The Albany

The Albany arts centre is deeply embedded in the life of Deptford and southeast London, with a strong programme of performances and gigs, and innovative work with young people, older generations and people with disabilities. The galleried courtyard theatre is formed by a steel lattice within a brick and concrete shell, with the faced balcony fronts defining a roughly oval performance space. Its flat floor offered flexibility of staging formats, but the Albany’s rectangular staging always felt awkward, like a square peg in a polygonal hole. Alongside the installation of new stage lighting infrastructure, we led a focused refurbishment project, installing new flexible staging tailored to the space, replacing balcony fronts and redecorating. The waxed Sapele handrails and bronze-painted steelwork stand out gently from the dark brick walls, focusing the performance space and bringing out its mix of music hall glamour and Elizabethan intimacy. Beautifully realised by Romark and Enlightened, the project increases the maximum theatre capacity by 25%.