Albany Theatre - History

History

The original Albany Institute was opened in 1899 by its namesake, the Duchess of Albany. A daughter-in-law of Queen Victoria, the Duchess was an active patron of the Deptford Fund - a project founded to help women secure employment away from the dangerous local trades in the slaughterhouses. The Fund soon expanded its scope and the Institute was built to house the various activities that supported and involved a local population with high levels of poverty and deprivation.

It was not until the early 1970s that a touring theatre company became resident at the Albany and the organisation began to focus on fusion between community work and the arts.

In 1970s it hosted 15 Rock Against Racism gigs and Dire Straits performed here 2 July 1978. On 14 July 1978, the Albany's theatre, then called Albany Empire, was destroyed by fire, the cause of which has never been established. Plans were put in place for a new purpose built building incorporating theatre spaces, a cafe, community rooms and offices. This new building on Douglas Way was officially opened by Diana, Princess of Wales in 1982.

During the 1980s the Albany hosted by performances by many well-known artists, including Elvis Costello, Squeeze, Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer, Julian Clary, Courtney Pine and the Jazz Warriors. The building was also home to many social, creative and community organisations.

Cuts in public funding in the 1990s meant the arts programme had to be scaled back. However in 2001 the Royal National Theatre's Art of Regeneration initiative invested heavily in the organisation, enabling refurbishment of the building by Sprunt Architects to be completed and the re-establishment of a programme of performances.

Charles Hayward, an experimental rock musician, organises a series of performances at the theatre under the name "Accidents + Emergencies".