Consider this your warning in the intermission. The lobby lights are finally flashing for The Broadway in Barking and the east London theatre is officially on track to reopen. Last week, council leaders voted unanimously to appoint artsdepot as its new operator, with the Finchley-based arts organisation planning a partial programme from 2027 before a full reopening in 2028.
The Broadway’s sudden curtain-drop happened in January 2024, thanks to crumbling RAAC. Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, as it is in longform, is a structural menace that’s been holding public buildings and schools hostage nationwide. The council says the building material will be cleared from the Broadway for good by November of this year.
And thank goodness for that, because this isn’t just any old suburban black box theatre. The Broadway has a stranger history than its rep as a local council theatre might suggest. Construction began way back in 1937 as part of a grand Barking Town Hall complex, but war broke out before the auditorium was finished. By 1939 only the basement existed, and it was immediately pressed into service as a public air raid bunker and gas decontamination centre. The theatre above didn’t open until 1961, taking an agonising 24 years to complete. When you’re sitting in the stalls, you’re essentially sitting on a piece of Blitz history.
In the swinging sixties, the venue hosted gigs by British pop rockers the Tremeloes, known for hits like ‘Do You Love Me’ and ‘Silence Is Golden’. Since a mid-2000s refit it’s shared its walls with Barking and Dagenham College’s performing arts school, giving the borough opportunities to see live comedy, music, circus and family shows without having to schlep into Zone 1.
Exactly which shows the Broadway will open with is still under wraps, so watch this space for updates.
Barking, IG11 7LS.
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