The Turbine Theatre to close down

The Turbine Theatre in south London will close its doors after five years of operations.

The 92-seat venue, located near Battersea Power Station, first opened in July of 2019 and was home to a series of productions and workshops, including the award-winning West End hit My Son’s A Queer (But What Can You Do?) and the initial scripted performances of Gwyneth Paltrow ski-crash musical I Wish You Well. 

The venue posted the following statement from artistic director Paul Taylor-Mills on social media this morning:

“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.'”