The Cockpit

For over a hundred and seventy years there has been a theatre on, or in the vicinity of, Church Street, Marylebone. The current building was designed by Edward Mendelsohn for the Inner London Education Authority, 1969-70, and was the first London theatre to be purpose built in-the-round since the Great Fire of London. When the I.L.E.A.
was abolished in 1990, responsibility for the Cockpit Theatre was taken on by the City of Westminster College, which has owned and funded the theatre ever since.

From 1992 to 1995, the Cockpit became home to the Soho Theatre Company. Over its three year residency, the company relaunched itself, expanding its writers' development programme and premiering the work of over 35 new writers, including Diane Samuels, Jonathan Lewis, Dic Edwards, Victoria Worsley, Karen Hope, Daniel Magee, and Paul Sirett.

In its time with the Cockpit, the company won the 1993 LWT Plays on Stage Award for "The Yiddish Trojan Women", the Writers' Guild Award for "Our Boys", the 1994 Meyer Whitworth Award for "Kindertransport", the 1994 Empty Space/Peter Brook Theatre Award, the 1993 Time Out Award and numerous London Fringe Awards.

Since then, the Cockpit has continued in its aim to promote and
develop: Niche market events for diverse audiences, professional runs of established classics, premieres of new shows, theatre and music live recording, college and drama school showcases, the work of emerging directors, and young people's participatory events.

At the core of the Cockpit's commitment to promoting new work in development, is its monthly "Theatre in the Pound" night. Designed to showcase or try out new work, this event received the 2003 Fringe Report Award for "Best Fringe Gateway".