Voila! Theatre Festival announces 101-show programme for 2026
Voila! Theatre Festival has announced its 2026 programme, bringing 101 shows and events in 60 languages to eight London venues from 2nd–22nd November.
Phoenix Artist Club appoints Lucy Penrose Creative Operations Director
Lucy Penrose has been appointed Creative Operations Director at the Phoenix Artist Club on Phoenix Street, London. Lucy says, “I’m delighted to be joining the Phoenix Artist Club and to be part of its next chapter.”
Pearly Queen Theatre taking residence above The Bow Bells Pub
Taking residence above The Bow Bells Pub — an iconic, independent, family-run Cockney boozer with over 150 years of history — our 50-seat black box theatre is the newest chapter in a building that has always brought people together. From match-day crowds to drag nights, The Bow Bells has long celebrated the grit, humour, and diversity of Bow.
Special Award Tribute to Karen Koren
Fringe Theatre Awards — Special Award Tribute to Karen Koren
The Fringe Theatre Awards are delighted to announce a Special Award celebrating Karen Koren, in recognition of her extraordinary contribution to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and her pioneering role as a woman in an industry historically dominated by men. 2026 marks 40 years of Gilded Balloon, making this an especially fitting moment to recognise Karen Koren.
LOLA Festival
Upstairs at the Gatehouse, with in-house company Chromolume and writer-performer Sandra Tsing Loh, announces the inaugural LOLA* Festival (*London x Los Angeles). Five days of you-had-to-be-there American comedy, cabaret, storytelling, and theatre-making in Highgate, Wednesday 16 to Sunday 20 September 2026.
just a few places remaining on the courses
just a few places remaining on the courses for “Composer & Lyricist” and “Librettist (Book Writer)” https://www.bookmusicandlyrics.com/
The Glitch will officially rebrand as the Lower Marsh Arts Club
The Glitch say “That’s right, the rumours are true! This autumn, The Glitch will be rebranding as the Lower Marsh Arts Club (or “LowMAC”). We’ve just finished a programme of renovations to our performance space and our bar, and we’re really excited to launch into this new chapter of our work.”
Ed Fringe predicts a ticket slump
Edinburgh Festival Fringe venue leaders have warned that ticket sales could “drop off a cliff” during the second half of this year’s festival, despite a strong start.
David Harewood OBE to Deliver Inaugural Mona Hammond Annual Lecture at RADA
Talawa Theatre Company and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) have announced internationally acclaimed actor and cultural advocate David Harewood OBE as keynote speaker for the inaugural Mona Hammond Annual Lecture. Taking place at RADA on Wednesday 2 September at 5.30pm, Creative Lives in Changing Times: Wellbeing and the Artist will explore the pressures facing artists and ask a vital question: what must theatre become now and in the future?
Plans submitted for landmark new immersive visitor attraction in Leicester Square
Soho Estates has submitted plans for the West End’s first permanent large-format immersive visitor attraction in Leicester Square. Known as LSX, the new destination could attract up to 1.9 million visitors a year, generate £48 million in additional annual visitor spending and support around 950 jobs.
The proposals would transform the north-east corner of Leicester Square into a new centre for immersive entertainment, creating a building designed to host large-scale visitor experiences that cannot currently be accommodated elsewhere in the West End.
