Old Vic Tunnels, the 30,000 square feet performance space situated underneath Waterloo train station, will close next month after hosting arts events for three years.
Hamish Jenkinson, director of the Tunnels, posted the news on Facebook, saying "We have decided to draw our innovative project at The Tunnels to a close." He added: "We have three great years to look back on, and are proud of the remarkable range of events and productions that we have presented in the space."
The Tunnels posted an update on their website this morning saying that the space will close on March 15. As yet, no information has been given as to why the Tunnels are to close.
The Tunnels were bought from British Rail by The Old Vic theatre in 2010. The area consists of five unusued railway tunnels, which Jenkinson discovered almost by accident in 2008 while attending a Banksy exhibition in a neighbouring Street. Jenkinson said he "kicked through a door" which led into the tunnels, which had been abandoned for 20 years, and "got obsessed with it."
The Tunnels' first show, Punchdrunk's Tunnel 228, sold 20,000 tickets in six hours. There have since been art exhibitions, cabaret, theatre and other performance art at the venue. Banksy premiered his documentary Exit through the Gift Shop in a temporary cinema space in the Tunnels in 2010, and former president Bill Clinton hosted a fundraiser there in 2012. Rock band New York Dolls performed in the space and a Michelin Star pop-up restuarant also used the venue.
The space also inspired the Old Vic Tunnels Volunteers project, which allowed young theatre makers to participate in various roles at the Tunnels. The venture was awarded the Big Society Award from the Prime Minister in 2011.
The Old Vic and Old Vic Tunnels artistic director Kevin Spacey announced in January that he would leave the theatre franchise in 2015.
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