The new writers discovered by the festival have since gone from strength to strength and , for many of the winners and many of the runners up, further productions, radio and screen contracts, and success with other work have followed. The Warehouse Theatre is a converted Victorian warehouse, built in 1882 for a sand, cement, and lime merchant. In spite of refurbishments, it still has several original features. But the Victorian charm of the building does have its less engaging side. The removal of a false ceiling in 1981 uncovered the planked roof and vast beams and tresses of the original holes in the original roof to let in the original rain over audience and cast alike.
Space is another problem.
The office looks like a cupboard crossed with a corridor and is actually an entrance to the auditorium. In fact, until 1985 it was the entrance and many bemused latecomers are still escorted up the backstairs and past the kitchen to avoid walking through the scenery. But the problems have helped to encourage the ingenuity and imagination in staging and design for which the Warehouse Theatre is rightly acclaimed - and cheerfulness in adversity has seen staff and audiences alike through many a minor crisis. Because of delays in moving to a new larger and better equiipped building, Croydon Council continue to generously fund the cost of essential maintenance and repairs . As the company looks to the future, the spirit of innovation and determination forged upstairs in a Victorian industrial warehouse will surely keep the Warehouse Theatre Company at the cutting edge of new playwriting.