The Yard’s founder and artistic director Jay Miller directs The Glass Menagerie which opens on February 28 and runs until April 21.
After that, the Hackney Wick venue, which opened as a pop up in a converted warehouse 13 years ago, will close to make way for a new theatre.
Artistic Director Jay Miller said: “Having raised over £6.4m in capital funding, the current Yard Theatre will be demolished to make way for a new 220-seat theatre for East London.
“There’s something perfect about ending with The Glass Menagerie – a play about the delicate balance between holding on and letting go. For thirteen years, this space has held our art and our communities. Now, like Tom Wingfield, we’re standing on the edge of transformation.”
Over one summer, Miller and 50 volunteers converted a disused warehouse into an auditorium and bar, using reclaimed materials and £9,000 from Arts Council England.
The venue has gone on to be a launchpad for a generation of artists with those performing or working there in their early in their careers including Michaela Coel, Ncuti Gatwa, Emma D’Arcy, Alexander Zeldin, Shygirl, Honey Dijon, Mica Levi, and Nina Segal.
Along the way it has premiered work that has toured globally, ending up everywhere – from America to the National Theatre to BAFTA-winning television.
Trustees say the work, which is deeply rooted in East London’s community and gives artists get creative freedom to try something new and the long-term support to succeed.
The Yard also brought together theatre and clubbing with late-night parties and performances in its bar, alongside free theatre-making for 9-21-year-olds and free family events.
The new building will feature an all day cafe-bar and event space, a Young Artists space, and “high-quality” back and front-of-house facilities.
It’s designed by Takero Shimazaki Architects whose work includes Royal Academy of Dance (RIBA National winner) and Curzon Camden (RIBA London winner) and will include pioneering environmentally-conscious design with solar panels, heat pumps and natural ventilation from a striking recycled chimney six stories above Hackney Wick.
Funding has come from private trusts, the GLA, London Legacy Development Corporation and Arts Council England.
Chair of The Yard’s Board of Trustees Simon Tate said: “We currently cross boundaries in a converted warehouse, and we’re about to transform our physical space to match our artistic ambition.
“This redevelopment isn’t just about fixing the roof—it’s about building East London’s first purpose-built theatre in a generation. As a charity, The Yard exists to serve our community; with this project, we’re doubling our capacity, creating new spaces for local young artists, and pioneering sustainable design. The Yard has always dreamed big—now we’re building big too.”
The Glass Menagerie runs at The Yard Theatre, Unit 2a Queen’s Yard, London E9 from Feb 28-April 21. www.yardtheatre.co.uk
