New Theatre at City of London School

City of London School has recently completed a major refurbishment project.  The School’s Theatre, which had been named after the former pupil and distinguished Victorian engineer, Henry Beaufoy, has now been transformed into the Winterflood Theatre.   The School has funded this £1.3 million development with the help of a significant gift from City benefactor Mr. Brian Winterflood. Culture Secretary, Margaret Hodge MP laid the foundation stone in May this year and the work was completed on schedule and on budget at the end of October 2008.  

David Levin, Headmaster of City of London School, is delighted with the completed theatre. He says, “It is better than my most optimistic hopes for the building.  Not only has it transformed our drama both in performance and academic terms but it enables the School to make a major contribution to amateur dramatic developments in our community.

 “I am confident that City firms such as the Stock Exchange and our Partner Inner City Primary Schools will also benefit immensely from this wonderful new performing space”. The 170 seat auditorium is used daily by pupils at the School and is also made available to local primaries within the City of London and in neighbouring Tower Hamlets. Amateur dramatic societies from City firms, including PricewaterhouseCoopers will be rehearsing and staging productions at the theatre too. 

The internal design of the space is entirely different, allowing a larger audience, a variety of stages and balcony seating in addition to the stalls. The latest lighting systems suspended from a wire tension grid, also increase flexibility and enable more pupils to develop essential behind the scenes technical skills. 

The first school production in the new theatre is Stephen Sondheim’s musical version of “Sweeney Todd”, directed by Head of Drama, Martin Biltcliffe.