The latest production at Theatre Royal Stratford East was unveiled on Friday 6th September. Prosecco flowed at the ribbon cutting, performed by actor Chizzy Akudolu, to celebrate the new Green Room. The refurbishment was made possible thanks to the support of London property developer Anthology, one of the theatre’s sponsors. The historic producing theatre is close to its latest development, Stratford Mill, a new canal side neighbourhood in East London.
As part of their involvement with the award-winning theatre, which has served the heart of East London since 1884, Anthology project managed the works which took place throughout the month of August, during the theatre’s summer break from productions. Volunteers from Anthology and the theatre began working to a tight schedule to strip out the current Green Room in early August. Following the strip out, construction company, Watkin Jones Group, who is working with Anthology on its Stratford developments, got to work with the new fit out.
Bill Haworth, Anthology’s Project Manager for Stratford Mill commented: “We are very proud to be supporting Theatre Royal Stratford East. The beautiful and historic Victorian theatre is integral to the local area and is focused on community engagement - an ethos that we both share. It has proven to be perfect match to foster an ongoing partnership.
“A huge thanks go to Watkin Jones who generously provided the labour and to Rok European Kitchens. Without them, the refurbishment would not have been possible.”
Once the first stage of the fit out was complete, volunteers were happy to roll up their sleeves and get painting ready for the new kitchen, supplied and installed by Rok European Kitchens.
Claudia Winter, Development Coordinator at the theatre added: “We love our fantastic new Green Room and with a busy season of productions about to kick off, it is going to provide an amazing new facility for our actors to relax when they are not performing. We are very grateful for Anthology’s support and look forward to working with them in the future. The theatre is a unique melting pot of history, architecture, art, politics and people and we tell the stories that reflect our diverse community, so support from businesses like Anthology is vital to enable us to do what we do. We’ve been very excited about it and were really pleased to see so many people attend our reveal event to watch Chizzy cut the ribbon! We all feel very proud of our swanky new Green Room.”
For those who want to make this new and vibrant neighbourhood their home, you can register your interest in one of the one, two or three bedroom apartments at Stratford Mill by calling 0207 760 1583, visiting anthology.london/developments/stratford-mill or email stratfordmill@anthology.london