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News 4 December 2018 · 2 min read · 372 words

New 'secret' arts theatre festival in London's West End

Musical theatre, cabaret, comedy and drag feature in a new "secret" arts theatre festival in London this month, with a line-up including Louise Dearman, Mark Watson, Mat Ricardo and Ivy Paige.

Mark Ludmon

Mark Ludmon has been a journalist for over 20 years, specialising in writing about theatre and the arts as well as bars, pubs and drink. He has been on the theatre judging panel for London’s Olivier Awards and has a masters degree in English literature, specialising in Elizabethan and Jacobean drama. He has an MA in theatre research, criticism and dramaturgy from the University of London’s Royal Central School of Speech & Drama. You can find him tweeting about theatre as @MarkLudmon and writing about theatre at markludmon.com.

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Ivy PaigeLouise DearmanMark WatsonMat RicardoNewsPhoenix Arts Club

Musical theatre, cabaret, comedy and drag feature in a new "secret" arts theatre festival in London this month, with a line-up including Louise Dearman, Mark Watson, Mat Ricardo and Ivy Paige.

Running from 6 to 16 December, Christmas at the Phoenix Garden takes place in the new Phoenix Garden Building hidden away behind the Phoenix Theatre between Shaftesbury Avenue and Charing Cross Road.

The festival’s organisers aim to raise £5,000 to support the community-run garden that dates back over 30 years. The plan is for the Phoenix Garden to grow into an accessible creative hub with a coffee shop, events with a community focus and more regular opening hours. At present, the venue is open just three hours a day and has a shortage of volunteers.

The new Stacey Street building, with a glass wall overlooking the garden, is a wheelchair-accessible space with seating for 60 plus under-floor heating and mood lighting. The garden is owned by Camden Council but run via a charity by volunteers and trustees.

Christmas at The Phoenix Garden will feature a fully operational bar which will open 30 minutes before showtime and close straight after each performance. Attendees will receive full access to the nearby Phoenix Arts Club.