Troubadour Theatres, which operates theatres in Wembley and Canary Wharf, is planning a temporary 1,200-seat theatre in Walpole Park which would operate for three years and could bring major West End productions to Ealing.
The proposed venue would stage more than eight performances a week, while the Ealing Summer Festivals currently held in Walpole Park would be relocated to other locations across the borough.
Ealing Council’s cabinet is being asked next Wednesday (9 September 2026) to back the proposal in principle and agree to plans for a three-and-a-half-year lease of part of the park to Troubadour Theatres.
In its report to cabinet, the council said the three-year run would be used to “test the concept that a theatre is viable” and support the case for a permanent theatre at a different site elsewhere in the borough.
Ealing already has an established theatre in The Questors Theatre in Mattock Lane, which is next to Walpole Park and stages productions throughout the year.
The report also says the proposal would “replace the Ealing Summer Festival events previously held in Walpole Park”, with the events relocated across the borough to provide access in all seven towns.
Troubadour Theatres is also expanding elsewhere in London, with a new venue at Greenwich Peninsula planned to open in 2027.
Troubadour’s theatres have staged productions including Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Starlight Express at Wembley Park and the first stage adaptation of The Hunger Games at Canary Wharf. Wembley Park has also hosted productions including Disney’s High School Musical.
The proposed Ealing theatre would have capacity for more than 1,200 people and include a box office, bar, merchandise shop and food outlets. It would be fully heated, air-conditioned and accessible.
Plans for the site also show backstage and production areas, offices, toilets, catering facilities, generators and air-conditioning equipment, as well as refuse, recycling and servicing areas.
Subject to the necessary approvals, construction could start in January 2027, with the theatre due to open in April and operate until March 2030.
Although performances would run for three years, the proposed lease is for three-and-a-half years to allow for construction and removal of the temporary venue. The council’s report says dismantling would take three months after the theatre closes, after which the site would be restored and returned to public parkland.
The proposal came about following an approach to Ealing Council by Troubadour Theatres. The company would fund, develop and operate the venue, with the council’s report stating there would be no capital or revenue cost to the council.
Troubadour would pay Ealing Council a fixed fee under the lease, although the amount has not been made public. The financial details are contained in a confidential appendix to the cabinet report.
The council says income from the theatre would be used to support and improve parks and open spaces across the borough, including areas which have experienced budget reductions in recent years.
According to the cabinet report, the venue would create more than 40 full-time equivalent jobs, including management, bar, front-of-house and stage-door roles. The council also believes the theatre could bring additional visitors and spending to Ealing Broadway and West Ealing.
Council leader Councillor Peter Mason said: “Such a big, new cultural attraction could boost our local economy and job opportunities – especially for cafes, shops and restaurants in West Ealing and Ealing Broadway.”
He added: “This gives us the opportunity to test whether Ealing can support a theatre of this scale while protecting Walpole Park for future generations.”
Councillor Lauren Wall, Ealing Council’s cabinet member for thriving communities, said: “A theatre of this calibre could give residents the chance to enjoy world-class productions closer to home while helping us become a cultural destination for west London.”
The plans are still at an early stage, and next week’s cabinet decision would be an agreement in principle rather than final approval.
The council’s report identifies planning complexity, Walpole Park’s Metropolitan Open Land status, heritage impacts, consultation requirements and the proposed timetable among the constraints facing the scheme.
The plans would still need to go through the planning process, including referral to the Mayor of London, who has powers to intervene. Residents and businesses would also have an opportunity to have their say before a final decision is made.
The proposal would then return to cabinet for a final decision on whether to grant the lease.
