5 Years Since our Reopening

Reimaging our building was just the start…

Today marks 5 years since Polka’s first performance after reopening to the public following our major Capital Redevelopment Project. It was 25th September 2021 when we had the first performance in the venue after reopening – welcoming audiences to see our production of ‘RED‘.

Since then, over 500,000 visitors have been through our doors. We’ve created 42 productions and presented over 3,400 performances, working with extraordinary artists, writers, and theatre companies. We’ve put on over 6,000 Creative Learning events with over 100,000 participants, and launched and rolled out influential literacy and oracy projects in schools. We launched the Polka Playwriting Award and Catapult artist development scheme – now both in their second cycles. Last year we were finally able to undertake a significant technical refurbishment of our newly named Y C Chan Theatre. We’ve received 3 Olivier Award nominations and won both Merton’s Best Business and UK Theatre’s Most Welcoming Theatre awards, among many other award nominations and wins. Hundreds of volunteers have joined us to help look after our audiences, and we’ve served well over 100,000 hot drinks in our Café!

The redevelopment of our building was more than just skin deep – it was the catalyst to a reimagining of what Polka as an organisation could be for our audiences and communities, and the artists and partners we work with. We’ve put children’s voices more deeply at the heart of what we do through our expanded Young Ambassadors programme, and we understand what families and schools need by working hand-in-hand with our community and school partners. Polka is a bold and ambitious organisation, evolving our activities to reflect the every-day experiences of children and help them respond to the challenges and joys of being a child.

I joined Polka shortly before we shut the doors for that redevelopment, in February 2018. At the time we had no idea just how difficult the next few years would be. Our closure was extended to two and a half years due to the Covid pandemic, so reopening to welcome children, families, artists, volunteers and staff back through our doors was incredibly emotional. Just being able to provide a welcoming and exciting space to have fun, to create and to meet, was a wonderful thing – something that the visitors to our free indoor and outdoor spaces now enjoy with happiness all year round. I remember standing in the Play Den as the final building signage was put up, watching toddlers diving into the dressing-up box and digging through the reading corner books, and thinking “finally! This is why we did it”.

The first year of reopening was a steep learning curve. Not only were we still navigating how to run a venue in a way that kept everyone safe and healthy, but we were learning how to operate a brand-new building with a largely brand-new team of people. But we did it, and the support and feedback from our community was amazing.

‘RED‘ was a wonderful first re-opening production because it set the tone not only for our commitment to accessibility and inclusion, but for how we wanted to continue to present exceptional quality theatre for children, and to push the boundaries of what could be achieved. Based on the story developed by Stephen Collins, Peter Glanville and Hannah Quigley, and also directed by Hannah Quigley, the production was designed Rachana Jadhav to showcase our new venue, taking audiences on a journey across the ground floor of the building – to the forest created in the Play Den, through the Clore Studio that was digitally designed in collaboration with children, and to the atmospheric finale in the Adventure Theatre. The production was performed by three Deaf actors, telling the story through visual and physical storytelling and British Sign Language. Although ‘RED’ was our re-opening production, it was Freefalling students who were actually the first to step back into the renovated building in August 2021, reclaiming Polka for children and young people in the wake of the pandemic, at a time when coming together for a shared live experience was still a challenge to do safely. It is incredibly appropriate that we’ve just celebrated the 20th anniversary of this flagship project, and all the brilliant young people who’ve been through that scheme.

I’m so incredibly proud of our team and everyone who has worked with us to make Polka what it is today. This includes our many supporters – with an ongoing annual fundraising target of well over £1m, we want to thank everyone who has made the last 5 years possible. We have loved seeing children returning through our doors, and our audiences have told us just how important we are to them. So thank you to the 500,000 people who have visited Polka at our Merton home (that’s over 4 million since we opened in 1979!), plus all the thousands more who have seen our productions on tour or taken part in our activities in the community – without you there is no Polka.

Lynette Shanbury – Polka’s Executive Director and Joint CEO