Southwark Playhouse Elephant is just a ten-minute walk away from the ‘original’ Southwark Playhouse, which is, confusingly, also in Elephant but is being renamed the Southwark Playhouse Borough.
But whatever: after years of anticipation, Fringe powerhouse Southwark Playhouse finally launches a second branch in 2023. Run by the original theatre’s long-time, low-key artistic director Chris Smyrnios, Southwark Playhouse Elephant has a 310-seat main house – that’s half again as big as the original theatre’s main house – plus a second space reserved for the local community.
A third Southwark Playhouse, Southwark Playhouse London Bridge, is due to open in 2025.