scaffold theatre

The original Albany was built in 1899, at the angled junction of the main East-West highway, Creek Road, in Deptford. 

 

The Albany didn't become a performance space until later on. In 1972, the theatre group 'The Combination' made the Albany their home. They adapted the top floor hall and installed a Scaffold Theatre.

 

"The thing that was special about the Albany was that it had a bar in the space - well it was to the side, but I mean it was in the theatre space and the idea was that the theatre sort of hugged the audience. . . and then it was always the case that you'd have your bit of theatre and then at the end of it you'd have the treat, which would be that you then would have like a disco and you could let your hair down. . . you could chat while it was on . . . it was pretty raucous, rough theatre"

Kate Owen, Stage Designer 

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We wanted to capture the element of 'casual theatre' that the Scaffold boasted in its early years. This theatre space could be a place where actors and audience become one. Innovative, interactive new performances are on the rise in the world of theatre and the Albany's Scaffold Theatre could be a place where companies test out new ideas and reinvent our knowledge of what theatre could be. 

 

Should the Albany bring this informal immersive experience back?