The Yard Theatre: a performers’ paradise

The Caroline Carter Show at The Yard. Photograph: Hackney Citizen

Aren’t we a lucky lot living in the East End? Another quirky café-bar-theatre has just popped up on our doorstep, offering cheap and palatable theatrical productions in bite-sized chunks.

The Yard occupies a corner space opposite Mother Studios in Queen’s Yard – a short stroll down White Post Lane from Hackney Wick Station – allowing those of us with little change in our pocket to get some culture, a pint and a maybe dance.

Jay Miller is the man with the ideas.  Frustrated by the lack of opportunities afforded emerging artists in London, he wanted to create a place where money didn’t hamper or discourage talent.

He decided artists could use the performance and rehearsal space for free, as well as getting a healthy 51% of the box office takings.

So with the help of Practice Architects, a company used to creating alternative venues such as Frank’s Cafe in Peckham and Kilburn Studios, he converted a used warehouse and built a basic but impressive theatre using reclaimed materials from the Olympic Park.

There is very much a feeling as you enter that the Yard has been put together with blood, sweat and passion.

When I arrived some volunteers still in their overalls were having their break. It’s in a fairly gritty place and shares its courtyard with a company that seemed to be in the process of peeling what looked like hundreds of potatoes.

That distraction aside, there is no razzmatazz about The Yard.  It’s stripped back, almost bare.  The concrete floor is adorned with long bench tables and chairs.

The warmth comes from the enthusiasm of the staff, some random lights, the crowd – who seem to be up for trying something new – and the foot-tapping music.

Stationary Excess (Made in China) was the play on display.  It was about a girl, stuck on an exercise bike, telling a story about a man she’d loved and lost.  For 30 minutes actress Jessica Latowicki cycled.

In the process she changed outfits, applied makeup, ate and splattered digestive biscuits all over the place and drank a whole bottle of champers, sweated, narrated her story and cycled some more.

As Latowicki stepped off her bike to bow to the applause, one lady in the audience sat in tears.

By the time I had left the theatre, the beats in the bar had started, and some of the up-for-it crowd were bopping away.  It was noisy with chat; there was definitely a vibe which made leaving and stepping out in the rain harder than I expected.

The Yard will stage approximately two performances a day until October, tickets cost between £4 and £10 each.

For more information about what’s on go to The Yard.