Ever since it was founded in 1979, the Gate has earned a reputation as one of London's smallest but best off-West End theatres. Over the decades, the Arts Council-funded space, formerly of Notting Hill, become known for staging challenging work with an international slant. Previous artistic director Ellen MacDougall presided over an impressive line-up of new plays with a European focus, staged with wit and imagination, in an auditorium that transforms for each performance. She build on the work of previous boss Christopher Haydon, who looked to work from America, as well as the successful stewardship of his artistic forebears Natalie Abrahami and Carrie Cracknell.
The Gate effectively grew out of a different era of London, when the west of the city was more culturally vibrant and when there were fewer concerns over wheelchair inaccessible studios above old pubs. After shutting down for the pandemic, the Gate’s original Notting Hill home never reopened, and McDougall departed.
However, in 2022 it moved into a new building in Camden, which it shares with the already established Theatro Technis. At time of writing it had an interim artistic director, Stef O’Driscoll – it’s unclear whether she is likely to remain in the role permanently.