Ilford's Kenneth More Theatre reopens in December, two years after RAAC closed the auditorium. More than £1m spent, but the panto is still a foyer show.
Ilford’s theatre is coming back.
Redbridge Council says the Kenneth More Theatre will reopen this December, after more than £1m of work to strip reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete out of the roof. The auditorium has been shut since 2024, when RAAC was found during a routine structural assessment and the council closed the room to keep people out from under it.
The Leader, Cllr Kam Rai, confirmed the December date in his update of Friday 11 September, saying he had visited the building the week before to see how preparations were going.
One caveat, and it is worth knowing before you buy a ticket. The reopening has not yet reached the box office. We checked Vision RCL’s ticketing system on 13 September, and the only December date at the Kenneth More Theatre still on sale is the pop-up pantomime, still carrying the line “As this performance takes place in our Foyer it is unaffected by the current auditorium closure”.
What the council has done to the building
The council says the £1m-plus has gone on removing the RAAC and refurbishing the building. Its announcement lists:
- new seating
- redecoration
- new carpets
In its own words, the aim was “bringing the much-loved venue back into use for local people and making it better than ever on reopening”.
RAAC is a lightweight concrete used widely in public buildings between the 1950s and the mid-1990s. It has a finite life and can fail without warning, which is why hundreds of schools and hospitals were surveyed for it from 2023 onwards. The Kenneth More’s turn came in 2024, and the council’s account is that the auditorium closed as soon as the material was identified.
What is actually on sale, and where
This is where the announcement and the ticketing system have not yet caught up with each other.
Vision RCL, the charity that runs the council’s theatres, libraries, parks and leisure centres, sells everything through one box office. As of 13 September it lists 18 productions between October 2026 and February 2027. Almost all of them run at the Redbridge Drama Centre in South Woodford, which has carried the borough’s programme throughout the closure.
The two pantomime dates are the ones people ask about:
| Venue | Dates | Times |
|---|---|---|
| Redbridge Drama Centre, South Woodford | Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 November 2026 | 11:00, 13:00 and 15:00 |
| Kenneth More Theatre foyer, Ilford | Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 December 2026 | 11:00, 13:00 and 15:00 |
The Ilford dates are still listed as foyer performances. That does not contradict the council, which has not given a day in December for the auditorium to open, but it does mean this year’s panto in Ilford is a third consecutive foyer show rather than the return of the full production.
The council has been clear about that last point. Its announcement says the theatre’s “much-loved pantomime” returns “with a special show in Spring 2027”, which is an unusual season for a panto and tells you the traditional Christmas run is not back this year.
The New Year’s Eve show is not on sale either. The Leader named it in his update: Curtain Up! Celebrate Act 2, on 31 December, which he said marks 52 years since the theatre first opened its doors. It does not yet appear in the box office listings.
Why this matters more than one building
The Kenneth More is the only purpose-built theatre in Redbridge, and for two years the borough has had no full-sized stage. Amateur companies, school productions and youth theatre have been sharing the Redbridge Drama Centre’s smaller spaces, which caps how many people can see a show and how much a company can take at the door.
The reopening restores that capacity. It also removes the awkwardness of a council that has spent two years advertising a theatre whose main room nobody could sit in: listings sites have continued to sell the Kenneth More as a working venue throughout, and the foyer disclaimer on each ticket page has been the only visible sign that it was not.
Cllr Rai’s line on it: “Kenneth More Theatre holds a special place in the hearts of so many local people, and I know how much it has been missed.”
What it means for you
- If you want the December panto in Ilford: it is on 12 and 13 December, three shows a day, and it is still listed as a foyer performance. Book on that basis. Our full panto guide has the prices and the South Woodford dates.
- If you are waiting for the auditorium: no specific December date has been published, and nothing in the auditorium is on sale yet. Watch the box office rather than the press release.
- If you want the New Year’s Eve show: Curtain Up! Celebrate Act 2 has been announced but not listed. There is no price and no on-sale date.
- If you are hoping for a traditional Christmas panto: not this year. The council says the pantomime returns in spring 2027.
- Getting there: the theatre is on Oakfield Road, a few minutes’ walk from Ilford station. Lynton House and Mildmay Road are the only two council car parks in the borough that charge on a Sunday, and both are in Ilford. Our parking guide has the tariffs and the free hours.
- What else is on: see things to do in Ilford.
Frequently asked questions
When does the Kenneth More Theatre reopen?
Redbridge Council says the theatre will reopen this December. No specific day has been published, and as of 13 September nothing in the auditorium was on sale through the box office.
Why was the Kenneth More Theatre closed?
RAAC, reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, was identified in the roof during a routine structural assessment in 2024. The council closed the auditorium to keep the public safe while the material was removed.
How much did the works cost?
The council says it invested more than £1m to remove the RAAC and refurbish the building, including new seating, redecoration and new carpets.
Is the pantomime back at the Kenneth More Theatre this Christmas?
Not in the auditorium. The pop-up panto plays the Kenneth More Theatre foyer on 12 and 13 December 2026, with three shows a day, and the listing still carries the auditorium closure note. The council says the theatre’s traditional pantomime returns “with a special show in Spring 2027”.
What is on at the theatre on New Year’s Eve?
The Leader has announced Curtain Up! Celebrate Act 2 for 31 December, which he says marks 52 years since the theatre first opened. It is not yet on sale and no price has been published.
Sources
- Kenneth More Theatre to welcome audiences back after major refurbishment, Redbridge Council, for the December reopening, the 2024 RAAC closure, the investment of more than £1m, the new seating, redecoration and carpets, the spring 2027 pantomime and Cllr Kam Rai’s quotes.
- Leader’s update, Friday 11 September 2026, Redbridge Council, for the Leader’s visit, the December reopening and Curtain Up! Celebrate Act 2 on New Year’s Eve marking 52 years.
- Vision RCL box office, checked 13 September 2026, for the 18 productions on sale to February 2027, the pop-up panto dates and times at both venues, and the wording “As this performance takes place in our Foyer it is unaffected by the current auditorium closure”.
Dates and prices change. Confirm with the box office before travelling.
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