Arcola Theatre

The Arcola Theatre stands in the London Borough of Hackney, occupying a former paint factory on Ashwin Street in Dalston. The building contains two studio theatre spaces, two rehearsal studios and a café-bar. In 2021 it added Arcola Outside, another space on the same street. Since 2007 the Green Arcola project has aimed to make the theatre carbon-neutral. The theatre was founded in 2000 by Artistic Director Mehmet Ergen and Executive Producer Leyla Nazli. It moved to Ashwin Street in 2011 after its original site on Arcola Street was sold for redevelopment. The move was marked by a play about J. M. W. Turner by Rebecca Lenkiewicz. The theatre has twice won the Peter Brook Empty Space Award and received Time Out Live Awards in 2003 and 2006. In 2007 its production of Mojo Mickey transferred to the West End. A research unit called Arcola Energy works on the top floor to develop hydrogen fuel cells. The first show powered by the venue’s hydrogen fuel cell was Simple8’s The Living Unknown Soldier in 2008. The theatre’s Grimeborn festival runs for six weeks each August and September.