About us
REIMAGINE THE WORLD
WE REIMAGINE THEATRE. WE CROSS GENRES AND BOUNDARIES BECAUSE EVERY ARTIST WE WORK WITH WANTS TO SAY SOMETHING NEW, IN NEW WAYS.
WE TELL NEW STORIES. WE WORK WITH ARTISTS WHO INVITE US INTO JOURNEYS OF ESCAPE, EUPHORIA, POSSIBILITY AND HOPE.
WE REIMAGINE THE WORLD. WE STAGE DIFFERENT VISIONS OF WHAT LIFE CAN BE, SO WE CAN TRY THEM OUT TOGETHER FOR A NIGHT.
WE’RE GOOD AT IT. MICHAELA COEL. MARIKISCRYCRYCRY. PXSSY PALACE. ALEXANDER ZELDIN. LAMESHA RUDDOCK. INFERNO. DIPO BARUWA-ETTI. SAY NO MORE.
“It’s a mecca for some of the most interesting theatre in Britain.”
British Vogue
OUR ARTISTS
DEVELOPING ARTISTS TO TELL NEW STORIES
We support our artists to expand the potential of theatre.
We help artists find their voice, engaging local young people with our Yard Young Artists programme, inspiring them to create the future of theatre, today.
We support artists who have found their voice, encouraging them to take imaginative risks, and backing them to follow their instincts. They make great shows.
We work with no rule book, no formula and total belief in the power of artists and what they can create for our world.
“I have been supported in making my ideas bigger and bolder, not being confined to what might traditionally be seen in a theatre.”
Dipo Baruwa-Etti, writer An unfinished man (2022)
OUR STAGE
LIKE THEATRE, LIKE CLUB
By breaking down the barriers between stage and dancefloor, we upend expectations of theatre.
Both are spaces where stories are told, inviting us into journeys of escape, euphoria, possibility and hope — making both forms as invigorating as each other.
Both are spaces where artist and audience come together, feeding off each others’ ideas and energies in a live and exhilarating back-and-forth.
Both are spaces that ask us to be in the moment. To be there, we have to be there.
“It may be an unusual vision for the future of theatre — but it’s happening right now at The Yard.”
The New York Times
OUR IMPACT
WITH AND FOR OUR COMMUNITY
We work to reflect the stories, cultures, subcultures and communities of East London.
We prioritise our local audiences. We develop East London talent. We run free weekly workshops with our Yard Young Artists to partner with local schools, local artists and develop young voices.
We’re here to share East London with the world.
“The Yard Theatre is a hugely important institution for Hackney Wick and for East London more widely - for its cultural life, for its creativity, and for its young people. The community would not be the same without it.”
Luke Billingham, Hackney Quest
OUR PEOPLE
OUR TEAM
OUR BOARD OF TRUSTEES
OUR STORY
BEGINNINGS
The Yard Theatre was founded in 2011 by Artistic Director Jay Miller because he wanted theatre to be more and do more. So over one summer, Jay and 50 volunteers converted a disused warehouse into an amphitheatre and nightclub, using reclaimed materials and a £10,000 grant from Arts Council England.
Originally intended as a six-month pop-up, The Yard has stuck around, and grown in influence.
Shows first shared at The Yard Theatre have been turned into television series, transferred to the National Theatre, and toured the world. Club nights first staged at The Yard have found bigger homes and love at venues like The ICA.
Artists like Michaela Coel, Alexander Zeldin, Marikiscrycrycry and Dipo Baruwa-Etti, collectives like INFERNO and Pxssy Palace, Yard Young Artists like Lamesha Ruddock — they’ve all used their vision and energy to give us new stories and narratives for what the world could be.
Now a permanent fixture in the UK's cultural scene, The Yard Theatre testifies to the power of a grassroots space that loves to explore and thrives on nonconformity.
