Arches Lane Theatre launches during Wandsworth’s year as the London Borough of Culture 2025

Arches Lane Theatre will open at Battersea Power Station in spring 2025 under the management of multi award-winning theatre company, Kibo Productions.

Founded in 2013, Kibo Productions, led by Artistic Director Sharon Willems and Executive Director Leo Bacica, have helped transform W14’s Barons Court Theatre into a destination of choice for theatre goers and emerging creatives over the past three years. They are now expanding their existing residency by adding Arches Lane Theatre to their portfolio, bringing its programme of awardwinning productions and community-led projects to the 92-seat venue.

Arches Lane Theatre will champion theatre that aligns with Kibo Productions’ three key pillars; celebrating migrant and international work, platforming underrepresented voices and cultivating dynamic new writing, with a commitment to creating a welcoming environment for both practitioners and audiences.

The theatre will also have a strong community focus and will be looking to integrate into the borough’s broader cultural offering, as Arches Lane Theatre launches during Wandsworth’s year as the London Borough of Culture 2025. Existing community partnerships such as BB Broadway children’s theatre school will continue to operate, along with new strands of work that focus on community engagement.

Sharon Willems, Artistic Director of Kibo Productions, said: “Our programming and events will foster creativity, celebrate our local history, and be inspired by the spirit of innovation that is infused into the beautiful transformation of Battersea Power Station and the surrounding area. Arches Lane Theatre will be your local theatre, working with artists from the area whenever possible to tell stories of our community, while bringing you the best plays and musicals from around London and the world to entertain, uplift, and stimulate conversations. A night at Arches Lane Theatre will be a fun night out for friends and family where we can connect and create memories together.”

Leo Bacica, Executive Director of Kibo Productions, said: “The opening of Arches Lane Theatre at Battersea Power Station is very exciting news. First and foremost, this means that we can continue the incredible work of The Turbine Theatre over the past five years! We will be bringing the Kibo philosophy to the new space, one that has community at its centre. The fact that Wandsworth is the London Borough of Culture in 2025 is an amazing opportunity, and we’re hoping to work with local groups to diversify the cultural offer of the borough. We’re also looking forward to discovering what our local communities want from this cultural space and to bring a rich and important breadth of global stories to their doorstep.”

Sarah Banham, Head of Community and Sustainability at Battersea Power Station Development Company, said: “We are thrilled that the Arches Lane Theatre will open under the management of Kibo Productions, as we continue our commitment to arts and culture across the riverside neighbourhood. Over the past five years, this theatre has become an important and highly valued resource for the local community, which has supported up-and-coming creatives and welcomed new audiences to our neighbourhood. We look forward to working with Kibo Productions to bring new productions to life at Battersea Power Station, and to deliver new work with the community during this exciting year as the London Borough of Culture 2025.”

The Arches Lane Theatre is located on Arches Lane in Circus West Village, the first phase of the Battersea Power Station regeneration project, which has created a bustling riverside neighbourhood centred around the iconic Grade II* listed Power Station in Central London. Over 150 shops, bars, restaurants, leisure and entertainment venues are now open across the neighbourhood and have been visited by over 26 million people since 2022, as well as over 3,000 residents and 6,600 workers now based at Battersea Power Station.

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