Jerwood Foundation's grant of £3 million to ensure the future of the English Stage Company and London's  Royal Court Theatre is one of the Foundation's largest and most significant capital projects. The refurbished Royal Court, with its two stages renamed Jerwood Theatre Downstairs and Jerwood Theatre Upstairs re-opened to great acclaim in February 2000 and prizes included a RIBA Award.

The Royal Court's redesign by Architects Haworth Tompkins, incorporating materials such as corten weather steel, jarrah wood, polished concreate and dark leather, reflected the theatre's radical tradition. The 380-seat Jerwood Theatre Downstairs was subtly changed to achieve much better sightlines and greater theatrical flexibility. The 85-seat Jerwood Theatre Upstairs was built with better headroom, far greater technical capacity and flexible seating.

Jerwood Theatre Downstairs. Photo credit: Andy Chopping

  • 'I think the building is genuinely extraordinary and together we've created possibly the most beautiful playhouse in the country' -...

    Jerwood Theatre Upstairs. Photo: Helen Murray. Our Empty Theatres, 2020  

    "I think the building is genuinely extraordinary and together we've created possibly the most beautiful playhouse in the country"

     

    - Stephen Daldry, Director Royal Court Theatre (1992-1998)
  • The relationship between the Royal Court and Jerwood has been upheld and continues through the Jerwood New Playwrights programme which...

    The relationship between the Royal Court and Jerwood has been upheld and continues through the Jerwood New Playwrights programme which was introduced in 1994 by Stephen Daldry (Artistic Director, Royal Court 1992-1998) and now spans almost three decades. The programme remains rooted in the Royal Court’s desire to create a more sustainable culture and stage for new writers. Since its inception there have been close to 80 Jerwood New Playwrights, a list that includes cultivating and launching some of the most influential writers of the current era: Sarah Kane, Ayub, Mike Bartlett, Alice Birch, Mark Ravenhill, Tife Kusoro and Jasmine Lee-Jones.

    During 2024 Jerwood Foundation awarded a major grant of £150,000 to the Royal Court Theatre, to provide essential financial support to enable Artistic Director, David Byrne in his inaugural season of work. This was followed by the award of a total grant of £200,000 in 2025 to continue to support Jerwood New Playwrights along with a new national commissioning programme; Jerwood Royal Court Commissioning Scheme which will enable six commissions per year across the UK.

    Image Credit Jerwood New Playwright, Polly Stenham's That Face at Royal Court Theatre, 2007. Directed by Jeremy Herrin and performed by Lindsay Duncan and Matt Smith.  Photo credit: John Haynes

  • Jasmine Lee-Jones's debut play is dazzlingly original, searingly articulate and savagely funny…. It's thrillingly angry and ambitious and fantastically fresh. In short, it slays.

    Sam Marlowe, The Times, July 2019

     

    Jerwood New Playwright, Jasmine Lee-Jones's seven methods of killing kylie jenner in Jerwood Theatre Upstairs at Royal Court, 2019, directed by Milli Bhatia and performed by Tia Bannon and Danielle Vitalis. Photo: Helen Murray