Polka started life as a touring company in 1967, under the Artistic Directorship of Richard Gill. He was spurred on by a commitment to fine design and craftsmanship and a passion for puppetry, taking the company’s work to many of Britain’s major theatres. By 1971, Polka was attracting staggering audiences of 250,000 each year.
Polka – The Children’s Theatre officially opened its doors on 20th November 1979. It was the UK’s first theatre venue dedicated exclusively to children. This momentous event was marked by a Gala Performance attended by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother.
With two performance spaces, a café, a playground, a toyshop and exhibition spaces, Polka was unique in its child-centred design. It quickly became a popular attraction both locally and London-wide, known for the high production values of its puppetry performances, and the exceptional environment in which they were staged.
Its annual programme consisted of seven home-produced productions. Importantly, Polka also provided a permanent London venue for touring children’s theatre companies from all over the UK and abroad..
Once established in its own space, the Company quickly began to grow, working with more writers, directors and puppeteers than ever before. By 1983, Polka was regularly programming and producing productions aimed specifically at the Under-5s. The studio, known as the Adventure Theatre, became the designated performance space for this work.
In 1988, Vicky Ireland joined Polka as the company’s second Artistic Director. Under Ireland’s leadership, the company flourished as a centre of excellence. Productions, with a focus on quality scriptwriting, widened in both content and form.
During Vicky’s tenure Polka worked with some of Britain’s leading writers, including Alan Ayckbourn, Philip Pullman, David Holman, Jamila Gavin, Malorie Blackman, Charles Way and Mike Kenny. Vicky’s devotion to quality playwriting was also reflected in the appointment of a Director of New Writing in 2001, out of which Polka’s New Writing Programme was born.
Another notable landmark in Polka’s history came in 1994, when Polka won the Vivien Duffield Theatre Award to begin the pioneering audience development initiative, Curtain-Up! The scheme offers free theatre tickets to disadvantaged schools whose pupils would otherwise not have the opportunity to experience theatre due to financial or other difficulties, supplemented by money to cover transport costs and a free post-show drama workshop to support the visits. The scheme, which still runs, has introduced over 75,000 school children to the magic of theatre since it began.
In 2002, Annie Wood was appointed as Polka’s third Artistic Director. Her first major commission was the groundbreaking installation performance piece, ‘Best Behaviour’, devised and directed by Mark Storor. Part theatre and part live art, the show took place in the theatre’s foyer, changing the nature of the audience’s relationship with the performers. ‘Best Behaviour’ was hailed as “one of the best pieces of theatre this century” in a five-star review in The Guardian.
Annie extended Polka’s target audience both downwards and upwards. The Adventure Theatre continued to innovate in theatre for babies and toddlers, while the first ‘Polka Teens’ show went into production in the Main Theatre. Meanwhile, a number of productions went out on the road, including UK tours of ‘The Selfish Giant’, ‘Double Act’ and ‘Bad Girls’ (co-produced with Watershed Productions), and an international tour of ‘Martha’s Wild Goose Chase’ to Bermuda and the US.
2007 saw the arrival of Jonathan Lloyd as Artistic Director. Jonathan’s appointment led an ambitious and entertaining mix of new plays, adaptations and innovative work for Early Years audiences. Shows included the premiere of Fevered Sleep’s ‘Brilliant’; ‘Ghosts in the Gallery’ by Paul Sirett, a collaboration with the National Portrait Gallery; and ‘Charlie and Lola’s Best Bestest Play’ which toured nationally and to Sao Paolo in Brazil. Education projects flourished, including Writing the World, a story-writing competition looking at what life is like for children in other countries. Jonathan also launched Freefalling, our flagship Youth Theatre programme for children in Merton at risk of social exclusion.
Polka appointed Peter Glanville as Artistic Director in 2013. During his tenure Polka staged ambitious productions such as ‘Minotaur’ and ‘Operation Magic Carpet’, as well as exciting collaborations such as ‘Dot, Squiggle and Rest’ with the Royal Opera House. He launched the PolkaLAB programme, supporting new artists from BAME backgrounds to develop new work, and worked alongside 17 European countries in the Culture Europe funded Mapping programme, leading to the establishment of the first Big Dreams Early Years Theatre Festival.
In 2018, Executive Director Stephen Midlane stepped down after over 40 years of service to Polka, with Lynette Shanbury taking up the reins. The following year the theatre temporarily closed for a major redevelopment of the building, with Glanville and Shanbury leading the company as joint CEOs.
Whilst the venue was closed, the company toured to venues and schools, and created the Polka40 project. Celebrating 40 years of the company’s work, the project included an extensive in-school and community programme, and a local history project including an exhibition which toured to Merton libraries. The closure of the venue was extended longer than planned when the Covid-19 pandemic hit, but audiences remained involved with Polka through digital workshops and shows.
In August 2021 the venue reopened following a £9m redevelopment, with hugely improved customer and backstage facilities, performance spaces and accessibility. The new venue followed Polka’s original ethos of providing indoor and outdoor play spaces for the public to enjoy free of charge – the venue is open 6 days per week, 50 weeks per year for all families to use.
Helen Matravers was appointed as Polka Theatre’s Artistic Director and Joint Chief Executive in January 2023. Helen has over 15 years of experience working across new writing, devised performance and artist development. She originally trained as an actor, before moving into creative producing and theatre programming. She worked at The Drayton Arms Theatre as Artistic Director, Theatre503 and The Lyric Hammersmith as Producer, and New Diorama Theatre as Senior Producer, where she headed up their Artist Development schemes and produced shows such as ‘Operation Mincemeat’ and ‘The Secret Life of Humans’ which transferred Off-Broadway. Before joining Polka, Helen was LAMDA’s first ever Producer. Since taking over as Artistic Director at Polka, Helen has focused on the development of work by underrepresented artists and voices in the TYA sector, and established a Playwriting Award, Artist Development programme Catapult, and a free school’s touring programme.