• Opened in September 1998, Jerwood Space was the first Jerwood Foundation capital project. It was created in response to a...

    Opened in September 1998, Jerwood Space was the first Jerwood Foundation capital project. It was created in response to a great and pressing need, identified by major producers and directors for dedicated, affordable and well-equipped rehearsal space for both established and emerging theatre, opera and dance companies to develop their work side by side.  

    The building was a former Victorian school in Southwark and was refurbished by Paxton Locher Architects to create rehearsal studios, meeting rooms, offices and a versatile public space which was the home of Jerwood’s exhibition and events programme between 2004 - 2022.

    Whilst consistently the first-choice venue for West End producers, Jerwood Space has also maintained its not-for-profit status allowing access not just for those at the top of the commercial live entertainment industry but also for emerging theatre-makers through a model of subsidised space.

    Since opening its doors, Jerwood Space has welcomed over 2,500 different performing arts companies. 'The Space' as it is affectionately known, has become one of the best and most sought-after rehearsal studios in the country, operating as a not-for-profit organisation that offers subsidised rates whenever possible.

     The glazed walkway outside Space 7. Photo credit: Dennis Gilbert/VIEW
  • Further development by Munkenbeck and Marshall in 2007 added a top storey to create Space 7, a much-needed space specially...

    Further development by Munkenbeck and Marshall in 2007 added a top storey to create Space 7, a much-needed space specially designed for large-scale musical theatre and a suite of meeting rooms. 

    In 2024 Jerwood Foundation awarded a major grant of £480,000 to complete the substantial refurbishment of the building by Witherford Watson and Mann.

    Peter Wilkinson, Director of Jerwood Space said: 

    ‘This grant will ensure we are able to continue to offer future subsidy and maintain our rich history of support and excellent spaces, whilst pushing an environmentally sustainable operating practice moving forwards. 

    Jerwood Foundation’s ongoing support over the last 27 years has allowed the Space to thrive and remain a committed provider of rehearsal space for the theatre sector globally.’  

    Chichester Festival Theatre's production of Half a Sixpence in rehearsal. Photo credit: Manuel Harlan

  • Jerwood Space is the rehearsal room of choice.  The rooms are beautifully proportioned, the atmosphere is welcoming and convivial, the cost is strategic and generous..It's a meeting place as well as a work space.  It's a huge asset to London theatre.  However did we manage without it?

    David Lan, Artistic Director, Young Vic (2000-2018)

    Hiran Abeysekera (Pi) in rehearsal for Life of Pi in Space 2 - Photo: Manuel Harlan
  • Sonia Friedman Productions The Dreamgirls Company in rehearsal in Space 7, 2016. Photo: Birgit Ralf Brinkhoff (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Peter Wilkinson, Jerwood Space Director and Dame Judi Dench. Photo: Edwin Rostron (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    The Barbican's production of Antigone in rehearsal, 2015. Featured: Juliette Binoche and Kirsty Bushell. Photo: Jan Versweyveld (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Chichester Festival Theatre's Young Chekhov season in rehearsal, 2015. Featured L-R, Jonathan Coy, James McArdle, Nina Sosanya, Olivia Vinall. Photo: Johan Persson (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    The Young Vic's company of Fairview in rehearsal, 2019. Photo: Marc Brenner (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Gillian Anderson in rehearsal for The Young Vic's A Streetcar Named Desire, 2014. Photo: Johan Persson (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    In July 2019, an unexpected visiting company arrived on the scene at Jerwood Space rehearsing ‘To bee or not to bee’! Photo: Tracy Zanelli (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).