The Turbine Theater at London’s Battersea Power Station is set to close after five years, with the theater’s landscape “devoid of serious investment and philanthropy”.
The 92-seat venue launched shows such as “My Son’s A Queer (But What Can You Do?)” and the Gwyneth Paltrow comedy musical “I Wish You Well,” both of which were transferred to the West End.
Artistic Director Paul Taylor-Mills said: “To say we are proud of what we have achieved at the Turbine Theater is an understatement.”
The announcement comes just days after arts union Equity said it had “serious concerns” about the way the venue employs actors and staff.
Mr Taylor Mills said in a statement on Monday: “About six years ago I stepped into an empty railway arch at Battersea Power Station – leaking water, no changing rooms, no bar and just a few folding chairs. There was just that.
“We created theater with an equal mix of excitement and fear.”
He added: “As the theatrical production landscape changes, a 92-seat space will no longer work without serious investment and philanthropy. The time has come for me to focus my efforts elsewhere.
“The Turbine Theater was an absolute labor of love. It shouldn’t have worked out, but it did. I’m so proud of the lives it changed and the dreams it made come true. ”
This venue will be closed after the Christmas production until December 22nd.
Last week, Equity magazine’s newsletter called on those who have recently worked there, or will work there, to contact them and warn them: “You may have been denied important rights that may have significant financial value. “There is,” he said.
An Equity spokesperson said: “A number of Equity members have raised concerns and the union supports this.”
“We hope to work with Turbine Theater and Paul Taylor-Mills to resolve the concerns constructively and are in contact with them to that end.”
Taylor Mills owns the company that operates Turbine and is also the artistic director of another London venue, The Other Palace.
He did not respond to Equity’s request for comment.
