POLKA THEATRE RELEASES ITS 2026 IMPACT REPORT REVEALING THE SCALE AND REACH OF ITS VITAL WORK FOR CHILDREN ACROSS THE UK
POLKA’S 2026 IMPACT REPORT REVEALS 125,000 VISITORS, 724 PERFORMANCES OF 20 PRODUCTIONS AND MORE THAN 14,000 FREE THEATRE TICKETS IN 2025/26
39,000+ CREATIVE LEARNING EXPERIENCES DELIVERED, WITH 67% TAKING PART FOR FREE
TWO OLIVIER AWARD NOMINATIONS FOR POLKA PRODUCTIONS IN 2026.
NINE POLKA PRODUCTIONS AND CO-PRODUCTIONS TOURED ACROSS THE UK, REACHING MORE THAN 41,000 AUDIENCE MEMBERS.
POLKA-MADE WORK CONTINUES TO TRAVEL IN 2026/27, WITH PRODUCTIONS AT BRISTOL OLD VIC, DERBY THEATRE, CHICHESTER FESTIVAL THEATRE AND SOUTHBANK CENTRE
Polka Theatre’s Artistic Director and Joint CEO Helen Matravers, Executive Director and Joint CEO Lynette Shanbury, and the whole team today publish the theatre’s 2026 Impact Report, revealing the scale of Polka’s artistic, educational and community work as the landmark Wimbledon venue marks five years since reopening in 2021 after a major capital redevelopment.
Polka first opened its doors in 1979 as the UK’s first theatre venue dedicated exclusively to children. Since it reopened in 2021, more than half a million visitors have come through Polka’s doors, while the theatre’s artistic output and work with children, families, schools and artists has continued to grow.
In 2025/26 alone, 125,000 people visited Polka, with 724 performances of 20 productions staged across its two auditoriums and 14,156 free theatre tickets distributed. 99% of surveyed visitors agreed that Polka has a positive impact on children’s lives.
Alongside the scale of work taking place in Wimbledon, the report demonstrates the increasingly wide reach of work created and developed by Polka beyond its own stages. During 2025/26, nine Polka productions and co-productions toured across the UK, reaching more than 41,000 audience members, including a month-long West End run of The Nutcracker – a coproduction with Little Bulb.
That national reach will continue during 2026/27. Polka Theatre and Can’t Sit Still’s co-production of The Snowy Day plays at the Weston Studio at Bristol Old Vic from 28 November 2026 – 3 January 2027, while Derby Theatre, Hiccup Theatre and Polka Theatre’s The Owl and the Pussycat runs at Derby Theatre Studio from 5 December 2026 – 9 January 2027.
In February, Polka’s production of Maz Evans’ Who Let the Gods Out travels to Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall from 16 – 20 February 2027, before playing the Minerva Theatre at Chichester Festival Theatre from 24 – 28 February, as the bestselling book celebrates its tenth anniversary.
Polka will also continue to take theatre directly to children who may face financial or logistical barriers to visiting a venue. From 9 – 25 March 2027, its new production Rebel, Rebel will tour free of charge into primary and secondary schools across London and Surrey for pupils in Years 5–9.
The model builds on work including Sisters 360, commissioned by Polka and first staged at the theatre before going on to reach more than 2,000 children through a free London-wide schools tour and subsequently touring nationally to 32 theatres, arts centres, festivals and community spaces.
The year also saw significant artistic recognition for work created at Polka. The Firework-Maker’s Daughter and The Boy with Wings both received nominations at the 2026 Olivier Awards, while The Firework-Maker’s Daughter also won the Design Award at the 2026 OffWestEnd Awards.
Creative Learning remains central to Polka’s work. Across 2025/26 there were 39,031 Creative Learning experiences across 1,520 events, with 67% taking part for free. Programmes span work with babies and toddlers, Youth Theatre and family workshops, through to long-term partnerships with schools and activity delivered in hospitals and community settings.
Polka worked with 269 schools across London and South-East England, with 32,500 children seeing a production at Polka with their school. More than 10,000 free tickets were provided through its long-running Curtain Up! scheme, while a further 2,000 children experienced Sisters 360 free in their own school.
Access and affordability also remain at the heart of Polka’s work. More than 12,000 children and adults saw productions created with audio description, captioning and British Sign Language fully integrated into performances. Polka also presented 26 adapted access performances, distributed 2,195 access and free companion tickets, and sold 6,000 £10 tickets during the year.
Beyond its performance and learning programmes, Polka continues to operate as a free community hub in Wimbledon. More than 10,000 people used its free play spaces during the year, while its Polka Invites programme provided free theatre and workshop tickets to families facing financial or other barriers.
Helen Matravers, Artistic Director and Joint CEO, and Lynette Shanbury, Executive Director and Joint CEO, said “The last year at Polka has been extraordinary. We’ve reached far beyond our Merton home venue, with Polka’s work touring extensively across the country and into schools, and we’ve expanded our community and educational programmes significantly. Taking theatre to children who need it is part of our continued mission to dismantle the financial, logistical and social barriers that keep children from experiencing the magic of live performance. We’ve seen the impact of theatre on children first hand, and we know that children not only deserve but need the very best creative experiences to help them flourish. Reaching over 170,000 people over the last year with Polka’s work is a huge team achievement, and we are very proud of the incredible impact and phenomenal reach our work is having on young audiences.”
Polka’s next phase will continue to combine ambitious work made specifically for young audiences with investment in artists, schools, families and communities. The theatre plans to commission more new work, nurture the next generation of children’s theatre makers and continue extending the reach of Polka-created work beyond Wimbledon.
