Help Build East London’s Newest Theatre

Nestled in the heart of Hackney in London’s East End stands Playhouse East - an emerging beacon for theatre, film & groundbreaking new creative work.

Founded by husband-and-wife team James Alexandrou & Avital Lvova, Playhouse East is a creative hub that embodies a shared vision: to create an accessible, nurturing space where innovative storytelling and artistic collaboration can flourish.

Popularity quickly drew, and soon the community workshops which fostered local talent & participation in the arts, alongside acting training & writing development courses that forge professional pathways for emerging artists became over-subscribed.

To help tackle the rising costs of rehearsal space hire, the innovative & inclusive Pay What You Can scheme was created to give unfunded artists & theatre companies the chance to create, develop & perform their work.

Since its beginning, Actors East has subsidised over 8,000 hours of studio time - giving hundreds of unfunded creatives the valuable space and time their work needs which has helped to feed London's theatrical scene from the ground up.

The Pay What You Can scheme is already in place at Playhouse East and has been thriving better than ever before.

Now with this new space rapidly taking shape, it's time to look forward into the New Year as we begin to plan our 2025 season - re-engaging our community in this new location and relaunching our innovative actors studio with the new vision of becoming a pioneering producer of new writing right here in East London.

It became clear that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to realise the Actors East ambition to create a space which will open its doors entirely to the needs of the artists involved & to supply the tools necessary to reach their full potential.

Drawing on the principles of the Group Theatre in New York, they envisioned to ignite true collaboration between actors, directors and writers - creating a production house that is an incubator for groundbreaking new work.

With the rapid closure of many grassroots venues & funding for creative endeavours growing increasingly elusive, they knew it was now-or-never to send a message to their community & invest in the future of theatre in the East End.

Entirely self-funded and self-determined, they began to reimagine the space. With the help of the passionately supportive Actors East community, they began pulling down walls, reinforcing structures, restoring the high ceilings of the theatre - re-painting, re-pumping & re-thinking.

Our Story

SIX YEARS OF OPENING DOORS TO THE ARTS

In 2018 - in a dilapidated basement in Dalston - James Alexandrou decided enough was enough. Surrounded by people with ideas but no space to realise their creations and support slowly dwindling for artists across London, there was only one thing to do.

Against the odds, James would create a space that offers affordable training and an environment that allows artists to explore and develop their craft - Actors East was born. Actors East quickly grew into a bustling community of artists, absorbing the demand for an unassuming affordable space which puts the work above all else.

The Next Chapter

A HOME FOR CREATIVITY IN THE HEART OF THE EAST END

As Actors East continued to gain momentum, the cozy & intimate space in Dalston simply wasn't big enough to hold the ever-growing community of artists coming through its doors. A new space had to be found. A studio just down the road in Haggerston. A warehouse, split into artist studios for hire.

This is where Actors East sister studio was born. A humble four-by-six metre space perfect for Meisner courses and rehearsals alike. What James and Avital did not expect was when just a few months later the opportunity arrived to take over the whole building.

After 10 months of hard graft, we arrive here to the space you see now. A cafe / event space already home to our popular jazz & cabaret event nights, a range of creative studios, a post-production suite & a 750 sq ft theatre we call The Playhouse.

Completing The Act

We Need Your Help To Finish The Playhouse

Until now, we have entirely self-funded this project - meaning with the help of our wonderful community, we've had to do a lot of the work ourselves.

We are now at a crunch point with the theatre imminently launching our inaugural production of Casserole as we close 2024 & our new season of workshops, courses and accessible actors training commencing in early 2025, we are in desperate need of funding to complete the building & further establish ourselves as an independent producing house.

The final tasks that lie ahead include:

  • Sourcing and installing theatre lighting

  • Sourcing & installing a theatre sound system

  • Sanding & varnishing the flooring

  • Building dressing rooms & finalising other vital building works

Total Cost: £37,950

Your support will not only help us in reaching the completion of The Playhouse but also fund the staff we need to be able to run this transformative space & ensure that pathways into the arts remain open to all. We are grateful for any donations via the link below and know every penny will go towards supporting the future of theatre in the East End.

Actors East has always run with community at its heart. If you know of anyone who can help us practically or has the knowledge & expertise of theatre building works, we'd love to chat with you.

If you have any questions about our journey so far or would like to get in contact please reach out to us at:

contact@playhouseeast.com