Published: Fri 12 Jun 26

SOHO THEATRE WALTHAMSTOW CELEBRATES LANDMARK FIRST YEAR

Over the last year Soho Theatre Walthamstow has welcomed more than 130,000 audience members to a huge variety of over 100 different shows from Jinkx Monsoon in End of the Rainbow to performances from Tim Minchin, Reggie Watts, Rosie Jones, Kiell Smith-Bynoe, Natalie Palamides, Urooj Ashfaq, John C Reilly, Sindhu Vee, Peaches in Jonny Woo’s Un-Royal Variety, Zakir Khan, Aisling Bea, Patti Harrison, Philharmonia Orchestra, Bryony Kimmings and Harry Hill.
Bringing world-class performance to local audiences, 17,000 Waltham Forest residents have enjoyed shows for £15, while more than 10,000 children have attended a show or event.
The new venue has been recognised with accolades including Theatre Building of the Year at The Stage Awards 2026, Community Business of the Year at the London Chamber of Commerce and Highly Commended at the New London Architecture Awards 2026.
The year ahead promises more vibrant theatre with previews coming up for Grayson Perry The Musical and world-class comedy from performers such as Dame Meera Syal, Lenny Henry, Sue Perkins, Richard Ayoade, Ruby Wax and Saturday Night Live UK’s Paddy Young and Larry Dean, alongside work for families including Alice in Wonderland and Tall Stories’ The Gruffalo. Highlights of the festive season include Taylor Mac: Holiday Sauce, the return of Jonny Woo’s Un-Royal Variety and the Philharmonia Brass at Christmas.

Since opening its doors in May 2025, Soho Theatre Walthamstow has firmly established itself as one of London’s most vibrant new cultural destinations. Magnificently restored from the 1930’s former Granada by Soho Theatre in partnership with Waltham Forest Council, it has welcomed over 130,000 audience members this year from across the capital and beyond. Named Theatre Building of the Year at The Stage Awards 2026, the new venue has hosted a bold and inclusive programme of more than 100 different shows over the year spanning comedy, theatre, cabaret and music, from internationally acclaimed artists to the most exciting new voices, alongside locally rooted projects celebrating the diversity and creativity of Waltham Forest.

As live performance returned to the 960 seat historic building, the line-up of world-class artists on stage has included Tim Minchin, Reggie Watts, Kate Berlant, John C Reilly, Rosie Jones, Kiell Smith-Bynoe, Sara Pascoe, Frank Skinner, Aisling Bea, Camille O’Sullivan, Harry Hill, Patti Harrison, John Early, Zakir Khan, Philharmonia Orchestra, Dara O’Briain, Penguin Café, Christeene, Al Murray, Josie Long, Kiki & Herb and Joep Beving. Comedy mixed bill Neon Nights has become a much-loved regular event bringing together established names and emerging voices with performers such as Urooj Ashfaq, Thanyia Moore, Phil Wang, Kyrah Gray, Sam Campbell, Sindhu Vee, Dylan Moran and Tim Key. While queer cabaret extravaganza Jonny Woo’s Un-Royal Variety has found a new home at the venue, returning this November following a barn-storming debut last year headlined by punk icon Peaches.

Natalie Palamides’ celebrated production of WEER kicked off the theatre programme opening the new venue last May and was so popular it returned for a second run in January. Other theatre highlights have included Bryony Kimming’s Bog Witch (originally commissioned for Soho Theatre Walthamstow and now on tour), Haley McGee’s Age is a Feeling and current production End of the Rainbow, starring Jinkx Monsoon as Judy Garland, which rehearsed in-house at Soho Theatre Walthamstow’s studio space and is now playing to packed houses in the main house until 21 June.

Truly a local theatre with a national profile artists from India, Australia and the US have performed on stage while over 40% of audiences have visited locally from within the Waltham Forest. Firmly rooted in its local community, 17,000 local Waltham Forest residents have enjoyed a show this year for £15, with another 15,000 £15 tickets being released for summer 2026. More than 10,000 children have attended a show or event such as Primary Playwrights (where 540 local 10 and 11 year-olds wrote their first play) or the Children’s Literature Festival (2700 primary school children from Waltham Forest listened to talks from leading children’s authors and illustrators).

Over 5000 people have attended Creative Engagement events at the new theatre such as Makers’ Lab (working with emerging artists in the new studio spaces to make genre-defying one-hour shows), Comedy Lab: Stand-Up Comedy for Women of Muslim Background (so popular it will return this summer), Writers’ Lab x British Pakistan Foundation (a bespoke course supporting writers from British Pakistani backgrounds to write their first audio play) and Write Night (a development programme for writers from the Borough, reaching 175 emerging writers). In addition, the Future Formed programme , in partnership with Waltham Forest council, has supported young adults from the borough to complete training and paid placements in tech and backstage roles, with many going on to continue working with Soho Theatre.

When opening the new venue 70% of initial Front of House and bar jobs went to local people. More than 13,500 pints of Soho’s own locally brewed Neon lager have been enjoyed across the theatre’s four bars over the last year. Soho Theatre Walthamstow has also recently announced the opening of the Soho Theatre Pub, a new neighbourhood pub for audiences, artists and the local community, located next door to the theatre. The pub serves drinks from Waltham Forest-based Signature Brew alongside food from award-winning chef James Cochran. Supported by Waltham Forest Council, the new venture has enabled Soho Theatre Walthamstow to create additional hospitality jobs and further contribute to the local evening economy.

Returning one of London’s most extraordinary buildings to its former glory, the success of the restoration has been celebrated with accolades across architecture and design including Highly Commended at the New London Architecture Awards 2025, shortlistings at the AJ Architecture Awards (Heritage and Culture), the BIID Interior Design Award, the World Architecture Festival Awards and The Plan Awards. Three Building London Planning Awards 2025 – the Mayor’s Award for Good Growth, Best Borough-Led Project and the Civic Trust Award 2026 – highlighted the power of residents, artists, the local authority and cultural organisations working together over many years, whilst winning Community Business of the Year award at the London Chamber of Commerce celebrated the value of theatre as a job creator and economic regenerator.

Co-Executive Directors of Soho Theatre Walthamstow Mark Godfrey and Sam Hansford said: “A year ago we opened Soho Theatre Walthamstow. What’s struck us most since is how quickly a theatre becomes something bigger than a building – part of people’s conversations and sense of place. This theatre exists because of a remarkable coalition of people: the community campaigners who fought to save it, Waltham Forest Council who had the vision to back it, and the artists, builders, staff and audiences who have made it what it is. The last year has been a period of discovery, learning what this extraordinary building wants to be, and how audiences from across London and some of the most distinctive artists in the world respond to it. We want still more productions to see Soho Theatre Walthamstow as their London home: artist-friendly, a great audience experience, well served by transport and accessible in every sense. One year in and we hope to see you here soon.”

Looking ahead highlights coming up at Soho Theatre Walthamstow include a first look at previews for Grayson Perry The Musical, Jon Ronson, Marina Hyde comedy giants Dame Meera Syal, Lenny Henry, Sue Perkins, Richard Ayoade, Harry Enfield, Tim Key and Ruby Wax and the best of the new generation such as Saturday Night Live UK’s Paddy Young and Larry Dean who previously performed at Soho Theatre Downstairs (as have many of the SNL UK cast) and will now reach a bigger audience at Soho Theatre Walthamstow. This summer families can enjoy an internationally celebrated production of Alice in Wonderland, a mischievous stage adaptation of Dr Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat and The Palestinian Circus: Step and a Half an uplifting and captivating spectacle for all ages. Christmas highlights will see Taylor Mac: Holiday Sauce – performed live with an audience for the first time in the UK, the return of Johnny Woo’s Unroyal Variety and for younger audiences Tall Stories’ The Gruffalo and the return of the Philharmonia Brass at Christmas.

The success of Soho Theatre Walthamstow’s first year builds on the international and cultural reach of the original Soho Theatre which last year celebrated 25 years at the forefront cutting-edge theatre, comedy and cabaret, with combined annual audiences between the two venues and Soho Theatre’s touring work reaching approximately 400k. Soho Theatre’s programme of in-house produced theatre has been hugely acclaimed this year, championing the very best new writing with world premieres including The Virgins by Miriam Battye, directed by Jaz Woodcock-Stewart, Welcome to Pemfort by Sarah Power, directed by Ed Madden, and Tender by Dave Harris, directed by Matthew Xia, playing to packed houses.

Highlights coming up at Soho Theatre include Hit Machine, featuring original music from Grammy Award winner Ben Harper starring Josh Radnor and Noah Galvin, the return of Jade Franks’ sell-out hit Eat the Rich, American comedians Jay Jurden and Emil Wakim and queer performance artist Dynasty Handbag, comedians from India including Shamik Chakrabarti and Rohan Joshi, shows from the London Clown Festival, musical comedy HOLE!, and a chance for London audiences to enjoy Soho Theatre’s 2026 Edinburgh Fringe programme with transfers from September including Temi Wilkey’s Lover Girl, Max Olesker’s Making The Cut, Salty Brine’s How Strange It Is (The Neutral Milk Hotel Show), Frankie Thompson: Horrible Things, and Xhloe & Natasha.