Soho Poly [Soho]

The Soho Poly is a special place. Everyone who visits remarks that there is something about it. Part of this is its history. Originally an Arts Workshop that hosted early rehearsals of Pink Floyd and artists such as Shelagh McDonald, from 1972 to 1990 it was one of London’s most important alternative theatres. It was ‘rediscovered’ in 2012, and in the decade since it has been used for pop up events including gigs by Emmy the Great, Martin Stephenson and the Daintees, and Brian Willoughby (The Strawbs) and Cathryn Craig. After a long and successful fundraising campaign the venue reopened in 2023 as a fully licensed, fully accessible venue. At its summer launch the Soho Poly hosted a festival including The Labourers, Ashaine White, Bennett Valuks, the Awale Jant Band and a headline show by David Lance Callahan. The venue is also intimate. Holding a maximum of sixty people, it was known in the 1970s and 80s for being a friendly space – an atmosphere that its current artistic directors Matt Morrison and Guy Osborn are striving for again. The Soho Poly theatre was famous for championing lunchtime theatre, part of an attempt to open up theatre to a wider audience. This original ambition is echoed in the venue’s new artistic policies, and the belief that to disrupt your everyday with culture is always enriching. The Soho Poly is committed to being an inclusive space, often hosting events at unusual times to cater for the shifting patterns of people’s lives.