.

Shoreditch Town Hall / http://shoreditchtownhall.com

A number of lockdown activities can be viewed on their website here, including a dance lesson and children’s storytime. They are also supporting Part of the Main and Virtual Collaborators Network on the Virtual Collaborators Festival from the 17-31 August 2020. Applications for artists to participate are now open, details of which can be found on the Lockdown Activities page linked above. The majority of the Town Hall’s cultural programme has now been cancelled up until the beginning of 2021, though they plan to reopen the building for other activity soon. Updates can be found on their social media channels. To support Shoreditch Town Hall, click here to make a donation.

Southwark Playhouse / www.southwarkplayhouse.co.uk

Continuing to Stream some past productions (2018’s Wasted, a rock musical about the Bronte siblings; 2019’s Twelfth Night, set at a music festival; 2011’s Bound, about fishermen; and a new collection of Philip Ridley’s monologues, The Beast Will Rise) and created a lockdown-themed Spotify playlist of songs from musicals that have been performed at Southwark.

Space, The / www.space.org.uk

Their “Locked Down, Looking Up’ Programme includes Script Space online play readings, a Theatre Club, and multiple online development schemes – please see their website for full details! You can also donate online to support their programme.

Theatre503 / www.theatre503.com

ImagiNation is their on-going project. They’ve teamed up with Theatre Centre to commission 19 of the UK’s most exciting writers to write a collection of stories for the nation, exploring humanity and the unprecedented circumstances we are currently living in and members from all over UK are invited to record themsleves reading these stories, providing help and tips as to how to record and interpret the texts and submit via Theatre Centre’s website A selection of these recordings will then be edited into a short film; a patchwork of stories told by a multitude of voices.

White Bear Theatre / www.whitebeartheatre.co.uk

The White Bear Theatre has seen one notable past production streamed during lockdown – of “The Tailor-Made Man” by Claudio Macor – which has won an OnComm Award. The White Bear has also been supporting a series of weekly Zoom-based professional readings of new and classic plays by a new online production company, Hog in the Limelight Productions.

OTHER VENUES

Other venues are listed below – these are currently closed though most provide an opportunity to make donations.

Above The Stag Theatre / www.abovethestag.org.uk

Barons Court Theatre

Bathway Theatre / www.bathwaytheatre.co.uk

Bernie Grant Arts Centre / https://berniegrantcentre.co.uk

Big House, The / https://thebighouse.uk.com

Bloomsbury Theatre / www.thebloomsbury.com

Boulevard Theatre / https://boulevardtheatre.co.uk

Bread & Roses Theatre / www.breadandrosestheatre.co.uk

Bridewell Theatre / www.sbf.org.uk / whats-on

Bridge House Theatre / www.bhtheatre.com