The new venue is set to open in October.
It has been announced that improvised comedy company The Free Association will open its s first permanent home at a venue in Southwark, South London on Thursday 16th October 2025. This news follows the company’s 10th anniversary celebrations in 2024.
Founded in 2015, The Free Association was originally located above the De Beauvoir Arms pub in East London before relocating to to the Lord Stanley in Camden, where it has been putting on shows and classes ever since.
The new venue for the company will be situated at the Old Union Yard Arches, which is just three minutes from Southwark tube. The new theatre will place improvised comedy at the centre of the UK’s cultural landscape, whilst also offering an expanded programme of alternative comedy incorporating character, sketch and clown.
In addition, the venue itself promises to be a creative hub for performers, audiences, and the local community alike. The theatre will be set to feature a versatile performance space, a purpose-built classroom for The FA’s renowned improv school, and a bar and café open to the public. Construction is currently underway, powered in part by the generous support of the FA community, who have raised £18,000 via Crowdfunder.
On launching the new venue, the company’s founder Graham Dickson said: “This move has been such a long time in the making for us, so we’re unbelievably thrilled to finally open our own theatre with our name on it. We hope to make it a home to be proud of – not just for improv, but for the whole comedy community.”
Among the programme for the new venue is a special opening night (Thursday 16 October); FA’s flagship show, This Doesn’t Leave The Room (Friday 17 October) and Fabled: The Improvised Fantasy Adventure (Saturday 18 October).
To find out more visit: https://www.thefreeassociation.co.uk/