Richard Jordan: The Shed at the National is too precious to lose

Over the past few weeks I have visited two theatres in ‘found’ spaces in London: the Print Room in its new home in Notting Hill Gate’s now-defunct Coronet Cinema; and Found 111, the new theatre space on Charing Cross Road, inside the former Central Saint Martin’s arts college. Both serve as welcome ongoing additions to the London theatre landscape for plays and new works to be discovered (or rediscovered) by audiences. They are also a valuable platform for its artists, directors and producers, many of them still honing their crafts and experimenting with ideas. However, because these venues effectively ‘occupy’ spaces, there is a risk their landlords might decide to redevelop them at any point.

It would be a huge loss on many levels

While these theatres continue to build their positions, in the past week the National Theatre has suggested that, as a result of cost-cutting, it may close the Shed performance space created by Nicholas Hytner during its transformation programme. If this decision was to be taken, it would be a huge loss on many levels, both to London and nationally, removing what has become a high-profile performance platform for work, particularly by emerging artists and smaller productions from our regional stages.

When it comes to its own in-house productions, I do not think that the National embraced the opportunity that the Shed – or Temporary Theatre, as it is now called – provided to produce or develop as many new and emerging writers as it could have done. A bit like the construction itself it has, on occasion, felt a bit tagged-on. That’s in contrast to Trevor Nunn who, as the National Theatre’s director, created the Loft, which saw the National producing new work by new writers including Gary Owen, Roy Williams, Moira Buffini, Tanika Gupta and Richard Bean, with a host of young directors helming them.

The Temporary Theatre has been vital in hosting works – Brainstorm, The Solid Life of Sugar Water, Iphigenia in Splott (pictured, top), Riverrun – from theatres and companies around the UK and abroad that may not otherwise have had the benefit or profile of a London season. There has been a lack of small, viable spaces in London for consistent, high-profile seasons of smaller bespoke regional works ever since the Donmar Warehouse’s annual Four Corners season, created by Sam Mendes and dropped by his successor Michael Grandage.

We need a space like the Shed. London would be less rich without it. Is its closure really a question of cost? Or does it just reflect a past era of artistic leadership and vision at the National? Is the prevalent attitude that an artistic change should avoid looking to the past and make one’s own mark? Is that why Trevor Nunn’s Loft season was never remounted by Hytner, or why Richard Eyre’s Olivier-in-the-Round season was never remounted by Nunn?

If the Temporary Theatre’s proposed closure and demolition is simply because of cost, then why could it not instead be opened up to become a self-sufficient curated space run by a rotating group of talented young directors, artists and producers? They could manage and create work for it linked with a mentorship programme, drawing upon the vast pool of knowledge and experience that exists within the National.

Such a model would provide profile for the work and practical experience for the development of skills, both of which could be invaluable to UK theatre’s future. And the National could continue to benefit from programming great second-stage regional work.

The potential loss of any theatre is tragic, but here it seems unnecessary and a solution could be found to avoid it. The Shed was created as a temporary space, but since its inception has proved a vital addition to the UK theatrical landscape. We should all be lobbying against its closure.