London theatre where stars including Ncuti Gatwa and Emma D’Arcy got their start is going to be demolished after 13 years
A beloved London theatre where stars like Emma D’Arcy and Ncuti Gatwa got their start is set to be demolished after 13 years.
The Yard is currently housed in a converted warehouse in Hackney Wick that will be torn down next June, before its transformation into a sustainable venue with twice the capacity begins.
Since opening its doors in 2011, the Yard has become a prized east London institution – known for staging alternative and experimental productions under the guidance of Artistic Director Jay Miller.
The theatre is famous for kickstarting the careers of Doctor Who star Ncuti – who also manned The Yard’s bar in 2015 – and British actress Michaela Coel, whose series I May Destroy You turned her into an overnight celebrity.
As the east London neighbourhood became more gentrified, The Yard started hosting regular club nights after shows would end – including the Knickerbocker’s queer dance party this New Year’s Eve.
When Ncuti took over the reigns of Doctor Who from David Tennant, The Yard congratulated the newest Time Lord – while reminiscing on his time on stage – in a message shared on X/Twitter.
The post read: ‘Our hearts are so full over Ncuti Gatwa becoming our next Doctor.
‘Did you know he used to work behind our bar (with some current Yard staff) AND was in Pamela Carter’s Lines, directed by our Artistic Director Jay Miller back in 2015? Well, now you do.’
Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa in Jay Miller’s 2015 adaptation of Pamela Carter’s Lines, staged at The Yard in Hackney Wick
Golden Globe-nominated actress Emma, who plays Rhaenyra Targaryen in House of the Dragon, was cast in Miller’s 2019 adaptation of American playwright Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible
Since opening its doors in 2011, the Yard has become a prized east London institution – known for staging alternative and experimental productions under Miller’s guidance
Michaela, whose breathtaking drama I May Destroy You earned her the BAFTA for Best Leading Actress in 2021, debuted her senior graduation project for Guildhall at The Yard.
The play entitled Chewing Gum Dreams was later adapted into the Channel 4 sitcom Chewing Gum that was released in 2015 and delivered Michaela’s first BAFTA – for Best Female Comedy Performance – the following year.
Golden Globe-nominated actress Emma, who plays Rhaenyra Targaryen in House of the Dragon, was cast in Miller’s 2019 adaptation of American playwright Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible – a dramatised and part-fictionalised retelling of the Salem witch trials.
After it was announced that The Yard will no longer exist in its current form, the theatre outlined its ambitious redevelopment plans in a post on Instagram.
Led by renowned London architecture firm Takero Shimazaki, the ‘Future Yard’ will comprise of an imposing tower that extends six stories high – dubbed ‘a new beacon for the new Yard, a landmark for east London’.
The new 220-person venue will have twice the seating capacity of the old Yard and will reportedly be rebuilt by partially using materials from the demolished building.
Sharing a ‘blueprint’ of their vision, The Yard posted an architect’s sketch of the new structure on Instagram and captioned it: ‘Meet the future Yard: our architect’s sketch of what’s coming. That tower? It rises six stories high — a new beacon for the new Yard, a landmark for East London.
‘Earlier this year, we announced we’re building a new home for The Yard. Earlier today, we announced The Glass Menagerie as our final production in this building.
Michaela, whose breathtaking drama I May Destroy You earned her the BAFTA for Best Leading Actress in 2021, debuted her senior graduation project for Guildhall at The Yard.
The Yard, in its current form. The converted warehouse is set to be reimagined as a sustainable venue with twice the current seating capacity
‘Now we can show you the blueprint of our transformation.’
The year-long, ambitious redevelopment project will reportedly cost £6.4 million, according to TimeOut.
Its facilities will include a ‘dedicated space for our Yard Young Artists’, new dressing rooms, new seats and toilets, as well as a brand new bar ‘tailor-made for extraordinary new performance’.
‘This drawing is just the beginning,’ The Yard teased the project on Instagram. ‘More detailed designs to come as the future takes shape. In the coming weeks, we’ll be asking what you dream of finding behind these new doors.
‘From a converted warehouse to this. We’ll close our doors in June 2025. Come be part of the ending, before the next beginning. 2026.’
The Yard also unveiled the final performance to be staged in the current building, with Miller set to adapt Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie.
The play seemed a fitting choice because it is a ‘masterpiece about holding on and letting go’, The Yard wrote in its announcement on Instagram.
The Glass Menagerie will run at the Yard from February 28 until April 21 next year.
