![London fringe venue the Turbine Theatre to close [Updated]](https://www.westendtheatre.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Turbine-Theatre-London.jpg "London fringe venue the Turbine Theatre to close [Updated]")
The Turbine Theatre in South London is closing.
Run by artistic director Paul Taylor Mills, the venue opened in August 2019 as part of the regeneration of Battersea Power Station and the surrounding area, with a production of Torch Song directed by Drew McOnie. Recent productions have included musical Closer to Heaven.
Taylor Mills has said that the reason for the closure is a lack of investment, “as the landscape of making theatre shifts, without serious investment and philanthropy, a 92-seat space just can’t work and it’s time for me to focus my efforts elsewhere.” See Taylor-Mills’ full statement, below.
The venue has a staff of two, plus Taylor Mills, and will close following its forthcoming adult panto The Liar, The Bitch and The Wardrobe, which runs from 21 November to 22 December 2024.
Queer play Blowing Whistles, which was scheduled to run at the venue from 15 October after being postponed earlier this year, is no longer booking.
Prior to news of the closure, Equity – the UK’s performing arts and entertainment trade union, sent an email to members asking people who have recently worked at the Turbine Theatre, or are about to, to get in touch, as they “may have been denied important rights that could be of significant monetary value”.
An Equity spokesperson said: “A number of Equity members have come forward with concerns which the union is providing support on. We hope we can resolve the issues of concern constructively with the Turbine Theatre and Paul Taylor-Mills, and we are in contact with them to that end.”
A spokesperson for the Battersea Power Station Development Company, who own the building housing the Turbine Theatre, also gave The Stage a statement, saying: “After five successful years of producing award-winning shows at Battersea Power Station, the operators of the Turbine Theatre have decided to close the venue. We are proud to have supported the Turbine Theatre since it opened, both financially and operationally, and we wish Paul Taylor-Mills and the rest of the Turbine Theatre team all the best for their future endeavours. We are currently looking at a number of different options for the space to complement the rest of Battersea Power Station’s cultural offering and we will update on our plans in due course.”
Tributes to the Turbine Theatre
A number of past creators and stars of the Turbine Theatre were featured in video posted by the Turbine on social media today:
Paul Taylor Mills – Full statement about the Turbine Theatre
The full statement about the closure from the Turbine’s artistic director Paul Taylor Mills said:
“To say I’m proud of what we have achieved with the Turbine Theatre is an understatement. Just over six years ago l walked into an empty rail way arch at Battersea Power Station. It was leaking, there was no dressing room, no bar – a few fold out chairs. With an equal mixture of excitement and fear we created a theatre. A magic corner in Battersea where we could create and help as many people get projects off the ground as we dared to take on. Without this noisy railway arch there would be no My Son’s a Queer, no I Wish You Well and many more shows.
“As the landscape of making theatre shifts, without serious investment and philanthropy, a 92-seat space just can’t work and it’s time for me to focus my efforts elsewhere. The Turbine Theatre has been an absolute labour of love. It shouldn’t have worked. But it did and I’m so incredibly proud of the lives it’s changed and the dreams it’s made come true. Creating this incredible venue, with the people that believed in what it could be has been a career highlight and I’m so thankful for the memories.
“I’m looking forward to focussing my attentions on my role as artistic director at the Other Palace where we’re getting ready for the UK premiere of The Lightning Thief. I’d like to wholeheartedly thank our loyal audiences. We created a beautiful little community of theatregoers and I know, like me, this little theatre means a huge amount to them.
“It’s no surprise that many of the last few years’ major Olivier awards were won by shows that started life on the fringe / Off West End. This trajectory allowed them time to play, to exercise the work and to try and make it as good as it could be. Go and support these theatres. They are the heartbeat of theatre and allow artists a safe place to dream. Come celebrate with us this Christmas as we present our final production.
“Thank you to everyone that believed. In the words of one of my most important mentors Bill Kenwright, ‘no risk, no magic.'”
UPDATES: First published 14 October 2024 with news of the Turbine closing and a statement from Paul Taylor Mills; Updated 17 October 2024 with a statement from Equity and the Battersea Power Station Development Company
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