Dalston’s getting a new outdoor theatre and bar space

The Arcola Theatre is turning itself inside-out for winter. The pioneering Off-West End playhouse has employed multi-award-winning stage designer Jon Bausor to create a brand new outdoor performance space and bar near its main building on Ashwin street (just opposite Dalston Junction Overground station).

Arcola Outside is due to open in December. Under Tier 2 restrictions, groups of up to six people from different households can mix in an outdoor space – and the Arcola aims to bring them safely together under one very big and well-ventilated roof.

The Arcola – along with its neighbour Dalston Curve Garden – has been a longstanding champion of sustainability since its inception two decades ago. Its new 90-seat space will use planters and reclaimed materials.

In 2021 it will be the central hub for a Hackney-wide festival of outdoor performance, ‘Today I’m Wiser’, celebrating collective change and creativity.

Unmissable theatre to see this year.

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