A small theatre next to the Kia Oval cricket ground that launched the career of Pierce Brosnan has received a £3 million grant to help fund its move to a new building in Brixton.
The Arts Council award to the Ovalhouse will allow the venue to press ahead with plans to relocate to a purpose-built venue in Somerleyton Road, with seven rehearsal studios and two performance spaces, by 2019.
Former 007 Brosnan and ITV Unforgotten star Sanjeev Bhaskar both started their careers at the Ovalhouse.
Other alumnae include Paulette Randall, the first black woman to take a show into the West End, and Jenny Sealey, co-director of the 2012 Para-lympic Games opening ceremony. Ovalhouse director Deborah Bestwick said: “We have always known that this is an ambitious project — to build a new theatre in hard times — but we look at the work of our artists and know that we are investing in the future.”
The Arts Council said it would be “a cultural hub in south London”.
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