Hackney Empire

The Hackney Empire is a theatre on Mare Street in the London Borough of Hackney. Designed by Frank Matcham, it opened in 1901 as a music hall and expanded in 2001. Nikolaus Pevsner called it one of the best-surviving Edwardian suburban variety theatres. A statue of Thalia, the Greek muse of comedy, sits on its roof. The building became a Grade II* listed structure in 1974. It has hosted stars from Charlie Chaplin to Leona Lewis, who became its patron in 2021. The theatre shifted from music hall to TV studios in the 1950s, then to a bingo hall in the 1960s. In 1984, Claire and Roland Muldoon’s CAST group revived it as a performance space. Ralph Fiennes and Lindsay Kemp have appeared on its stage, and Slava Polunin’s Snowshow played there. Today it presents theatre, opera, comedy, dance and music. A £17m refurbishment in 2001 added an orchestra pit, studio theatre and improved facilities. The Marie Lloyd public house was incorporated into the new wing. Over 4,000 young people take part in its Creative Futures programme each year. The British Soap Awards and The Rolling Stones’ album launch have been held there.