The Gate theatre in London, which has punched above its weight ever since it was founded above a Notting Hull pub in 1979, is to close permanently next month. The announcement comes four years after the theatre had what it described as a “devastating” 100% cut to its Arts Council England funding of just over £300,000, losing its status as a National Portfolio Organisation (NPO). The Gate had relocated a few months earlier to a new, more accessible home at Theatro Technis in north London.
In 2024 it announced it was no longer viable to be based year-round in one building and began to work peripatetically with partner venues. In a statement released on Wednesday, the theatre cited the lack of regular subsidy, as well as rising production costs and increased competition for funds from trusts and foundations, as creating a precarious situation. Thanks to key supporters, the Gate had still been able “to deliver extraordinary work under incredible pressure” it said, but “it has become apparent that this is not sustainable in the long-term”.
Atri Banerjee, artistic lead at the Gate, said “it has been the hugest honour to help lead the artistic mission of the organisation through trying times”. The Gate, added Banerjee, “has always been a place that has understood that looking outward is the best way to look more closely at oneself; where artists could arrive with different languages, different traditions, different perspectives, and be met with curiosity, encouragement and support. The Gate is closing, but the international, experimental and generous spirit it has championed will continue in the artists and audiences who have been changed by it.” The Gate was founded by Lou Stein above Notting Hill’s Prince Albert pub in 1979.
Stein directed its inaugural production, At Swim-Two-Birds by Flann O’ Brien, and served as artistic director until 1985. Over that time, Stein directed productions of The Emperor Jones by Eugene O’Neill and an adaptation of Hunter S Thompson’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and the Gate opened a second home, at the Latchmere pub in Battersea (now home to Theatre503). Stephen Daldry, Katie Mitchell and Sarah Kane all directed productions at the Gate.
Actors including Sophie Okonedo, Jude Law, Kathy Burke and Paterson Joseph appeared there and its stage was used to showcase a rich variety of international talent. Its artistic directors have included Daldry, David Farr, Erica Whyman, Thea Sharrock, Christopher Haydon and Ellen McDougall. From 2007 to 2012, Natalie Abrahami and Carrie Cracknell ran the space together.
The theatre always retained a reputation for presenting radical and political plays while also ushering in new talent. Its notable successes included Danai Gurira’s Eclipsed, George Brant’s Grounded and Lucy Kirkwood’s Hedda. The recent productions Wish You Were Here by Sanaz Toossi and Bootycandy by Robert O’Hara were highly praised by the Guardian.
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