A Hampstead theatre won the Building of the Year 2025 at The Stage Awards just six months after its opening.
The prize rewards the newest or newly-redeveloped venues within the past 12 months.
Located on Willow Road, The Well Walk Theatre was founded by Zina Drouche, 41, Dylan McNeil, 58, and Marina Turmo, 33, and winning this award was a surprise for the trio.
Drouche said: “We didn’t think we were going to get it so quickly.
“Our small theatre was in competition with two other big theatres.
“We were very honoured they gave the award. Because of the pandemic and the cuts in funding, it’s hard to make small theatres to survive.”
The venue, which also contains a cafe and a children’s bookshop, offers family productions, magic shows and silent cinema.
The venue recently showcased Hopeful Monsters, a unique puppet show using hand puppetry transforming simple shapes into creatures and celebrating how all life is connected.
Throughout May, a mini magical musical called Out of the Hat will be performed.
Drouche said: “The idea is to make or offer funny, intelligent and top-quality shows because children and parents deserve them.”
Turmo added: “The shows are quite short, between five to 40 minutes.
“The parents thanked us because it’s a great experience for the kids who don’t usually go to the theatre.”
Well Walk’s building was previous a grocery shop and an old pottery studio, and it took five years to turn it into this unique space.
The theatre and its 50 seats were built in the basement.
Drouche said: “We designed it on our own because we really wanted to create something special.
“The main focus was at first the theatre. Everything around was a plus.”
Turmo added: “We wanted wooden and old-fashioned benches, a stage with a big red curtain.
“We also designed the ceiling. It really is a magical place.”
The idea to found the theatre came after Drouche, who worked as a theatre costume designer in Paris before moving to London 15 years ago, was looking for an original concept for her daughter’s birthday.
The Hampstead resident said: “I grew up watching the French puppet show Guignol.“
Inspired by this character, she created her own, Petit Pierre, a Parisian grocer travelling to London to meet the Queen.
The French national then turned her living room into a theatre with an antique screen she found in her attic.
Drouche said: “I saw the children’s reaction and they were all laughing and talking to the puppets.”
So she continued to create new stories for her children’s friends in her home.
Due to popular demand, she decided to perform her shows in the basement of a friend’s shop on Hampstead High Street.
It was there she met Turmo, a Spanish graphic designer, and they immediately wanted to work together, looking for their own place to develop their ideas.
Drouche said: “We wanted a space where people could come and, like when they would go to a shoemaker to fix their shoes, we could fix their imagination.”
Drouche and her husband Dylan, who worked in the cinema industry, fell in love with the old pottery studio they passed by quite a few times.
After the death of the owner, they convinced his family to sell them the place.
The 42-year-old co-founder said: “I’m very lucky to have a husband who believed in me.
“And also Marina who speaks the same language as me, she really became like a soulmate.”
Since the Well Walk Theatre opened, the shows are often sold-out.
The theatre plans to offer workshops for the children in the coming months, who will be able to see how the costumes and puppets are made, and get more of a look behind the scenes.
Feature image: Ellie Kurttz
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