This Summer’s Main Theatre Refurbishment

Exciting plans are afoot for Polka Theatre this summer.

You may have spotted that between 18 August and 16 October 2025, there are no performances in Polka’s Main Theatre (there are two fantastic shows playing in our Adventure Theatre though – discover What’s On).

The reason for this unusual gap, temporarily ‘going dark’ as we call it in theatre, is that Polka is undertaking important improvements to this performance space. The upgrades will enable us to produce even more ground-breaking, impressive and visually spectacular shows in our Main Theatre!

You’ve all seen the incredible magic that happens on Polka’s stage. But behind the scenes our technical teams have been working with archaic electrical infrastructure from the 1970’s (when Polka first opened, converting the old church hall into a theatre). They’ve been wrangling with outdated wiring and old technical equipment, to bring to life modern stories and deliver an increasingly demanding range of lighting, video and sound effects.

We couldn’t make much improvement to the Main Theatre in our previous major redevelopment (2019-2021) because the impact of the pandemic and rising costs meant we had to prioritise other areas. As a result, apart from lovely new carpet and seating, the Main Theatre remained largely untouched, until last year when we started some behind the scenes work: adding new double glazing in the dressing rooms, and starting some improvements to the electrical systems, working around the performances that were happening. But to undertake the rest of the work, we need to temporarily ‘go dark’ in our Main Theatre.

We are delighted to have received funding from a group of generous supporters to undertake this work and bring the Main Theatre into the 21st century, safeguarding Polka Theatre so we can continue delivering exceptional children’s theatre for generations to come. Their support means we’ll be able to invest in new wiring, equipment and lighting for the Main Theatre that will be safer, more reliable, more eco-friendly, and capable of realising our ambitious productions.

Upon completion, our brilliant team will be equipped with new improved infrastructure and technical equipment to achieve amazing and inspiring moments on stage – levelling up the theatre magic Polka can deliver in our largest performance space.

We want to thank the generous supporters of the Main Theatre Refurbishment, without whom this work would not be possible:

• Chan Yin Chuen Memorial Charitable Foundation – lead supporter
• Wolfson Foundation
• London Borough of Merton Civic Pride Fund Investing in Neighbourhoods
• Greenslade Family Foundation
• Icon Solutions
• Christina Smith Foundation
• Equity Charitable Trust
• Backstage Trust
• The Harpur Family
• Natasha Gill

And to everyone who has supported the project, including those who wish to remain anonymous.

The Main Theatre will re-open on 17 October, with Well Done, Mummy Penguin for ages 3-7 years, a show where amazing feats are achieved and celebrated. Swiftly followed with a new festive Polka production of The Firework-Maker’s Daughter for ages 6-12 years, based on the much-loved and award-winning book by Philip Pullman – an illuminating tale about a girl trying to pull off her own spectacular display! We can think of no better way to welcome you back to the Main Theatre.