The artistic director of Theatro Technis says work is needed to safeguard its future

A £20 million scheme to redevelop a community theatre in Somers Town has been unveiled.

Theatro Technis in Crowndale Road could become a 250-seat theatre with a new 90-seat cabaret and music venue, plus a studio theatre, community space and restaurant.

The plans drawn up for the building – one of the borough’s longest-standing playhouses – would also include service apartments on the top floor for used by visiting performers and as income-boosting short-term lets.

Planning consent will be needed from Camden Council and some neighbours have raised concern about the scale of the expansion.

Artistic director Kerry Kyriacos Michael said Theatro Technis was looking to create a bright new future, with an increase from the current 120-seat auditorium.

“It will be a place for the community, by the community,” he said.

“The business model we have put together will transform the building  and bring in income.”

Artistic director Kerry Kyriacos Michael

He said that he felt Theatro Technis’s future would be at risk if the scheme did not get the green light, adding: “The building is not standing up to the trials of time – especially when you don’t have the money to invest in repairs and upkeep.

“The building is falling down and will not last another 10 years. It needs a huge investment. The roof and walls are crumbling. “It is a hand-to-mouth existence and not sustainable. The artistic community around  it cannot continue to work here in the current conditions.”

New plans for the Theatro Technis in Crowndale Road

The original theatre was founded in 1957 by the legendary actor, director and theatre impresario George Eugeniou.

He began it in a former stable in Camden Mews and then developed it an old railway shed in York Way, King’s Cross.

It is best known, however, for its current building, a former mission hall built in the late 1880s.

Mr Eugeniou, who had worked in the catering and tailoring trade before going to drama school and becoming an actor, died in 2024, moved to London in 1950.

Mr Michael said: “George and his company of actors took it on and wanted to create not just a theatre but a vibrant community space. They had lunch clubs for older people and an advice service for people to come in and get help on a whole range of issues.

“They’d cook large meals in the theatre and have the neighbours in, and then put on shows and performances.

“It has been part of Camden for all this time and has had its ups and downs. In the late 1990s the theatre lost its Art Council funding and it has been running on a real shoestring.”

Under the proposed scheme, historic elements will be kept with an extension built on land sold to the theatre by Camden Council.

Plans shown to neighbours about how the project will work

The theatre’s Cypriot roots will be celebrated. Mr Michael said: “This ambitious transformation will establish Theatro Technis as the new Cypriot National Theatre in London, tripling the current space of the organisation. and consolidating its place as a renowned international venue. It will be bold and ambitious, a place the Cypriot diaspora will have to come and show work.”

Mr Michael’s grandfather moved to London after serving in the British Army.

He added: “We are one of the many strands of the story of empire and its huge diversity, but we do not have enough of a platform in the UK.

“If you look at our British Caribbean or British South Asian communities – like us, children of the empire – they are well represented in arts and culture but we do not have a similar place.

“We are part of that demographic and we need to tell our stories and talk about what it’s like to be both British and Cypriot.”

Mr Michael said the theatre had begun to ask neighbours for their views, including posting 1,000 letters through doors on nearby estates.

He added: “We are really keen  to hear what people like – and what they don’t. We have been proactive and want to talk to as many people as we can about our plans for the future.”

But not everyone welcomes the scheme.

One neighbour, who contacted the New Journal about the plans this week said: “It is a major commercial expansion on a quiet residential street. It will fundamentally change the character.

“George Eugeniou, created a community theatre, a cultural home for Cypriot migrant workers seeking support, dignity, and belonging.  Over the decades it became a refuge and creative space for all communities, regardless of background – but it was never intended to be a commercial entertainment hub. It was — and should remain — a community sanctuary.”

Calling it the “…commercialisation of a historically community- led space” and, they said they feared late night noise and extra deliveries.

But there is support from the Cypriot High Commission and the Greater London Authority at City Hall.

Kirsten Dunne, a senior manager at the GLA, said; “The vision set out by Theatro Technis, building on their extensive experience and strong track record, aligns with London’s cultural infrastructure priorities. Its programming fosters community connection and supports the Mayor’s goals for wellbeing, participation, and local engagement.

“I am confident these proposals will strengthen London’s cultural offer and meet pressing local needs.”​​

If planning permission is granted, work could start next year.