Arcola Theatre Reviews

Wonderful experience, intimate theatre enhanced by a wonderful cast. Beryl was a real treat!!

Wonderful venue for performance. Disappointing food available but a lively bar

The Arcola Theatre is just lovely. The auditorium is a bit quirky but comfortable. We go there to see the Basement Orchestra, a brilliant and innovative group of musicians who are establishing a distinctive blend of authentic classical music and comedy.

Great theatre. Really intimate so even the rear seats have excellent views.

Fantastic little Theatre with a great bar and friendly staff.

A fantastic small theatre with lots of creative energy and a lovely community vibe

Nice little spot, was so happy to discover it tonight and great bar to hang out it. No doubt there are other performances held here all the time, looking forward to revisiting

Brilliant people, venue and plays. Great workshops and courses too. Only thing is it can be quite hot in the main stage on a warm day. Really need to fix this as I don't want to think about the artists if the public is having such a hard time..

A very nice small theatre. Because the theatre is so small the experience feels so much more personal. The bar is nice with friendly staff and the performance (little miss sunshine) was amazing.

Great little theatre with innovative plays, food drinks, you name it. Very Dalston, nonsense and easy to get to by public transport. Do go, stay local #hackney

Great place. Was there to support a friend in amateur dramatics. Nice cosy venue. The bar is cool.

What's not to love about this place. Great plays performed by great actors!

Wheelchair access is HORRIBLE, despite what it says on the site. When I got there with 2 friends I was told we had to go through the fire exit to get to the space. When we got there it was quite literally the back of the audience and the apparently part of the stage and the cast were walking through where we were (supposed to be). They had to help carry me down as the wheelchair 'space' didn't have any other seats nearby so my friends had to either sit on the floor or we could all sit on the row below.

Very nice venue for events and workshops. Friendly staff. Location close to Overground.

Fantastic local theatre with great shows. Place has a bar and restaurant that's always buzzing on a Saturday night. If management are reading, please do change your bathrooms and get them cleaned regularly. Not pleasant to use and this seems to be the vocal consensus from theatre-goers!

Great theatre with good vibe and nice bar.
The shows in the theatre is a bit of hit and miss. The one I just saw, Judith, was one of the weirdest play I've need in years.
Having said that, this does not take away the charm of the theatre and what it represents.
Highly recommend a visit.

I have been to the Arcola a few times and it's a good theatre experience. It is much more down-to-earth than West End theatres and they put on excellent shows. Ticket prices are very reasonable too.

Glass Menagerie, terrific play, great performances, super ambiance. Most enjoyable experience.

Great show!!! Very powerful and moving show Canary and the Crow. Stellar cast.

Little theatre with a cafe and few studios, nice ambiance. It also includes a bar, accessible at night also!

Lovely local theatre...easy to get too. Wish there had been better food on offer...maybe I got there too late. However great little bar...good mix of people and and ages.

I haven't loved every play i've seen there, but on average, the plays are brave and original productions, they always have thought-provoking themes, and the acting is always brilliant. If you feel like seeing a play and are willing to take a bit of a risk, this place is definitely a great option. It is cheap and friendly, their bar is a great place for a drink, and nine out of ten times i reckon you'll have a memorable experience of the play itself.

Lovely theatre bar. Great live music. Wonderful vibes. My all time favourite Friday night venue. Just needs more dancers right now. Deserters please return. Nobody's going to shoot you.

Just a nice atmosphere, nice staff, nice drinks. Will definitely go again.

Intimate and entertaining settings. Hoard was brilliant

Went to see Little Miss Sunshine and loved it!! Nice to support independent local theatres too :)

Great fringe theatre, everything I've seen there is excellent

Great venue, nice food from the cafe, pleasant bar, and some very nice shows!

Saw Daniella Isaacs performing a moving and memorable solo show about eating disorders - great experience, very nice venue too.

The Arcola Theatre is an exciting producing house just by Dalston Junction Station. A super green initiative - rumour has it they burn their old sets to heat the building. Not sure that is true but I would like to be. Its great to have a large Off West End venue willing to take risks and take in emerging companies. Under the direction of Mehmet Ergen the Arcola has truly established itself as an important venue on the London scene.

#Irishtini

Brilliant small theatre, enjoyed a great LGBT themed play

Great theatre showing contemporary with with friendly bar offering a good selection of drinks

Great theatre space showcasing some fantastic performances. Very accessible by being just across the road from Dalston Junction Overground station. My favourite grassroots theatre.

The place is really nice and I always enjoy going there, but the play 'Meet me at dawn' was amazingly good: extremely recommended. Also the actors were just sitting at the bar chatting, so you can meet interesting people if you hang out there :-)

We love this little theatre. Really interesting productions. Very high standard. Great atmosphere

Saw The Lower Depths here the other night; excellent play in an interesting venue with very helpful friendly staff and quite a good bar.

Incredibly reliable, the Arcola somehow manages always to keep the quality up in what it stages. I've never seen a bad show here.

I dare you to go out into the world and find something this good......

The Arcola is a fantastic theatre to see new writing. Studio 1 has ample space and good sightlines. I would advise aiming for the ground floor seats if possible.

Brilliant shows and inviting atmosphere. Lovely rustic setting to add to settings. The staff are friendly and helpful and the Arcola is a hub for culture, diversity and history.

I've only been once to see the incredible #hashtaglightie but it struck me as a great little independent theatre, that I intend to return to.

Great place to have a beer with some friends. Live music every Friday ! No entry free

One of the best fringe theatres I've had the pleasure of working at.

Great place! Theatre and drinks, is there a better combination?
It is a little bit expensive tho.

It was an amazing experience... the secret lives of Baba Segi's Wives play was lovely