Theatre Building of the Year

Soho Theatre Walthamstow, London

Following a decade-long, grassroots campaign to save the building, the spectacular Soho Theatre Walthamstow opened in May. The project, which cost more than £30 million, saw the iconic grade II*-listed, 1930s former Granada cinema auditorium bought back into use after 22 years, transformed into a 960-seat arts venue.

Testament to the power of partnerships and collaboration, the lengthy campaign to save the building’s entertainment use began with local community groups, with the Waltham Forest Cinema Trust established in 2011 to imagine a vision for the venue’s future, in association with Soho Theatre.

Waltham Forest Council bought the building in 2019 and committed £30 million to the project, signing an agreement with Soho Theatre to run the venue. The persistence of all those who fought for the building’s future paid off, with the resulting renovation honouring the history of the space, while bringing it into the modern day.

The design was led by theatre architects Pilbrow & Partners and Willmott Dixon Interiors with Bond Bryan architects. Theatre designer and local resident Jane Wheeler and architect Matthew Baker also shaped the interiors.

The auditorium retains its art deco grandeur and features comfortable seating with ample leg room and drinks holders. Other features of the renovation include studio spaces, a podcast recording studio, spacious backstage facilities, 20 accessible dressing rooms and four bars.

Soho Theatre Walthamstow is already living up to its slogan as ‘a local theatre with a national profile’ by driving economic growth in the area, bringing tens of thousands of visitors to the borough, creating more than 100 employment opportunities and a creative engagement programme for local artists and residents. This is alongside a line-up of world-class theatremakers for its inaugural programme – including Bryony Kimmings, Jonny Woo and Natalie Palamides – and top names in comedy, including Tim Minchin and Patti Harrison.

Sadler’s Wells East, London

Not only does Sadler’s Wells East bring state-of-the-art performance and rehearsal facilities to the growing creative offering in east London, but it also fills a much-needed gap in the national dance ecology. The mid-size, 550-seat theatre was designed by O’Donnell + Tuomey, with consultancy by Charcoalblue.

While the stage is the same size as Sadler’s Wells Theatre at Rosebery Avenue, Sadler’s Wells East provides a space for high-quality shows that might not be able to fill a 1,500-seat venue. It has been described by London mayor Sadiq Khan as “a game changer for dance in the capital and across the UK, bringing world-leading, innovative performances to a brand-new stage and providing fantastic opportunities for young people”.

The needs of dancers, backstage workers and audiences have been placed at the heart of the design, which also includes six rehearsal studios and a bright foyer and bar space with a community dance floor. The stage has a powered flying system and carefully curated sightlines so that audience members can see the dancers’ feet. The building’s hand-laid brick and clay shingle facade provides high environmental performance. The finer details of the design include seat numbers creatively burned into the wood and wind screens outside the building decorated with Laban notations.

Since opening in February 2025, the flexible auditorium has presented 32 productions from UK and international companies. Sadler’s Wells East strives to be a home for communities as much as for professional dancers, with its dance floor in the foyer offering 176 free workshops and welcoming 2,920 participants in its first six months.

The building also prides itself on being a centre for education and training, housing the Rose Choreographic School and hip-hop theatre school Academy Breakin’ Convention.

Soho Theatre Walthamstow, London

Following a decade-long, grassroots campaign to save the building, the spectacular Soho Theatre Walthamstow opened in May. The project, which cost more than £30 million, saw the iconic grade II*-listed, 1930s former Granada cinema auditorium bought back into use after 22 years, transformed into a 960-seat arts venue.

Testament to the power of partnerships and collaboration, the lengthy campaign to save the building’s entertainment use began with local community groups, with the Waltham Forest Cinema Trust established in 2011 to imagine a vision for the venue’s future, in association with Soho Theatre.

Waltham Forest Council bought the building in 2019 and committed £30 million to the project, signing an agreement with Soho Theatre to run the venue. The persistence of all those who fought for the building’s future paid off, with the resulting renovation honouring the history of the space, while bringing it into the modern day.

The design was led by theatre architects Pilbrow & Partners and Willmott Dixon Interiors with Bond Bryan architects. Theatre designer and local resident Jane Wheeler and architect Matthew Baker also shaped the interiors.

The auditorium retains its art deco grandeur and features comfortable seating with ample leg room and drinks holders. Other features of the renovation include studio spaces, a podcast recording studio, spacious backstage facilities, 20 accessible dressing rooms and four bars.

Soho Theatre Walthamstow is already living up to its slogan as ‘a local theatre with a national profile’ by driving economic growth in the area, bringing tens of thousands of visitors to the borough, creating more than 100 employment opportunities and a creative engagement programme for local artists and residents. This is alongside a line-up of world-class theatremakers for its inaugural programme – including Bryony Kimmings, Jonny Woo and Natalie Palamides – and top names in comedy, including Tim Minchin and Patti Harrison.

Theatr Clwyd, Mold

Theatr Clwyd in Mold, Wales, has undergone an extraordinary transformation. The original well-loved but slowly decaying 1970s building is unrecognisable following a £50 million redevelopment by theatre architects Haworth Tompkins.

Having started in 2016, spanning the Covid-19 pandemic and reopening with artistic director Kate Wasserberg’s production of Jonathan Larson’s Tick, Tick... Boom! in June 2025, the redevelopment is of an impressive scale – with the frontage of the building equivalent to the National Theatre’s 10,000 sq metres.

It was one of the final projects delivered under the direction of Haworth Tompkins’ co-founder Steve Tompkins before he stepped back from his role. The visionary design has retained the historic red brickwork, but the ageing concrete structure at its forefront has been replaced with a timber frame and glass panels. The building boasts three theatre spaces, a cinema, a gallery, revamped making facilities, artist studios, rehearsal rooms and community spaces, with the design enabling seamless transition between professional and participatory work. Sustainability is at its core, with the pioneering timber frame – believed to be the largest in any UK theatre – reducing embodied carbon by more than 50%. The theatre achieved a BREEAM Excellent rating for sustainability, placing it among the top 10% of UK public buildings, with features including natural ventilation, solar optimisation, advanced insulation and air source heat pumps making it carbon neutral for substantial parts of the day.

The design was shaped by input from the community, with more than 22,000 survey responses submitted at the feasibility stage. Theatr Clwyd’s creative engagement activity will have a 100% uplift in provision, with new studios and a health and well-being suite supporting mental health, dementia care and community referrals.

The redeveloped theatre aims to be a cornerstone of the regeneration of North East Wales. It employs more than 200 staff and has ambitions to become a tourist destination, through a new partnership with Michelin-starred Welsh chef Bryn Williams and other initiatives.

Winners will be announced at The Stage Awards at the Royal Opera House on January 12. Tickets are available to purchase by contacting Sarah DuMay sarah.dumay@thestage.co.uk.