As Theatre503 gets ready to open its new production, love you long time (already) by Katie Đỗ, it seemed a good time to add a profile on this pub theatre in south-west London. The organisation is now planning an additional performance and development studio space at Nine Elms, to open in 2027.
Executive Director & Co-CEO Emily Carewe tells us what’s been going on, and how Theatre503 and 503Studio have developed, as the first season of work programmed under the new creative leadership of Artistic Director Anthony Simpson-Pike, and Carewe begins on 2 Jul.
Theatre503 has started a vibrant new chapter in its history. Can you tell me about how the venue started, and how it has got to this point?
Theatre503 came into existence in its current form in 2004, but the theatre above The Latchmere has been a theatre for significantly longer! There’s a really rich history of new writing in this venue; it was once run by The Gate, then was The Latchmere Theatre and then finally became Theatre503.
From 2004 onwards, the 503 that we know really took hold, leading to the emphasis on launching debut writers, the introduction of the International Playwriting Award, Rapid Write Response and the 503Five programme. There has always been an undercurrent of ambition and surprising audiences with what’s possible in our tiny 64-seat theatre – and that ambition contributed hugely to our thinking around our new producing model and this next chapter.
We want audiences to know that they can always come to Theatre503 to see stories they haven’t heard before in ways they haven’t seen before.
How does the theatre discover and programme work, and what kind of material are you looking for?
There are a number of different ways we programme and discover work. As an organisation, we read around 2,000 scripts a year by debut writers. We have a brilliant Literary Team who are always meeting writers and reading drafts, and we have a pool of readers who support us with our unsolicited script portal.
Our 503Five and International Playwriting Award introduce us to a number of writers who ultimately end up having a production on our stage, and we are always attending invites and speaking to agents. It’s our job to be hunting out the most exciting new writing out there, so the more we can read and see, the better!
We are looking for plays exclusively by debut writers – and we are excited by ideas that are boldly theatrical and that tell the story of an experience in a way we haven’t seen before.
Do you think the pub theatre scene is in a good place right now? What distinguishes Theatre 503 from your colleagues?
I think there’s no denying that small-scale theatre is facing a number of challenges. We are all, for the most part, unfunded organisations who rely on a delicate combination of project funding, box office income and individual fundraising to help make shows happen – and that’s becoming harder and harder, especially as costs rise.
Each pub theatre will have its own relationship with the pub they exist above/below, and also their own programming priorities and ways they will make incredible theatre happen. I think it’s important to say that even if small-scale theatre is struggling, it is more vital than ever – it’s the area of the sector where most early career artists hone their craft, where community is built, and often where I see some of the most exciting theatrical risks being taken!
For 503, our USP is our commitment to debut writers – and with that, I’d say we are slightly unique as a pub theatre because we also have a second non-pub venue in the 503Studio in Nine Elms, which is a hub for writer development, R&D, rehearsal and co-working. We are really lucky to be able to have that space as it allows us to develop the writers we are going on to produce at The Latchmere, as well as opening our doors to our local community.
Has your audience changed over time? Are there any groups you would like to attract into the space either as audience or performers?
Our audience changes constantly. This is one of the joys of working with debut writers; with them comes a completely new audience and community. We do have a strong returning audience in our writer community – often people joining in preview performances to participate in Rapid Write Response – but I’d say one of our superpowers is that our community and audience are always evolving.
We are doing a lot of work at the moment to build our hyperlocal audience, particularly because of the 503Studio, and we are always working to reach people whose experiences and identities are represented in our productions.
What is the best, and worst, thing, about being in your building, and being a London fringe theatre?
The best thing is meeting the range of brilliant artists and people that come into our building. It’s always incredibly exciting, and it’s such a privilege to be able to give a home to the amazing work being created.
We love our space and being above a vibrant pub, but being an old Victorian building – one that we don’t own – means a struggle to be as accessible as we want and need to be. The hardest things all sit in the inevitable limitations of being a fringe theatre. There is always going to be financial compromise, but at the time, our challenges often bring about some of our most exciting ideas and changes.
Our 503Studio space has accessibility built into the heart of its design. It’s been open as a meanwhile-use space since 2024, and it’s already allowing us to increase opportunities for us to make our work more meaningfully physically accessible. Back at The Latchmere, we are always pushing to broaden what’s possible and will be introducing captioned performances in every in-house run from this autumn, and continuing to offer fully relaxed performances.
Header image credit: Tony Brown