First-look Photos: Soho Theatre Walthamstow

Get a first-look at the beautiful Soho Theatre Walthamstow, Soho Theatre’s major new 960-seat venue opening this week in London.

The new 960-seat theatre will house UK and international comedy, theatre, cabaret and panto from Soho Theatre.

Soho Theatre Walthamstow has been beautifully restored from the 1930s former Granada cinema, by Waltham Forest Council in partnership with Soho Theatre.

The new venue includes a refurbished Grade II* listed auditorium, brand-new studio spaces, backstage facilities, four bars – the Main Foyer, Ziggurat, Cross Hall and Circle bar, and a restaurant.

London’s newest venue opens this week, with Natalie Palamides: WEER, from 2 May.

Soho Theatre Walthamstow – in pictures

Other highlights of the inaugural programme include new monthly comedy line-up show Neon Nights featuring Thanyia Moore, Sara Pascoe, Rosie Jones, Janine Harouni, Larry Dean, Catherine Bohart, Jin Hao Li, Olga Koch, Sindhu Vee, Tom Davis, Josh Pugh and Phil Wang. There will be new work from Bryony Kimmings, pantomime for all ages (Soho-style) with Aladdin & The Magic Lamp written and directed by Susie McKenna, plus shows including Tim Minchin; Dara Ó Briain, Suzi Ruffell, Kiell Smith-Bynoe & friends, The Tiger Lillies, Josh Johnson, Josie Long, John Early, Sarah Keyworth, Stamptown, Biswa Kalyan Rath, Rahul Dua, The Un-Royal Variety, Brown Girls Do It Too, TiFo Football Podcast live and more.

The new venue is a restored building from the 1890s, which was developed in the Thirties as the Granada cinema with exteriors designed by Cecil Masey and ornate interior decoration by Theodore Komisarjevsky, inspired by the Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain. The venue will feature a refurbished Grade II* listed auditorium, brand-new studio spaces, backstage facilities, four bars, and a restaurant.

Book tickets to Natalie Palamides: WEER at Soho Theatre Walthamstow in London

What They Said

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “I’m delighted that Soho Theatre Walthamstow has breathed new life into this historic London venue. With a world-class comedy line up alongside a creative programme for the local community, the theatre is set to become a huge asset – not just for Walthamstow but London as a whole. It’s a fantastic legacy from Waltham Forest’s year as my very first London Borough of Culture, and an excellent example of the power of culture to transform areas and inspire communities.”

Co-Executive Directors of Soho Theatre Walthamstow Mark Godfrey and Sam Hansford said: “With artists and audiences at its heart and a dynamic social enterprise ethos, Soho Theatre Walthamstow will create countless joyful, memory-making experiences for many people. Alongside the well-documented cultural, social, and wellbeing benefits, this investment in cultural infrastructure also delivers clear economic value – speaking directly to the wider priorities of culture-led growth and, through our international collaborations, to soft power gains. We’re incredibly grateful to the campaigners, to Waltham Forest Council, and to everyone who helped make this vision a reality. We can’t wait to welcome you in.”

Design architect Fred Pilbrow (the Founding Partner of Pilbrow & Partners) said: “This beautiful, restored space is testament to the belief, determination and commitment of the amazing local community. We were privileged to work on this project from the very beginning, initially pro-bono, to support the team in championing how this unique building could be successfully converted to a live performance venue of national importance. Waltham Forest Council, inspired by the public support, backed this vision and as a result the completed Soho Theatre Walthamstow will enrich the culture, economy and heritage of the town centre for many years to come.”

More about the history of Soho Theatre Walthamstow

Soho Theatre Walthamstow is a vibrant new theatre steeped in a rich history. A performance venue since 1897, in 1930 the site was redeveloped and opened with exteriors designed by Cecil Masey and extraordinary ornate interior decoration by Theodore Komisarjevsky, inspired by the Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain. Majestic and awe-inspiring, the new Granada hosted comedy, panto, drag, music and film. From the mid-1950s artists including The Beatles, Buddy Holly, Roy Orbinson, Dusty Springfield, The Who, The Ronettes, Chuck Berry, Duke Ellington and the Rolling Stones performed there, and a pantomime was presented each Christmas. The last live performance took place in 1973 and the Granada became a cinema, changing owners until it became known as the EMD Cinema sadly closing its doors in 2003.

In 2003 the building was sold to the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God and for more than a decade it lay empty as they sought planning permission to turn it into a church whilst it fell into disrepair. Concerned about the loss of this much-loved cultural space, local grassroots groups including McGufﬁn Film Society and Save Walthamstow Cinema led a passionate campaign against losing its use as an entertainment venue and to preserve its heritage. In 2010 the Waltham Forest Cinema Trust joined the campaign, a newly established local group to bring a clear new vision for the venue’s viable future, working closely with Soho Theatre. Joining forces with Waltham Forest Council, they successfully demonstrated to a Public Inquiry that the venue could be reinvented as a new theatre for live performance, with a focus on comedy, panto and theatre. This led to the church’s planning application being decisively rejected for the final time.

UCKG sold the building on to pub chain Antic in 2014, who briefly ran the bar Mirth, Marvel and Maud, opening up the magnificent historic foyer to the public for the first time in over 10 years. Having continued to develop the vision and detailed plans, Soho Theatre reached an agreement with Waltham Forest Council to operate the venue, and in 2019 Waltham Forest Council, in partnership with Soho Theatre purchased, and invested into the restoration of the former Granada Grade II* listed building as part of the council’s London Borough of Culture 2019 legacy commitment. They have worked with developers Willmott Dixon Interiors,Bond Bryan Architects Ltd to renovate, refurbish and breathe new life into the historic building, alongside Soho Theatre. The Soho Theatre team inputted into operation, architecture (with support from Matthew Baker, MAD-Design Ltd), design (with support from Jane Wheeler, JaneJaney Design) and how to make the venture successful. Together creating a major new cultural hub for London at the heart of the local community of Waltham Forest.

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Main photo: Soho Theatre Walthamstow. Photo by David Levene