More drama for the old Battersea Power Station: curtain-up at the atmospheric Turbine Theatre. Sophie Farrah cues in its visionary founder...
Battersea Power Station is not short of new arrivals. Stylish restaurants, a microbrewery, a boutique cinema: all have recently taken their place at the regenerated site, in the steadily evolving neighbourhood of Circus West Village. Now a brand new theatre, the Turbine, has also opened its doors, with founder and multi-award-winning producer/director Paul Taylor-Mills at the helm.
“I visited the Power Station last year and thought: ‘This is bloody brilliant!’” he explains. “So I approached them.
They thought I was bonkers, but they realised the value of having a theatre there and have in fact been incredibly supportive.
“I live at Clapham Common, so I understand the area. It’s quite an eclectic mix of cultures and people, and I feel like I’m in touch with that.”
Before The Turbine, Paul worked with Andrew Lloyd Webber as Artistic Director at The Other Palace in Victoria. His successes to date include Heathers: The Musical, which won the WhatsOnStage Best New Musical award; Carrie: The Musical, named Best Off-West End Production; and In the Heights, the first musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda of Hamilton fame, which won three Olivier Awards.
Born at Kidderminster in Worcestershire, and with no family connections to the theatre, Paul describes his path to successful London producer as “a bit of a Billy Elliot story”.
“I always had this immense passion for theatre. My mum did the hair of the person who ran the local amateur dramatics, and this lady said: ‘Bring him along.’ The rest is history.
“After uni, I got a part-time job as a theatre usher, and then I just said yes to everything – amateur dramatics, fringe shows, everything. I worked very hard. The only way you can really learn how to produce is on the job.”
Now Paul faces his biggest job yet. The Turbine is a small theatre with big ambitions: Paul aims at international recognition and would like to see a show transfer to the West End within a year.
“That wasn’t me being cocky when I said that. It’s just that we have to get this small, modest venue to a point where it pays for itself. There won’t always be millionaires around to help us!”
The specific millionaire whom Paul has in mind is West End theatre and film producer Bill Kenwright CBE, who is currently providing financial support.
“Bill and I have partnered on many shows before and he has been my guardian angel throughout my career. Obviously, finance is incredibly important, but what means the world to me is that he has absolute trust in my taste and instincts. I think he sees in me a little bit of himself at my age – a go-getter who made things happen.”
If all goes well, the new 200-seat theatre beneath the railway arches of Grosvenor Bridge will have three distinct strings to its bow: world premieres, festivals of brand new works and classic stories reimagined for contemporary audiences.
“The theatre is in a tunnel underneath one of the oldest bridges in London, and all the original architecture has been preserved. It’s so atmospheric. In my experience, it’s best not to overcomplicate that.
“When it comes to programming, each show has to move me in some way. Sometimes I want to go and see a musical that is just pure fun, while at other times I want something more urgent – my taste is quite eclectic. But as the space itself is so interesting, we have to be quirky with the kind of shows we put in there. So it already feels authentically ‘me’.”
The Turbine’s inaugural season began in late August with Torch Song, a revival of the play by Harvey Fierstein (Kinky Boots, La Cage aux Folles), directed by Olivier Award-winning Drew McOnie (Strictly Ballroom, On The Town). The groundbreaking, Tony Award-winning tale of drag queen Arnold Beckoff and his quest for true love in 1970s Manhattan is a funny and touching portrayal of love, loss, sexual identity and the deep longing for family approval.
“It really sets the tone for a new venue that wants to be bold and do interesting things. And there’s much more to come – I’m exploring the idea of a dining experience, and we’re working on an exciting family show too. We aim to be as untraditional as we can.
“I want the Turbine to have a real impact on both the local and the theatre community, and also on the way we tell stories. The space itself will force us to do things differently. That’s an exciting challenge – and one that I feel ready for.”
The Turbine Theatre, Arches Lane, Circus West Village, London SW11 8AB. Torch Song until Oct 13; theturbinetheatre.com
