Riverside Studios

Riverside Studios in Hammersmith set to reopen in January 2020

Will Longman
Will Longman

Hammersmith arts centre Riverside Studios is set to reopen in the New Year following a five-year closure for redevelopment.

With a number of different studios, the space was home to a number of national TV productions, as well as staging comedy, music, dance and theatre productions. The redevelopment, led by Mount Anvil and A2 Dominion, will open in three phases.

This week, a cafe/bar and new brasserie will open alongside the flagship TV studio, Studio 1, to complete Phase One of the reopening. Then, in January, Studio 3, one of the brand-new theatres at the space, will open as will a state-of-the-art cinema as part of phase two. The third phase completes the reopening, with a second performance space, Studio 2, and a rehearsal room.

Studio 3 will open in 23rd January with a theatrical adaptation of Ingmar Bergman's 1966 psychological thriller Persona, about a young nurse and her patient, a famous actress, who has suddenly stopped speaking. Directed by Paul Schoolman and starring Alice Krige and Nobuhle Ketelo, the piece will also feature musician William Close playing an original score on his signature Earth Harp.

It will be followed by Love, Loss and Chianti starring Robert Bathurst and Rebecca Johnson from 25th February, a two-part performance featuring A Scattering and The Song of Lunch both by Christopher Reid.

Following the Liza Pullman Sings Streisand, the performer will open her new production, The Heart of It, at the venue from 18th May. Accompanied by her band, she will perform timeless classics by the likes of Randy Newman, Stevie Wonder, Michel La rand and Judy Collins.

Artistic director of the space, William Burdett-Coutts, said: 'To see Riverside Studios reopen its doors to the public is the culmination of a dream. Whilst the old building held an extremely fond place in the hearts of people across the arts, television and film worlds it had all the benefits and problems of a "found space". Essentially it began life as a Victorian factory and through a number of different incarnations played a part in all these different worlds.

'Today the new building combines all these interests into a fantastic new public facility which can realise the potential for this incredible site in London. The artists that have passed through the building are legendary and we look forward to welcoming many more in future and making this a place the public feel they can enjoy and cherish.'

Originally published on

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