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Tabard Theatre
Address	Bath Road, Turnham Green
City	Hounslow, London
Architect	Richard Norman Shaw
Owned by	Pulling Focus Ltd
Capacity	96 seats
Type	Fringe Theatre
Opened	1985
Rebuilt	2005
Website
www.tabardtheatre.co.uk

The Tabard Theatre is an intimate, 96 seat theatre located in Chiswick in the London Borough of Hounslow. Close to Turnham Green Underground station, it is situated above the Tabard public house which was built in 1880 by the architect Norman Shaw ^[1] for the Bedford Park Estate. The upper walls of the public house are covered in arts and craft tiles by William De Morgan, and the fireplaces have surrounds of tiles created by Walter Crane – an early example of Art Nouveau.

History [edit]

3-D model of the theatre's interior

Early years [edit]

It was licensed for theatre use in 1985 and was founded by a group of playwrights, one of whom is Sheila Dewey.

It created a strong reputation for new writing but also developed into a breeding ground for experimental theatre and alternative comedy.

Later years [edit]

It is now under new leadership of Pulling Focus Ltd, joint artistic directors Fred Perry and Colin Hilton, and general manager Simon Reilly.

Since 2005 the theatre has undergone extensive refurbishment work which is now complete. At the end of 2007, the Tabard Theatre started to produce in house making it one of the few theatres to do so in a studio theatre with no central funding. In 2009, New Boy, (a co-production at the Tabard Theatre back in April 2008), transferred to the West End; In 2010, Wolfboy followed its steps.

The Tabard Theatre plays host to its own productions, presents co-productions with other theatre companies as well as receiving work from across the world as a receiving house.

It has also gained a reputation as an ideal venue for comedians to try out new work prior to major tours, and well known names such as Russell Brand, Harry Hill, Russell Howard, Dara Ó Briain and Al Murray have all played there.

Interior photos of the Tabard Theatre

References [edit]

External links [edit]

• Tabard Theatre – Official website

Coordinates: 51°29′45″N 0°15′17″W / 51.4957°N 0.2547°W / 51.4957; -0.2547

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