The Theatre

Kate Bannister

Artistic Director

The Jack Studio is a vibrant and intimate performance venue in south east London. Home to theatre productions, Scratch nights, film screenings, workshops and rehearsals, our award-winning team and space provide an accessible and exciting programme of arts activities throughout the year.

We are committed to producing theatre that inspires, challenges and entertains our audience.

The theatre also supports new companies and theatre artists, providing a space for them to develop their ideas and work, alongside the productions created each year by the Jack’s in-house team.

Winner of London Pub Theatre of the Year 2023
Winner Best in Creative Sector Mayor of Lewisham Awards 2023

Winner of Social Media Presence and Activities in the Off West End Awards 2023
Winner of Best Programming Policy and Most Welcoming Theatre in the Off West End Awards 2022
Joint Winner of Best Lighting Design (Robbie Butler) for Wolves Are Coming For You, Off West End Awards 2022
Winner Outstanding Production Values for Wolves Are Coming for You, London Pub Theatre Awards 2021
London Pub Theatre of the Year, Joint Runner Up 2019
Winner Best Programmes and Online Booking, the Off West End Awards 2019
Runner up, Time Out London, Best Loved Cultural Space (south east) 2017, 2018
Winner of Most Welcoming Theatre (south east) in the Off West End Awards 2013, 2015, 2016 & 2017
Jack Studio Productions have received over 130 Off West End and Standing Ovation Nominations

The
Jack
Studio Award Nominations Selected Press Quotes

The Jack Studio Theatre is led by Kate Bannister (Artistic Director) and Karl Swinyard (Producer), supported by the Jack’s artistic team. They were awarded Best Venue Directors in the Fringe Report Awards for their work ‘in making The Brockley Jack Studio Theatre an outstanding venue for exciting theatre; and for encouraging the development of new talent.’

Kate is an established theatre director and designer, who has worked throughout London and the UK, staging several British premieres, as well as opera, revivals and community and youth theatre events. She directs all of the Jack’s in-house productions. Kate is committed to supporting new writing through the Jack’s writing programmes, and was Artistic Director for the Write Now Festivals, which she instigated. The theatre was one of 10 venues to be part of the BBC writersroom 10 scheme 2014-15.

OFF WEST END AWARD NOMINATIONS &
STANDING OVATION NOMINATIONS (London Pub Theatres)

Standing Ovation Nomination for Hedda Gabler
Standing Ovation Nomination for Past Tents
Standing Ovation Nomination for Desmond’s Scared of the Smoking Sea
Off Comm nomination for Outlier
Supporting Performance in a Play Louise Bereford for Behold! The Monkey Jesus
Standing Ovation Nomination for Richard III (a one-person show)
Standing Ovation Nomination for Kitty in the Lane
Lighting Design: Joe Malyan for The Sun, The Mountain, and Me
Standing Ovation Nomination for The Sun, The Mountain, and Me
Standing Ovation Nomination for Still Here
Standing Ovation Nomination for A Christmas Carol
Ensemble for MICA Theatre for Wasted
Performer (plays) Matthew Parker for The Play with Speeches
Performer (plays) Tice Oakfield for The Woman Who Amuses Herself
Set Design: Karl Swinyard for The Woman Who Amuses Herself
Video Design: Douglas Baker for The Woman Who Amuses Herself
Sound Design: Julian Starr for The Woman Who Amuses Herself
Lighting Design: Carey Chomsoonthorn for The Woman Who Amuses Herself
Costume Design: Martin Robinson for The Woman Who Amuses Herself
Standing Ovation Nomination for The Women Who Amuses Herself
Video Design: Douglas Baker for Ten Days in a Madhouse WINNER
Sound Design: Callum Perin for Ten Days in a Madhouse WINNER
Director: Douglas Baker for Ten Days in a Madhouse
Standing Ovation Nomintion for Ten Days in a Madhouse
Ensemble: Richard II produced by We Are Animate
Lighting Design: Jack Channer for Richard II
Standing Ovation Nomination for Richard II
Supporting Performer (plays) Cornelia Baumann for Payne: The Stars Are Fire
Supporting Performer (plays) Lucy Ioannou for Payne: The Stars Are Fire
Standing Ovation Nomination for Payne: The Stars Are Fire
Standing Ovation Nomination for Holst: The Music in The Spheres
Production: Kindred Spirits produced by the Jack Studio Theatre
Sound Design: Julian Starr for Kindred Spirits
Director: Kate Bannister for Kindred Spirits
Standing Ovation Nomination for Kindred Spirits
Lead Performer in a Play: Lola Oteh Cole for Our War
Director: Kate Bannister for Wolves Are Coming For You
Lead Performer in a Play: Brigid Lohrey for Wolves Are Coming For You
Lead Performer in a PLay: Grace Cookey-Gam for Wolves Are Coming For You
Lighting Design: Robbie Butler for Wolves Are Coming For You OFFIE WINNER 2022
Standing Ovation Nomination for Wolves Are Coming For You
Lead Perfomer in a Play: Timothy Harker for Trestle
Lead Performer in a Play: Jilly Bond for Trestle
Production: Trestle
Director: Matthew Parker for Trestle
Standing Ovation Nomination for Trestle
Best Director: John Patterson for Not I, Catastrophe & Rockaby
Best Costume Design: Martin Robinson for The Invisible Man
Best Male Performance: Alan Goodbody for A Kind of Loving
Best Video Design: Douglas Baker for Moby Dick
Best Sound Design: Alistair Lax for Jekyll & Hyde
Best Video Design: Andy Ioannou & Daniel Frampton for Jekyll & Hyde

AWARD NOMINATIONS continued

Best Musical Director: Jordan Li-Smith for Queen of the Mist
Best Lighting Design: Bethany Gupwell for Queen of the Mist
Best New Play: Ross McGregor for Gentleman Jack
Best Director: Ross McGregor for Gentleman Jack
Best Male in a Play: Andrew Umerah for Sweet Like Chocolate Boy
Most Promising New Playwright: Tristan Fynn-Aiduenu for Sweet Like Chocolate Boy
Best Supporting Female in Play: Cornelia Baumann for Dracula
Best Set Design: Francine Huin-Wah for Dracula
Best Supporting Male in a Play: Alex Stevens for Dracula
Best Lighting Design: Tom Kitney for Lifeboat
Best Sound Design: Jack Elliot Barton for Lifeboat
Best Production: The White Rose, produced by Arrows & Traps Theatre
Best Production: Kes, produced by the Jack Studio Theatre
Best Director: Kate Bannister for Kes
Best Male in a Play: Simon Stallard for Kes
Best Male in a Play: Rob Pomfret for Kes
Best Sound Design: Elliot Clay & Jack Elliot Barton for The Wolves of Willoughby Chase
Best Production: The Wolves of Willoughby Chase
Best Lighting Design: Ben Jacobs for The Wolves of Willoughby Chase
WINNER 2018
Best Supporting Male in a Play: Bryan Pilkington for The Wolves of Willoughby Chase
Best Supporting Female in a Play: Harriet Earle for The Importance Of Being Earnest
Best Male in a Play: Daniel Hall for The Importance Of Being Earnest
Best Male in a Play: Riley Jones for The Importance Of Being Earnest
Best Supporting Male in a Play: Will Pinchin for Frankenstein
Best Director: Ross McGregor for Frankenstein
Best Production: House of America
Best Sound Design: Jack Barton and Elliot Clay for Macbeth
Best Lighting Design: Ben Jacobs for Macbeth
Best Male Performance: Christopher Tester for Crime and Punishment
Best Director: Sebastian Palka for Holding the Man
Best Male Performance: Alex Dowding for The Awakening
Best Set Designer: Florence Watts for The Awakening
Best Lighting Designer: Jennifer Rose for The Awakening
Best Sound Designer: Max Graef for The Awakening
Best Production: Time of Our Lives
Best Choreography: Will Pinchin for Anna Karenina
Best Costume: Ross McGregor for Anna Karenina
Best Costume Designer: Zahra Mansouri for The Peculiar Tale of Pablo Picasso and the Mona Lisa
Best Set Designer: Zahra Mansouri for The Peculiar Tale of Pablo Picasso and the Mona Lisa
Best Ensemble: The Peculiar Tale of Pablo Picasso and the Mona Lisa
Best Male: Daniel Chrisostomou for Elephant Man
Best Production: Elephant Man
Best Production: The Mystery of Irma Vep, produced by the Jack Studio
Best Director: Kate Bannister for The Mystery of Irma Vep
Best Male: Jonathan Kemp for The Mystery of Irma Vep
Best Male: William Kempsell for The Mystery of Irma Vep
Best Lighting Designer: William Ingham for The Mystery of Irma Vep
Best Musical: Love Story, produced by Lanaguage Laid Bare
Best Set Designer: Richard Evans for The Merchant of Venice
Best Lighting Designer: Paul Need for Who Will Carry The Word?
Best Lighting Designer: Stuart Glover for The Merchant of Venice
Best Costume Designer: Rochelle Parry for Julius Caesar
Best Sound Designer: Max Pappenheim for Kafka v Kafka
Best New Play: Lewis Hetherington for Bodies Unfinished
Best Lighting Designer: Katherine Lowry for Bodies Unfinished
Best Production: Bodies Unfinished, produced by Grey Swan
Best Set Design: Stephanie Williams for Bodies Unfinished

It’s a beautiful piece of theatre. Subtle, engaging and deeply touching…This is the Jack team doing what they do best and once again producing a diamond. The cast are equally brilliant… This is a real treat. Heartfelt and elegant, it is yet further proof that the Brockley Jack is one of the best theatres in London.

★★★★★ Spy in the Stalls

Lifeboat is a moving tale of friendship and endurance that is both inspiring and stirring. One more impeccable in-house production for the close-knit team of the Jack Studio Theatre

★★★★★ Everything Theatre

It really is a wonderful evening… the acting is exemplary as is the direction. The Brockley Jack can be enormously proud of this production.

★★★★★ London Pub Theatres

under the direction of the consistently brilliant Kate Bannister, it makes for an enthralling 70 minutes. The Brockley Jack has a well-deserved reputation for its excellent in-house productions. This is undoubtedly another triumph for the Brockley Jack team. Go and see it while you can.

Theatre Things

a heartfelt and hard-hitting production. This makes productions like Imole Theatre Company’s Our War vital – reminding us of and celebrating the Black African and Caribbean men and women who fought and contributed to the war effort.

Fairy Powered Productions

The Jack’s commitment to giving a platform to exciting new work under the artistic direction of Kate Bannister cannot be ignored. Pool is one of a number of pieces of new writing in the theatre’s Write Now Festival. It is everything Fringe theatre can achieve and more.

PostScript Journal

Jack Studio’s Write Now Festival celebrates the diversity and energy of south east London’s emerging playwrights. Writer Olga Nikora explores the turmoil of confused identity, dramatising the problem of artificially constructed boundaries and social categories in a progressively diversifying world. Nikora has a talent to inject fire and emotion into every line that engages the audience tirelessly holding their attention until the very last. 90 minutes straight through, and not once did it falter

★★★★ The Upcoming

the script does not disappoint, ending with a shocking visual and aural display. True to the Jack Studio Theatre style, this is a new adaptation of a script with great potential.

★★★★★ Everything Theatre

a huge shout out to Kate and Karl at the Jack Studio. They have really gone the extra mile to welcome their audience back… their attention to the needs of the audience go a long way to explaining why this will always be one of my favourite off west-end theatres

★★★★★ Lastminute Theatre Tickets

This production gets it right in every way… we certainly advise beating your way to the box office to see it!

★★★★★ London Living Large

Inventiveness underpins a hilarious romp that takes us through de Rougemont’s incredible life story… a triumph of theatrical storytelling.

★★★★ The Stage

Put simply, the entire show was marvellous… a truly wonderful piece of theatre.

★★★★★ London Theatre1

Seasonal fare doesn’t get better than the Jack Studio Theatre’s Seasonal Offering. Kate Bannister serves up yet another winner – perfectly timed and done to a crisp. This is a sparkling production.

★★★★ Live In London

The Jack Studio does it again with another excellent, unique production that effectively incorporates a range of theatrical styles.

★★★★ Everything Theatre.

one of the must-see shows of the year … an amazing, compelling, thought provoking and unforgettable production.

★★★★★ LondonTheatre1

Flawless script and impeccable acting – Spank House exposes with glitz and dark humour the seedy truth of the ‘boiler room’ scams…A triumph! Jake Costello’s performance is incomparable. Arguably one of the best shows in south London! This show is not to be missed.

★★★★★ Everything Theatre

enjoyable and well-acted show: there aren’t many productions of this quality on the fringe, and you owe it to yourself to catch them when you can

★★★★★ Plays To See

The Jack Studio theatre is strong on community and welcomes people back to its theatre for this magical show… It’s a high-quality show, very atmospheric and entertaining.

★★★★ London Pub Theatres

It’s a great story…Over the years we’ve come to expect good things from the in-house creative team at the Jack, and this latest offering is no exception.

Theatre Things

If there is one thing you can rely on it is that the Christmas offering at the Brockley Jack Studio will both surprise and delight, and this year’s offering is a real bobby dazzler… The evening belongs to everyone… If you are looking for a happy and hilarious Christmas show this is it.

★★★★ ReviewsGate

18+

productions a year

seasons and counting

100,000

hours of light