The Scoop at More London

I really like the curved environment of the seating/​amphitheatre as it felt much more intimate than you would think.
In the summer they put on free film screenings which is cool. You get there on a first come first serve seating basis and can bring your own food and drink.
I’m not sure if they do do music or anything like that but I will keep an eye out. It’s a great space as it’s right by the Southbank with a fantastic view of some great sights like Tower Bridge.

Fun events held here, especially in the summer when you can watch Wimbledon on the big screen. Good spot to take your sandwich

A great space in London, that acts as an ampitheatre during the Summer months. Great views of Tower Bridge here too.
Performances are free, and you can take your own food and drink (no glass though).
This Summer, they put on a drama adaptation of Wagner’s Ring

Love it here! I have seen a few things at the scoop but when I took a friend last week for the first time I felt like I was seeing it again through her eyes and she described it as one of her best ever London nights, which is really saying something. When I first invited her she didn’t quite understand– «an outdoor film it has to be really expensive right? and it has to be a rubbish film right? and it has to be in the middle of nowhere right?» Wrong on all counts. I felt kind of bad when she saw all of the events that there have been so far this year that she had missed! While obviously a weather dependant venue it is really worth taking the risk, and as it is usually quite popular the proximity of other people means that it can be very cosy.
There are still a few more weeks of the free film festival people so London people get down there while you can, and don’t get so engrossed in the excellent films to miss the scenery as at night the views are breathtaking.

The Scoop is an amazing space — an ampitheatre on the edge of the Thames with Tower Bridge just behind. It’s surrounded by offices and restaurants and each year they have free screenings of films there. It’s brilliant!
You just turn up as you don’t need to book (and can’t!), you can take in your own food and drink (just no glass bottles), find a seat on one of the steps and watch a film as the sun sets. It’s so beautiful when it gets dark as the office blocks come to life with their lights and Tower Bridge looks stunning just behind the seating area.
Take a layer or two to keep warm, a cushion to sit on if you want (we didn’t and we were fine) and remember to take a feast and your picnic cups! We took in a bottle of prosecco (decanted into a plastic bottle beforehand!) and got take away pizza from Strada just next to The Scoop.
We got there just after 7pm when the film started at 7:30pm and it was busy but we still got quite good seats. It got even busier just after that with quite a few people sitting on the level ground at the bottom of the steps. I imagine they were looking up at the film and less comfortable than us so do get there earlier if you can.
We watched Philomena (a real tear-​jerker with Judi Dench and Steve Coogan, but not as good as the book in my opinon) and loved the evening. Plus did I mention it was free?!
I’ll be going to at least one more screening here this year so feel like I don’t want to tell too many people in case it gets too busy, but I think everyone needs to know about it otherwise you’ll miss out!
The dates of all the screenings can be found here:
Enjoy!

The Scoop is a unique space: a little amphitheatre basically carved into the sidewalk. They routinely put on free theatre, and that’s what drew me here.
Right now they are playing a 4.5-hour long adaptation of Wagner’s «The Ring of the Nibelung» cycle. The original is a very intense, 15-​hour-​long German operatic epic that is performed over four nights. This is a much more digestible and family-​friendly version of that, and it was done very well — good writing, pacing, acting, production, all the more impressive because it’s outdoor theatre where you inherently have less control of the environment.
It’s a very well-​designed space. Acoustically, its below-​street-​level placement is an advantage because most of the noise from the street is drowned out, but it’s not a very loud area anyway because there are no pubs/​bars/​restaurants in the immediate vicinity — you’ll just occasionally be interrupted by an airplane overhead. The theatre can accommodate quite a lot of people, but the seats are stacked high enough as they go back, so that your view is never obscured by the person in front of you. They let you bring food and drinks (just no glass bottles) into the theatre, so pack a picnic and a few beers! It’s not protected at all from the elements though, so if it rains you’re kind of screwed. Also, at night it gets chilly, so bring a blanket and layers to put on.

The Scoop, at More London is another one of my favourite spots on earth. I did a show here once with Kneehigh Theatre Company alongside National Youth Theatre and it was an extraordinary experience. Since then I come here quite often, with a coffee from Monmouth Coffee (brough market, nearby) and just look over the river thames! And Tower Bridge. Ah. Bliss!!!

This is on the summer must visit list every year. We always make a couple of trips here — one as an adult night with all the staff from our salon and one with the kids. The live shows are consistently awesome — music, dance, great props and innovative interpretations. Whatever show is on just go! Its concrete — take a cushion, its London — take an umbrella. But whatever you do take a great picnic some plastic glasses a bottle of fizz and be the envy of all those that sit around you. Last time we went the Japanese tourists spent more time snapping us and our picnic than the show itself! A really great location with Tower Bridge in the background and the Thames by the side. This really should be on everyone’s agenda for a trip to London. And yes it is FREE!

Awesome little cement ampitheatre pit. Saw a show during the «summer» here in July, one of the few days with nice weather so this spot was perfect.
I had heard of movie screenings here in the past but never went.
The live theater show I saw was really great. We asked one of the stage managers which is the best spot to sit for the performance. She said that they try to have the actors rotate around and give everyone some face time but we ended up on the side with our backs to the thames and I think we got the better view really.
If you can, bring something to sit on as its just cement slabs. But the space offers cushions for 1 pound and a 5 pound deposit.

Let’s make it 3 reviews!
Just saw the Trojan Horse and Agamemnon over the weekend. The Trojan Horse was aimed more at children, with sing along and dance moves! Never seen the story of Troy’s fall like this before!
Agamemnon was aimed more for adults (of course. it’s a tragedy). Most of the actors from the Trojan Horse were in Agamemnon and I’m really impressed with how they managed to memorise all the lines. The acting was really good and we had a great time.
The actual venue is perfect (as long as the rain holds out). We brought a mini picnic and some beers to enjoy during the play. As it’s right next to the river and City Hall it’s easy to get to and the views are great. If there are any more free events on… just go!

One review! A free outdoor theatre that has been entertaining Londoners and visitors for 10 years and there is only ONE Unilocal review? Well, now there’s two!
The Scoop is a sunken oval amphitheatre in the shadow of City Hall. They don’t get any money from Boris & co according to the actors of the show we saw, but rely solely on donations for which they insist you should only give «if you can». So give a little…
You don’t need to book, just stroll up and sit down. Their website is not very informative so the best things to do is sign up for their newsletter and you get a monthly email digest of everything that’s going on (mostly outdoor theatre and free movie screenings that happen over the summer months). However, even this sometimes neglects to mention some key details so a bit of additional googling may help (e.g. which days the shows are actually on) but the best way to know everything is to get their leaflet which we picked up at the venue itself.
Currently showing is a Greek trilogy of plays beginning with The Trojan Horse in Pantomime style (the gruesome bits are skipped over to avoid scaring the intended family audience) followed by Agamemnon — make sure those kids have gone home as this one is definitely not for them and finishing with Orestes, although we didn’t stay for the final one — saving it for a later date.
Take some plastic glasses and a bottle of wine and watch a movie or some theatre. It’s just a shame that so few Londoners actually know about this place, there are places showing exactly the same films as the Scoop outdoors but charging you an arm and a leg for it.

Lovely setting, near Tower Bridge. Took a friend and their daughter for a free showing of Around the World In 80 Days.
The cast were funny, great costumes and clever props.
Of course it rained a bit, but everyone sat tight and the cast carried on. There were lots of umbrellas lying around for everyone to use.
Highly recommend for a bit of fun in the summer, especially if you have children.

‘Fancy joining me on Friday night to watch free theatre at the amphitheatre in London Bridge?’ I asked a friend. She looked at me baffled.
More people need to know about this place, and the fact that is stages some brilliant productions for free! We were there to see ‘Around the World in 80 Days’ and ‘The Mother’. It was the perfect way to spend a Friday evening. They continue in the rain, unless it gets heavy. They rent cushions and blankets, but you are more than welcome to bring your own. They have a bar, but you can bring a picnic or some wine. whatever you fancy! The stewards are lovely, informative and chatty. The performances itself are also fantastic, especially considering that they only have two small rooms to base themselves and all props in. I have to say, I have never seen a ladder be some many different things — a cow, a train track, a bridge and an elephant! Truly GENIUS!
I was so impressed that I literally emptied my wallet into the donations bucket at the end.

Love the Arts, wandering, street performance, music and free stuff? Of course you do.
The Scoop is a fairly new feature on the Southbank, closer to Tower Bridge than Waterloo, and is basically an amphitheatre surrounded by glass buildings. Ignore those (though they are a slice of urban beauty), it’s that massive hole in the ground that looks like someone took an ice cream scoop out of it that we’re focusing on.
All summer long there are free shows here, I think starting with theatre then music and finishing up with plays, and usually starting around 5pm. I’ve been with friends and family of all ages to just sit and listen to the music (live — salsa, reggae, jazz, blues, rock, etc.), and there will ALWAYS be people getting up and dancing — it’s that kind of atmosphere. No food, so bring your own.
During the day people can still hop on down and sit on the steps or start up impromptu dances, so if you’re looking to bring your own drop of originality to the Southbank, this is the place!
Have I said enough? Gah, I can’t wait for next summer!
Check out the website to see what’s happening:

My new favourite place. The Scoop is right next to City Hall (Boris’s joint) and is an amphitheatre with stone seating (cushions available) very similar to Grecian style. It is so beautiful with Tower Bridge within view and the Tower of London right across the river. It is a good fun place. The piece on at the moment is Blood Wedding by Lorca and it is a big production with some beautiful music by Joe Fredericks, dancing and some real Greek style acting. There is a Barbecue and bar — but the most important thing is — the shows are FREE! So you can just troll along there and become part of a great experience and all for nothing.

You’d wouldn’t be blamed for wandering past this space and not realising the talent that arises from it when there are no performances on. I’m not sure whether you would class it a theatre or a performance space. It is located on the Southbank directly in front of the river and in the summer offers free entertainment. It’s very basic amenities include stone, levelled steps in which to sit for either a few minutes or hours, the choice is yours. The actual stage area is in the centre so that you are actually looking down at it. Entertainment can range from plays to music performances so will cater for all tastes. A great little spot in which to rest your weary feet and be entertained for free in a prime location. What more can you ask for?