The evening of 16 September 2026 and to the Unicorn Theatre
It seems hard to believe but the Unicorn Theatre in London is now 20 years old so a huge honour for our founder Keith Williams to be asked to speak as part of the recent 20th birthday celebrations, brilliantly organised by Artistic Director Rachel Bagshaw, Exec Director Rebekah Jones and the Unicorn Team
To put together his words on the night, Keith had to look back a quarter of a century!….an extract follows.
“”In late 2000, following a high-profile architectural competition, I was honoured to have been selected and been asked to undertake this amazing project.
It seems a long time ago now, but I was a latecomer to a story that began far earlier in 1947 with Caryl Jenner, the Unicorn’s founder. She dreamed that one day there would be a purpose-built National children’s theatre on the South Bank. Sadly she died in 1973 when only 55, so it was a dream that she would never see realised, but she had charted the course for those that followed.
As I began working on the designs for the building, Tony Graham, then Artistic Director said “I am no expert on architecture, but I think this building must be both rough and beautiful.”
Caryl Jenner believed that children should be challenged by theatre, should reach up toward it and that the work on stage should never talk down to them.
That aspiration fuelled the philosophy of this building. So I tried to make a theatre building for all ages, a grown up rough and beautiful building that children could reach up to.
The Unicorn Theatre was officially opened by the late, great film director and actor Lord Richard Attenborough on 1 December 2005.
Since then, it has won many, many awards, was Stirling Prize nominated, has become Britain’s leading company dedicated to children’s theatre, and an exemplary model to follow worldwide.
Never for a moment did I imagine whilst I was designing the building that more than 20 years later over 1 million children and their families would have passed through its doors, for many their first introduction to the wonder of live theatre, shaping and inspiring so many young minds.
Britain’s National Theatre for Children, just as Caryl Jenner had foreseen.””
Congratulations Unicorn Theatre and here’s to the next 20.
One of the firm’s proudest achievements!