140th Anniversary

Video Credit: Guy Lewis

As our 140th anniversary celebrations draw to a close, we wanted to share a few reflections from some of our friends on what makes this theatre such a glorious and distinctive place.

Thanks to the generous support of the National Lottery Heritage Fund, we have been able to make our 140th anniversary a truly special one. Over the past twelve months, we’ve celebrated our rich and remarkable history with an exciting programme of events - from heritage tours and open days to variety nights and speaker events as well as a stonking season of shows. Stratford East has always played a vital role in the life of East London, with a proud tradition of deep connection to our local community and as part of this milestone year, we launched our Community Ambassadors Scheme to strengthen those bonds even further. We’ve also spent the year capturing memories and experiences from a wonderfully wide range of people who have passed through our doors, preserving these stories for future generations. Stratford East Stories are available to listen to on our YouTube channel, where you can also find full versions of the interviews featured in this video. And we unveiled Stratford East Through the Years, a refreshed exhibition of images displayed throughout the building - a visual journey through some of our most memorable productions and moments which audiences are warmly welcome to come and explore when visiting the theatre.

Thank you to everyone who joined us whether you toured, watched, shared, worked or celebrated with us. To the people, the building, and the work created and presented here over the last 140 years - here’s to the next 140.

TUE 17 DEC 2024 we turned 140 years old!

We have been incredibly fortunate to receive funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund which means we can host lots of exciting events and activities throughout the year for FREE.

In October we held an Open Day which was a special day packed full of completely free entertainment, workshops, talks, arts and crafts, face painting, theatre tours and many other exciting activities suitable for all ages. Our workshops included BSL IN THEATRE, IMPROVISATION GAMES AND SCENES, COMEDY FOR KIDS, STAGE COMBAT and LIGHTING DESIGN. We also held talks with Writer Jonathan Harvey, Nadia Fall our outgoing Artistic Director, and Stewart J. Charlesworth – the Designer of our 2024 Panto PINOCCHIO.

Our most recent Open Day was on Saturday 26^th July 2025. It was another fantastic day and included lots of free events, activities and workshops for all ages. We had an AUDITION TECHNIQUE SESSION with our Artistic Director Lisa Spirling and Casting Director Polly Jerrold, whilst our Associate Artistic Director Jase Lewis led a CREATING NEW WORK FOR YOUNGER AUDIENCES workshop. Our SPOKEN WORD WORKSHOP was held by actor, poet and Stratford East stalwart Russenï Fisher, as our guests learnt stage combat and comedy, and performed in a STREET DANCE CLASS with Bismark Anobah.

There were sessions of BSL IN THEATRE with Caro Parker, DRAG QUEEN STORYTIME with That Girl, MARIONETTE-PUPPET MAKING, Heritage Tours, Newham Music instruments session and performances from the community choir and Stratford East Singers on our incredible stage, with the day wrapped up with free patties and ice cream for all! We loved seeing you all and sharing our beautiful theatre with our beloved community and hope to do it again.

Check out our highlights video below.

If you want to get a glimpse behind-the-scenes here at Stratford East, then you can book onto one of our free monthly Heritage Tours giving you an exclusive insight into the theatre's heritage and take you on a journey behind the scenes, so you can get a glimpse into how we create our outstanding shows and discover the rich history of our much-treasured theatre. You will also be able to experience the newly unveiled and refreshed images on our theatre walls, showcasing the rich history of Stratford East productions providing visitors with a visual journey through our most memorable moments. There are 20 spaces available per tour so we encourage you to book early.

We are also collecting and recording 100 stories from the local community, past and current staff, and past and current artists and young people recalling their memories and experiences of Stratford East. If you have a story to share then please get in touch with Emma - ejerrold@stratfordeast.com

Here is a video with some of our fans wishing us a happy birthday!

Check out our previous open day back in October 2024 below

The National Lottery Heritage Fund is the largest funder for the UK’s heritage. Using money raised by National Lottery players we support projects that connect people and communities to heritage. Our vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future. From historic buildings, our industrial legacy and the natural environment, to collections, traditions, stories and more. Heritage can be anything from the past that people value and want to pass on to future generations. We believe in the power of heritage to ignite the imagination, offer joy and inspiration, and to build pride in place and connection to the past.

140th Anniversary

Cookies on our website