Polka Theatre is a children’s theatre in

Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * ...

London Borough of Merton The London Borough of Merton () is a borough in Southwest London, England. The borough was formed under the London Government Act 1963 in 1965 by the merger of the Municipal Borough of Mitcham, the Municipal Borough of Wimbledon and the Merton ...

, for children aged 0– 13. The theatre contains two performance spaces - a 300-seat main auditorium and a 70-seat studio dedicated to early years performances. Polka Theatre is a

producing theatre A producing house is a theatre which ‘manufactures' its own shows in-house (such as plays, musicals, opera, or dance) and perhaps does everything from honing the script, building the set, casting the actors and designing and making the costum ...

which also tours shows nationally and internationally. The building also features a creative learning studio, a garden, an outdoor playground, indoor play area, exhibition spaces and a cafe. Polka Theatre is a registered charity number 256979 and an

Arts Council England Arts Council England is an arm's length non-departmental public body of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. It is also a registered charity. It was formed in 1994 when the Arts Council of Great Britain was divided into three s ...

National Portfolio Organisation. It is also funded by the

and a number of private charitable trusts and foundations, individuals and commercial companies.

History

Polka Theatre started life as a

puppet A puppet is an object, often resembling a human, animal or Legendary creature, mythical figure, that is animated or manipulated by a person called a puppeteer. The puppeteer uses movements of their hands, arms, or control devices such as rods ...

touring company in 1967 under the Artistic Directorship of Richard Gill. The theatre venue (formerly the Holy Trinity Halls in Wimbledon) opened on 20 November 1979 and was the UK’s first theatre venue dedicated exclusively to children. The opening was marked with a Gala performance attended by

Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon (4 August 1900 – 30 March 2002) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 to 6 February 1952 as the wife of King George VI. She was the l ...

. By 1983 Polka was regularly programming and producing productions aimed specifically at children under 5 in its studio space, known as the Adventure Theatre. The Adventure Theatre hosts in house productions and visiting productions from the UK and overseas. Over recent years Polka has developed its Early Years work for children aged from 6 months. Polka Theatre won the

Vivien Duffield Dame Vivien Louise Duffield, (née Clore; born 26 March 1946) is an English philanthropist. Life and career Vivien Louise Clore was born to Jewish parents. Her father was millionaire businessman and philanthropist Sir Charles Clore and her m ...

Theatre Award to begin the audience development initiative, Curtain-Up! in 1994. The scheme offers free theatre tickets to disadvantaged schools whose pupils would otherwise not have the opportunity to experience theatre due to financial or other difficulties, supplemented by money to cover transport costs and a free post-show drama workshop to support the visits. The building temporarily closed for a major redevelopment on Monday 18 February 2019, with building work commencing in March 2019. The planned reopening was Summer 2020 but was delayed due to the effects of the pandemic. '' Cinderella: the AWESOME Truth'' was then scheduled for November 2021 as the Theatre's first production after reopening.

Artistic Directors

The current Artistic Director Peter Glanville was appointed in August 2013 having previously been the Artistic Director/ Chief Executive of

Little Angel Theatre Little Angel Theatre is a puppet theatre for children and their families based in the London Borough of Islington The London Borough of Islington ( ) is a London borough in Inner London. Whilst the majority of the district is located in north ...

Islington Islington () is a district in the north of Greater London, England, and part of the London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the ar ...

. * 1967- 1988 Richard Gill * 1988- 2002 Vicky Ireland * 2002- 2007 Annie Wood * 2007– 2013 Jonathan Lloyd * 2013–present Peter Glanville

Awards

*2014

Eleanor Farjeon Award The Eleanor Farjeon Award is made for distinguished service to the world of British Children's literature, children's books and is given to someone whose commitment and contribution is deemed to be outstanding. Founded in 1966, it is presented annua ...

winner *2015 Best Production for Young People (under 8 years) for ''Peter Pan'', Winner

Gallery

File:Polka Theatre Auditorium.jpg, Polka Theatre Auditorium File:Polka Theatre Exhibition Area.jpg, Polka Theatre Exhibition Area File:Polka Theatre Playground.jpg, Polka Theatre Playground File:Polka Theatre Toyshop.jpg, Polka Theatre Toyshop File:Polka Theatre Annex.jpg, Polka Theatre Annex File:Teddy Bear Collection.jpg, Teddy Bear Collection, Polka Theatre

References

External links

Official website
{{Coord, 51.4196, -0.1949, display=title Theatres in the London Borough of Merton Children's theatre Buildings and structures in Wimbledon, London