FAQs

Ealing Council is proposing to lease part of Walpole Park to Troubadour Theatres Ltd for a temporary, 1,200-seat theatre, intended to bring large-scale theatrical productions to Ealing.Troubadour would fund, develop and operate a theatre with approximately 1,200 seats, staging more than eight performances a week. The proposed venue would include visitor facilities such as a toilets, obby, two bars and multiple food tents.The 3 1/2 year proposed lease allows time for construction, three years of theatre operation and subsequent dismantling. The Council's intended timetable was construction from January 2027, opening in April 2027, operation until March 2030 and removal afterwards, subject to approvals.The summer festival events currently held in Walpole Park would be moved to other locations around the borough. The Council says this would maintain access to cultural events across Ealing, although the alternative locations have not been specified yet.Last updated: 24 October 2026

Troubadour Theatres is a UK private company specialising in developing and operating theatres and other performance venues, including temporary or adaptable structures. It works with theatre producers to bring large-scale commercial productions to audiences in London.Troubadour Theatres Ltd, incorporated in 2017.It operates Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre and Troubadour Canary Wharf Theatre.Its venues have hosted major shows including Starlight Express and The Hunger Games stage adaptation.In the Walpole Park case, Troubadour approached Ealing Council with the proposal. It would fund, build, develop and operate the theatre, and pay the Council a lease fee. The Council says it would not bear the project's direct capital or operating costs.The proposal is for the Troubadour Ealing Broadway Theatre: a large, temporary, enclosed theatre with around 1,200 seats, designed to bring West End-scale productions and family shows to Ealing.It is not simply a small festival tent. The proposal includes a substantial theatre building and the associated facilities needed to run a professional production venue.Backstage and operational infrastructureProduction and office space, toilets, catering facilities, generators, air-conditioning equipment, waste and recycling areas, and servicing facilities.The proposal uses a demountable structure, which can be dismantled when the lease ends. Troubadour already owns the dome structure it proposes to reuseLast updated: 24 October 2026

The tent can hold up to 1200 people. The picture that Ealing Council has used implies that the tent is very similiar, if not the exact same tent, as the Chichester Theatre Tent. This tent is 55m in diameter, and as high at its peak as 5 double decker buses.As Troubadour and Ealing Council have not disclosed full plans as of yet, we can only make an educated guess at this point in time.Last updated: 24 October 2026

This has been a hot topic. Councillor Lauren Wall described it as only 5% of the park. However, her figures did not included the amount of park space which is not available for the public to use - such as the area taken up by Pitzhanger Manor, bushes, hedge, ponds etc. The actual amount of open park land being taken up by the Tent is closer to 20%Last updated: 24 October 2026

Ealing Council's own Cabinet report explains three reasons for calling it temporary.It is intended to be dismantled. Troubadour already owns the large dome structure and proposes to reuse it. It is designed to be demountable rather than a permanent, conventional theatre building.The lease has a defined end date. The proposed lease is for 3½ years, covering construction, three years of performances and dismantling. The stated plan is to restore the occupied area to parkland afterwards.It is a trial for a permanent theatre elsewhere. The Council wants to test whether Ealing can support a large professional theatre before pursuing a permanent venue at another site in the borough.Last updated: 24 October 2026