The Albany

The Albany, in the heart of Deptford, is more than a theatre. And its new website needed to do more than just sell tickets. So in 2025 we transformed thealbany.org.uk into a modern, accessible, and sustainable website that reflects the organisation's wider role, promoting two venues, a café, garden and vital function as a home to over 20 resident organisations. 

The Albany’s new site presents the venue as a hub where audiences can discover shows, see what the café offers, explore creative programmes, engage with community initiatives and more. Dedicated sections highlight shows and events, the different spaces people can visit, resident companies, the history and impact of the Albany over the years, and dozens of stories showcasing the rich tapestry of creative people and projects the organisation fosters.

The Spaces area in particular makes it easier than ever before to understand the scale of the Albany, promoting venue hire, conference space, co-working, office opportunities and even a hidden rooftop ball-court with changing rooms and showers.

User research showed the old site’s navigation was unintuitive, with important sections like community work and venue hire information hidden and hard to find. Our redesign clarified the site's structure to open up its content. We also created a variety of content blocks for different entry types, including rich imagery, video, testimonials, and calls-to-action, allowing the Albany to tell more engaging stories. Led by analytics data, the redesign was driven by a mobile-first approach, prioritising a seamless experience for the small screen and touch-based devices (and the desktop version works great, too, just in case you were wondering).

Ticketing, donations, and memberships were central to the rebuild. Nightly and on-demand data imports ensure event and instance information flows seamlessly into Craft CMS, eliminating manual updates and keeping the site accurate.

At the heart of the solution is a Custom Basket booking flow, fully tailored to the look and feel of the site. This flexible pathway adapts to the type of booking, from single and multi-date events to multi-bookings, coworking desks, or ad-hoc space hire, with live availability powered by the Spektrix API. Access attributes such as BSL, Captioned, and Audio Described events are highlighted automatically. The site also includes a Pay What You Want model, making events more accessible while building goodwill and trust.

Complementing a dedicated donation section (powered by Ten4 Donate) that provides a variety of ways to support the Albany, customers are invited to add top-up donations as part of the booking journey, creating more opportunities to give without disrupting their flow.

The Albany’s values of inclusivity and environmental responsibility guided the project. Hosting is powered by renewable energy, the build prioritised lean code, and accessibility was designed into every stage of the process to meet WCAG 2.1 AA. Editorial tools and staff training help ensure content remains accessible long after launch, with helpful prompts for such things as mandatory alt text.

The new website positions the Albany as a cultural asset for the people of South London: “an engine room for people to reach their creative potential, tell their stories and define their own culture”.
By placing performances alongside community work and venue hire, the site presents a richer and more holistic picture of the organisation. Audiences now discover not only what’s on stage, but also the stories, people, and impact beyond its artistic programme.

The redesign also delivers measurable results with smoother booking journeys and increased conversions. Flexible pricing supports continued access to wider audiences, and embedded donation prompts boost giving. At the same time, automations streamline workflows, reducing manual effort and freeing up staff time for higher-value work.

What all of this demonstrates is the power of digital to embody organisational values. By blending storytelling, systems integration, and sustainable design, our collaboration with the Albany has created a user experience that strengthens its identity, builds audience engagement, and supports its own long-term success.