from 2021
Meridian Water is a major regeneration scheme driven by Enfield Council – containing 10,000 new homes, public open spaces, shops, offices, factories etc. It is based in the Lee Valley and makes full use of all the attractive waterways in the area. This studio site is just off the North Circular in Edmonton. Meridian Water railway station opened in 2019 and is a short walk away.
Troubadour Theatres is a company running large venues suitable for theatrical and music events. You may recall that they took over the old Fountain Studios when they were forced to close down. They also erected a temporary theatre at White City that opened in 2019 but had to close within a few months. (In fact, some of the steel from that structure was used in the creation of these stages.) According to their LinkedIn entry, their vision is…
‘to create bespoke pop-up state of the art theatre venues of 1,000+ seats in London, throughout the UK and beyond. These venues, offering unique theatrical experiences, will become go-to destinations housing spaces that are fully flexible, contemporary and impressive with the ability to showcase world-class entertainment whilst providing a greater audience experience for all.’
Troubadour have now branched out into providing facilities for the film and TV industries. These new facilities have certainly been welcomed by the industry. Although they have a temporary look to them, they are soundproof and have a projected life of 15 years. Supplied by Acorn Structures, they are similar to the ITV stage at Bovingdon where Dancing on Ice is made – and that venue has proved to be very successful. Its steel frame is immensely strong, enabling large lighting truss rigs to be supported.
The stages took under 3 months to build and were available from March 2021. According to the Troubadour website they are as follows – Stage 1: 21,000 sq ft; Stage 2: 11,200 sq ft; Stage 3: 8,200 sq ft. Stage 2 is said to have an adaptable seating system for live audiences. There are also 5 workshops and a production hub plus offices, dressing rooms, cafeteria etc.
One of the first bookings was Damsel, a fantasy feature for Netflix, starring Millie Bobby Brown. It began filming in February 2022. Other productions have included Mike Myers’ comedy for Netflix – The Pentaverate and Marvel’s Morbius.
Large scale TV entertainment shows may also use these facilities, using OB trucks for technical support. In fact, in October 2022 stage 3 was used to record a series of The Chase. The show had originally booked to use stage 8 or 9 at Elstree Studios but those were unavailable due to the discovery of asbestos.
A second phase is also planned. This will be available from 2024 and will consist of three more stages plus two workshops and more offices. One of these stages will be 40,000 sq ft and the other two 20,000 sq ft. All 6 stages will represent a significant area of floor space for shooting films and high-end TV drama.