News Archives - Page 2 of 6

Here at the Space we love working with artists. It’s one of the reasons we are here and we couldn’t do what we do without them. As we continue to grow as a theatre we want to bring artists with us, nurturing them in their development and making sure we offer the right kind of support, at the right moment.

With this in mind we are pleased to announce our new Associate Artist scheme! A bespoke package of support to specifically chosen companies or artists who we believe have real, exciting potential and who we can help flourish.

So – without further ado. We present to you Wonderbox and Bric A Brac… in their own words…

WONDERBOX

Describe Wonderbox in three words?

Fun, Raucous, Feminist

How did it all begin?

We met at the National Youth Theatre. We spent a month in a room with 30 women, hotboxing our creativity and it was wonderful. Five of us decided to carry on making theatre together, because we didn’t want it to end.

If I was coming to see a Wonderbox show – what can I expect?

They’re quite high-energy, they’re funny, they’re a bit filthy. They tackle big subjects but are rather irreverent about them. Expect candid discussion, cheeky movement sequences, wacky characters, and a political sting.

What is your process of creating work?

We’re an ensemble, so it’s very collaborative. We have our writer, who’ll create a script for us to work with, or we’ll find other scripts written by women. We work with new writing rather than established texts. Then we’ll experiment in the rehearsal room, with our director guiding the process.

Proudest achievement so far?

After ‘A Womb of One’s Own’, which we performed at the Space, women told us after the show how much it meant them and that they felt no longer alone in their experience. It’s very special when someone tells you that. Seeing my mum laugh at a lesbian sex joke was a proud moment especially.

What does being an Associate Artist mean to you?

It means a lot! It shows us that people trust us and believe we make great work and see our future as bright.

What is the one thing you can’t do without in rehearsals?

Partial nudity.

BRIC A BRAC

Describe Bric A Brac in three words?

Explorative, ensemble based and fun

How did it all begin?

Our company began over €5 pints of mojitos (yes, pints of mojitos) at a bar called ‘Bric à Brac’ in Paris, 2015. We were in our second year at Jacques Lecoq and knew we enjoyed working together so when Anna, our director, asked if we wanted to create a show together, we leapt at the opportunity! Fast forward four years later, and while Bric à Brac the bar has sadly closed down, our company has never felt more motivated and excited about the future.

If I was coming to see a Bric A Brac show – what can I expect?

You can expect fun and fast-paced heartfelt storytelling with lots of movement, humour and packed with plenty of colourful visuals! No Bric à Brac show is the same so expect the unexpected. Just sit back, relax, and we guarantee you will enjoy yourself.

What is your process of creating work?

Before getting into the room each company member prepares a personal response to the topic material. Through a process of playful and increasingly structured improvisation we are able to generate new material. From this we can then develop characters and build narratives. We use movement, object manipulation, and other theatrical techniques in order to create slick transitions, bringing the whole show together.

Proudest achievement so far?

Being named Associate Artists at The Space, of course!

What does being an Associate Artist mean to you?

Collaboration, support, guidance, belief and trust. It’s an honour to have the backing of a theatre that is accessible to all and continues to have faith in the work we do.

What is the one thing you can’t do without in rehearsals?

A generous sense of humour and a total willingness to clown about!

We sat down for a chat with actor turned writer/director, Tiwalade Ibirogba-Olulode ahead of the opening of her play RUSH. We talked about the creative process, the difference in roles and tackling mental health.

Hello Tiwalade, as an actor turned writer, what was it that made you want to take the leap into playwriting?

I honestly didn’t see it as me transforming or becoming a playwright, I just knew that there was a story I had to tell and I have told stories for as long as I can remember. I prefer to say that I’m an artist; acting, writing, dancing and singing are all my passions. I couldn’t identity as one. That wouldn’t be true to me, Tiwalade.

How do you feel that your acting experience informs your writing? Any elements you’ve wanted to include? Or any pet peeves you’ve wanted to avoid?

Being an actor has helped me shape the text tremendously. I always write for it to be performed. So after I finish writing a page or two, I’ll get up and act out the characters. If the words move me, I know it’s real. If not, I’ll scrap it. Then the second stage is getting the actors to read it out and seeing if they are moved too. It can be a long process of trial and error but it’s worth it in the end.
Also, directing RUSH has been a bonus because I am able to shape what was in my mind when I wrote it. I am lucky to be working with a talented group of actors and team, they are making my dream come true.

How do you begin to tell a story? Do you start with characters, a topic or a situation?

I was originally inspired by this idea shortly after I was diagnosed with anxiety. From the age of 16 I started to have panic attacks, I didn’t understand what it was, so I kept quiet about it, until 21 when I got a really bad attack on the Subway in New York and thought I was going to die, I was alone. It was only then I spoke up about it, found out what I’d been suffering with for years. It was a bittersweet moment as I now knew what I was dealing with, but on the other hand I thought if mental illness had been spoken about more openly, I wouldn’t have felt alienated for 5 years. So I started writing, RUSH was born.

What has been your biggest surprise in the process of writing your own script?

How much I laughed! I didn’t intend on RUSH being a comedy. But I guess one can find humour in the darkest hours.

Any advice for other actors who want to get into playwriting?

I started writing RUSH 3 years ago and it still feels unfinished, but it gets to a point where you must click send!

Who has been your biggest inspiration as a writer?

Life inspires me; people and moments.

As well as writing you are also directing, how are you finding the energy to do two incredibly stressful jobs?

Surprisingly not as stressful as I imagined. But, as I say this, we’re still over 2 weeks away from opening. So I’ll probably have a different answer as the 21st comes closer.

How do you manage to maintain an outside eye within the process while you are working?

I have an Assistant Director- Sophie Franklin and my close friend/Movement Director- James Monckton who are always in the room with me, giving suggestions and honest feedback. Every audience member will have different perceptions in each scene. But, there will always be a message that I want told, so it’s great having people watch to see if that’s coming across.

Talk me through a day in the rehearsal room, how do you structure your creative process?

With this being my directorial debut, I started this rehearsal process off with what I had experienced. I had the pleasure of being in Ned Bennetts’ cast in National Youth Theatre. We spent so much of the rehearsal process playing games! It was the most fun rehearsal process I have ever done! It enabled us as actors to let go, we weren’t afraid to make bold choices and I left that experience with life long friends.

I’ve brought that same energy into my rehearsal process. And now, I feel a warmth from the whole team, we laugh a lot! Saying that, we have found a great balance between work and play.

At the end of the day. Coming into this as an actor I know exactly how it feels being on the other side. That has helped to empathise with the cast.

Having now experienced three very diverse roles in the process (as an actor, writer and director) do you have any strong leanings to a path? Or do you wish to combine your talents?

From a young age when people asked me what I wanted to do, I had a list; Actor, Singer, Dancer, Playwright… Some people saw it as a joke. But now it’s all coming to fruition! I couldn’t see myself directing until recently. I was lucky enough to work with the incredible director Anne- Louise Sarks at the Lyric Hammersmith, she sat me down and asked ‘Why not?’. Throughout the rehearsal process, she was an advocate for building women up. That was a pivotal moment in my life!

I’m part of a very hardworking and creative generation. My friends inspire me everyday! The industry is evolving and changing so rapidly, as an artist it is imperative that you adapt. We have to wear many caps and I’m enjoying that. Don’t get me wrong, it’s tough! You’re having to learn a lot, but it’s fun if you’re investing in projects that you really care about.

So to answer your question, I see myself as an all round artist, I still have so much to learn but I sure am enjoying the ride!

RUSH opens Tuesday 21st of August until Saturday 25th.
7:30pm
£12/£10

Book Here

Many moons ago, whilst on a small-scale theatre tour of the north I found myself with a free evening in Manchester and so got myself a ticket to see Port by Simon Stephens at the Royal Exchange Theatre directed by Marianne Elliott. This was my introduction to Simon Stephens’ work. It was so real and hard hitting. I was absolutely blown away by it. I thought then this is the type of writing I would relish tackling and the type of theatre I dream to be a part of.

Simon Stephens is a remarkable and prolific playwright, he writes emotionally, intelligently, and with huge passion. As an actor and writer I find his work dangerous, exciting and very inspiring. He often tackles the darkness of the human soul and forces us to think about what it is to be human. I find Stephens’ writing the stuff that shakes you at your core, he gets right in there, and chews you up and spits you out, and it’s always a rollercoaster of an experience for an audience. I have seen twelve of his plays, a couple multiple times, and read more.

The first time I read Bluebird I cried. It is a deeply beautiful heart felt wonderful play for actors, full of characters that we recognise, people we’ve met, know, have observed or heard about who dealing with struggling, coping with real, devastating and traumatic incidents and events. Each character reveals something deeply personal through talking with the mini cab driver Jimmy, played by Jonathan Keane, and he to them, the beauty is that they are complete strangers to each other.

It’s great to be working at Space theatre on Bluebird directed by Adam Hemming in a role I have always wanted to play. Janine Williams is quite possibly one of the hardest roles I’ve worked on and I love her. She is a complex character, she is described as “smartly dressed, manic depressive former teacher”. There’s also two further pieces of guidance in the stage directions “she has started crying”, and “almost angry”, pitching those right in the playing of her has been a positive challenge and I still feel, one week in as though I am grappling with it. There is something brutal about her, there is something exciting and dangerous about her, something very sad, mixed with her despair and anguish.

The role requires employing craft, and not just relying on feeling emotions, especially as she is so changeable. She is gripped by an erratic stream of consciousness in the moment. Some of her sentences are as short as one word and her questions and active reflection on her current situation and what she thinks about people and their conduct towards each other is deep. Janine is so rich, she requires a certain energy. I have to hit the ground running.

When I know I’ve done it right and worked well with Jonathan I come off stage and for a moment feel so sad – Janine is a character that as an actress it is best as much as possible to leave her at the theatre, I think that applies to every character in Bluebird.

We are blessed with a great company, and all enjoy working together. We only have a handful of shows left and we would love it for you come and share in this experience.

BOOK TICKETS FOR BLUEBIRD

THANK YOU to everyone who has come to see BLUEBIRD by Simon Stephens so far. We are so proud of this show – it’s a real beauty… but don’t just take our word for it…

It’s beautifully written and acted and well worth a watch
Upper Circle Theatre 5 STARS

Nothing could prepare me for the stories I was about to be told (and how brilliantly they were told!)
Theatre Box Blog 5 STARS

Viscerally funny, and celebratory too; a love affair with language, with London, and with the messiness of being human
The Spy In The Stalls 4 STARS

If there’s a play that will give you hope for London in its current haze, that play is Bluebird.
The Play’s The Thing UK

Completely absorbing
Act Drop, 4 STARS

A moving study of grief and guilt, imaginatively staged and set in a London we can all recognise
Blog of Theatre Things

Hard-hitting, bitingly written and with a cast that just won’t quit […] a love song to the nation’s capital that will break your heart
A Younger Theatre

Jonathan Keane’s performance as Jimmy is key to the success of the piece. He is beautifully understated.
Sue In The Stalls

Plenty of gut-wrenching emotion
The Upcoming

A deep well of humanism… Bluebird takes you on the ride of your life.
Seen London

Audience Reviews

Very moving and very human- heartbreaking
@TobiasDGraham

Just bloody wonderful… exquisite writing. elegant direction
@theCozens

It was fantastic. Brilliant cast & such a moving play”
@StephMilesUk

A powerful story – human life and love in all its power and frailty – set on a London on a hot summer night, immersive theatre in every way!
@FarrarMaggie

MUST END 4TH AUGUST

BOOK TICKETS

We sat down with Matthew Jameson, the writer behind ‘We Own Everything’ about the company and their inspirations, his bucket list of stories and his understanding the first deliberate stock market crash …

As Heretical Historians, your production company focuses on telling humorous but true stories. What made you decide to focus on this?

I’d always had an interest in history, as long as I can remember I’ve enjoyed hunting out the bonkers little gems that are in the margins of ‘grand’ or ‘serious’ historical accounts. When I first thought of making a company, this was such a strong and endless seam to mine!

As a writer, the stories I found were so ridiculous and farcical that it seemed impossible to invent stories that matched them, so why not focus on dissecting the amazing events and making them resonate for a modern audience. As a director you have a level of distance from the events you comment on and a level of exploration of contemporary parallels, it stops the work from being totally reactionary to present events or circumstances and means that we can ultimately make wider points and have a lot more fun.

Above all else, it means we always have the most fun costumes to wear and the most fun toys to factor in.

What has been your favourite story you’ve unearthed?

My bucket list story is that of John Reed’s account Ten Days That Shook The World and The Russian Revolution. It has everything: power struggles, culture clashes, incredible stakes – enough drunken absurdity to have the audience in hysterics and the most profound consequences. But we’re waiting for the right time on that one…

A fun story is that of the ancient Persian ministers who used to have two stages of debate for all new policy and ideas: the first stage while sober and rational, and the second while hammered, to ensure that they always agreed from both perspectives. Seems like a fine alternative to the current politics of making horrific decisions while stone cold sober all the time…

This show is about the first deliberate stock market crash – how do you think audiences can relate to this in 2018?

It’s a far more modern story than we anticipated when we started. I’d argue these events marked the birth of a mindset that is still prevalent today; that corporations and individuals hold power and influence, not governments or nations. This show is an insight into the characters that are just as likely to be working in Canary Wharf today as they would in 80’s Wall Street.

I’d also challenge anyone to watch the antisemitism and xenophobia Nathan faced on his arrival and not pause for thought about the rife and rampant Islamophobia and racism in our own times… And the consequences that this marginalisation and alienation of outsiders can bring.

What do you want audiences to feel when watching this show?

It’s uncharted territory for us, in the sense that we don’t just want as many laughs as possible. We want to keep the humour and fun as a vehicle to tell a wider story, not to be our final objective.Our goal is for the audience to leave thinking and talking about what they saw.

We of course aim for an entertaining and engaging evening, which we’ve managed to balance with finding the truth to the personalities and times that they lived in. The show’s intent is creating a sense of the drama and the stakes of their times. We also want people to learn a bit about the markets and forces that govern us, with many of the bizarre facts I learnt researching this distilled for easy access, while providing a stark reminder about how little has changed since this market crash 200 years ago!

As a company – who are your inspirations?

There’s a lot of Brecht and epic theatre in there; big set pieces, cast of thousands. effective use of a minimal budget. Not to mention the whole ethos of the company comes from his idea of ‘historicisation’!

I jumped for joy when a previous review compared us to Patrick Barlow’s adaptation of The 39 Steps, my favourite play ever, which proved how easily and cheaply you can tell incredible, wide spanning stories with little more than 4 actors and minimum production value, while keeping that sense of ambition and imagination.

As a young company we admire the heck out of Mischief Theatre and Kill the Beast, because they show that young people are capable of making incredibly popular, enjoyable work that appeal to all.

While writing We Own Everything I was working on the James Graham play Ink, about the rise of The Sun newspaper and I can definitely see parallels with this story. Not least in trying to find sympathy and a fair hearing through theatre for a person that may have already been written off as a villain.

The play has number of outrageous characters, who is your favourite and why?

Most like to go for a pint with: Tommy Flynn [The Rothschild’s stockbroker played by Will Charlton], he’d be a good laugh but he’d skip his round.
Most like to go to a party with: The Prince Regent [Played by Lloyd McDonagh], he knows how to put on a good spread.
Most like to go on a cruise with: Daniel Bryner [The Rothschild’s accountant played by David Gurney], he’s just the nicest guy and not at all like the rest of the characters in this horrible, sordid world.
Favourite Character overall: Nathan Mayer Rothschild [Played by Jahmai Maasai], as no other character in any of our previous shows has forced me to suspend my judgement and be impartial in such a profound way.

We Own Everything is on 10 – 19 July

BOOK TICKETS HERE

How many plays have you seen featuring Iranian characters? Probably not many, if any! Rather than sitting around lamenting the fact that Iranian stories have scarcely been told on stage in London, I decided to dive headfirst into sharing these stories myself.

You may have heard about Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, the dual British-Iranian citizen who was arrested in Iran in April 2016. She was returning to London after visiting family with her baby daughter. She had done nothing wrong; to this day, she remains imprisoned in Iran, her daughter now living with her Iranian grandparents. Then, last year Trump put his travel ban in place, temporarily blocking citizens from 7 Muslim countries from entering the US. Suddenly, Iranian-Americans who had lived and worked in the US for years, as well as their families, were blocked off from the place they called home.

These cases of dual belonging – the home that comes with your ethnicity and the one that comes with your nationality – kept swirling around in my head. I kept questioning what it means to be a citizen of a country, and what a country would do for its people when they needed help.

With all this going on last year, I felt I needed an outlet to respond. My own parents were political refugees who fled Iran in the 90’s, and so I felt a sense of duty to all the Iranian people who were being negatively affected by these issues. Naturally, the answer to my question of ‘what can I do?’ became ‘make a piece of theatre about it’.

To create CITIZEN, I set about collecting verbatim material from a range of sources. From Nazanin’s diary entries, to interviews with my mum, conversations with the cast, and questionnaires sent to Iranians around the world. What came back were stories that were in equal turns fascinating, harrowing, moving and funny.

Drawing on my own experiences was a key part of the process. I was born and raised in Australia to Iranian parents, so I started out writing stories that I remembered from childhood. There was the culture clash of being raised in a traditional Iranian household in Australia, the stories that my mum had told me about leaving Iran, and my own experience of visiting Iran once when I was eight years old. I then contrasted those stories to my feelings about Iran now, as an adult, and the way that I’d seen Iran represented in the media.

Something I’ve learn about writing from personal experience is to find a way to disconnect from your story. An experience that might have been powerful to me in the moment doesn’t necessarily translate to an audience, so there were times when I had to be willing to cut or edit moments in order to make the best work. From the get-go I invited my cast to be co-creators – to be the outside eyes to the sections of script drawn from my life, allowing them to give me honest feedback on it as they would any other part of the play.

As I reflect on the work we’ve made and what I want audiences to get out of it, one word comes to mind: hope. Even though some of the migration stories we’ve incorporated into the show have sadness and displacement within them, the very act of sharing them is uplifting. All the people who provided their stories – from those we interviewed to those who wrote journal entries and letters for all to see- wanted the world to know that even in the darkest of times, there is hope. And so, in creating this piece of theatre, I – as well as my cast and the many contributors whose words we’ve used – want the audience to walk away remembering that at the end of the day, regardless of our ethnicity or citizenship status, we are all human. We all want and need the same things, and the more we remember this, the more each of us can contribute to a more equal society.

CITIZEN runs 24th April – 5th May.

CLICK HERE TO BOOK TICKETS

We interviewed Henry C Krempels, playwright of The Sleeper.

The show is based on your own personal experience on an overnight train in Europe at the height of the immigration crisis – what happened?

I was living in Italy at the time and would take the train whenever I came home (I have a fear of flying). Over about a year or so, I noticed the train had a strange collection of people, from the ones in full pyjamas, to the ones who spent the night hammering home miniature bottles of wines, to the cheap seats, where I was. The people here often had huge amounts of luggage, and after talking to a few of them, I found they were either moving home or moving away from wherever they’d come from.

One night, I came back to my cabin and found a woman sleeping in my bed. I sort of stood over her, trying to figure out who she was and did that very British thing of assuming I had got the wrong bed or something like that. One of the other passengers in the cabin shouted something in Arabic at her and she bolted up, pushed me out the way, went down the corridor and checked bed after bed after bed until she disappeared from sight. After that, I went and spoke with the train manager which sort of initiated a search. That last bit, is also a lot of what the play is about.

How did the show evolve from there?

Well, I wrote this story up for VICE Magazine, during which time I desperately tried to find her/find out about her. I wanted to help her somehow. I think I wanted it to be one of those good news stories you see on Twitter. Let’s find this woman, maybe set up a crowdfunding page, help her out, get her some money, make sure she’s safe.

Then I started to examine what it was I wanted from that. What I was doing, and why I was doing it. The whole thing felt skewed. I knew nothing about her and what if, if I found her and she didn’t want to be found? There was an assumption that she wanted my help and that’s something I challenge heavily in the play.

These questions, along with the memory of that moment, felt very suited to the play form. So I wrote something for a scratch night in January 2017. I organised some workshops with refugees and asylum seekers who might be able to help me with this story and who themselves might like to tell their stories. Then I went away and put together something more whole. We performed it in Edinburgh, got great feedback and now, this time, I’ve gone away again and I’ve made sure it’s hitting all the right notes.

You interviewed Syrian asylum seekers as part of the process – how did you incorporate these into the show?

The play really plays with the line between fact and fiction (which I happen to think doesn’t exist). I’ve interwoven the two, things people have told me and things I’ve found out but I think it would be impossible to just lift them apart. The interviews, some of which is in the text verbatim, felt like rock on which the play was built. If you see it, you’ll see the play is sort of split into two worlds. The playing out of ideas and situations and the factual which sort of takes the form of memory and a dialogue with the woman in my bed. The two are constantly talking with each other.

Having said all that, pretty much everything in it, in some way or another, happened to someone.

What has been the most challenging aspect of bringing this show to life?

The questions about representation and whose story this is were easily the most difficult part of this In fact, that part has been so challenging, I organised some workshops with the Young Vic called Whose Life is it Anyway? With the aim of dissecting refugee theatre (with those who make it). It’s so difficult and so interesting how you put stories on stage that a) don’t belong to you (although in this case, I am in the story too) and b) belong to people who don’t have much of a voice. What’s my role in that and how do I go about it?

I think the other thing was making this an entertaining piece of theatre. Why put on refugee theatre if you’re just going to hit people where it hurts and then lecture them when you’ve done that. I wanted The Sleeper to be, if nothing else, a chance to show that this stuff, which is hard and problematic and important can also be a good night at the theatre.

What’s been the best part of the process?

One moment which I think the others will agree with me on:

We were doing a workshop and one of our participants was in charge of directing a scene between the train manager and the character who represents me. It’s a moment where we’re really looking into the soul of the train manager and trying to understand why he does what he does.

Halfway through, this woman (I ‘m not going to say her name but she has been through this sort of journey herself) stopped the two actors, stood up and made them do the whole scene lying on top of each other. As soon as she asked them to start again, she burst out laughing, a big, gut laugh which was totally contagious and spread around the room. For the next five minutes everyone lost it and was basically rolling around the room. There was something so cathartic about that moment, and made me realise lots of things, one of which was that she was one of the most courageous women I’ve ever come across and that I couldn’t admire anyone more than I did her, right then.

Tell us about the ‘Refugee Fund’?

Well, we want to make The Sleeper and the stories contained in it, as accessible as possible to the people whose voices are represented on stage. Depending on how much we can raise, the fund will to pay for refugees and asylum seeker based in London to come to see our play for free, and then pay for them to get there and get home.

Theatre is expensive and can be seen as exclusive. I think a lot of people don’t think theatre is for them. And this is a big challenge of ours (Anima’s) to do whatever we can, however small or large, to make that change.

What impact do you hope ‘The Sleeper’ will have on the audience?

I think that sort of depends on who the audience is. I hope that anyone seeing it who has been through that experience, or something similar, can find something true in it -something recognisable.

I think for people who haven’t been through that experience, my main aim is to alter, in some way, their ‘idea ‘of a refugee and that experience. It is so easy to slip into pity. If you think about the images we use for refugees. That dreadful image of the boy drowned on the beach. I know that eventually had a positive impact and made people realise that something needs to be done. But really? Are we going to wait until that kind of thing happens, the most tragic thing possible, to do something? I think it’s about finding something human and not relying on trauma. If those workshops and this play has taught me anything (they taught me a lot) it’s that people are way more than the trauma they’ve endured.

Describe ‘The Sleeper’ in three words.

Is this real?

Click here to book tickets for The Sleeper.

The Space first opened its doors as a theatre in 1996. Think John Major. Think unrecognisably low house prices. Think Spice Girls. A long time ago. Since that time we have become a valued venue for audiences, a vital incubator for emerging artists and a crucial creative lifeline for our local community. Put simply, our Grade II listed building is in constant use which in turn means constant maintenance.

Well, we have some wonderful news. For the past two years we have been fundraising to replace our house lights system. These are the lights that allow audiences to find their seats safely and much needed rehearsals to continue on into the evening. We are beyond thrilled to announce that we have reached our target and the work is starting this week! Our new lights are going to be more environmentally friendly, cheaper to run and more flexible to our needs. This means we can conserve energy and save money which we can channel back into managing our 12-month theatre programme, in-house company, artist development opportunities and participatory theatre project

It is no understatement to say that this would simply not have been possible were it not for the artists, audiences and our local community who have rallied around us donating their time and money to our campaign. We are a small team here at the Space meaning our theatre relies on the support of volunteers. From quiz nights to a Christmas cabaret, raffles to sponsored walks, we have been overwhelmed by people’s generosity, dedication and undefeatable attitude and are so grateful that we know so many wonderful artists and audiences who share a love of this building and the theatre we support. Special thank you goes to our Event Management Committee for their tireless fundraising efforts, the artists who have performed at our fundraisers out of the goodness of their heart and the Theatres Trust for their grant which provided a real boost when we needed it most.

So whether you have donated money, bought a raffle ticket, spread the word about our efforts or simply encouraged us to keep going we thank you all, sincerely and deeply.

We’re going to hold an informal ‘switching on’ ceremony on Thursday 29th April at 6pm, please do feel free to join us!

The reviews are in for “beautiful”, “mesmerising”, “chilling” ‘Frankenstein’ here until 10th March.

This Frankenstein has an atmospheric, gothic feel that literally sends chills down your spine […] The cast do an incredible job and the whole production looks and feels beautiful, and all without a neck bolt in sight.

5 STARS

Theatre Weekly

Isabel Dixon and Katherine Timms’ feminist reimagining of Frankenstein does ample justice to Mary Shelley’s still astonishing work, in a compelling and chilling tale packed with creative flair.

4 STARS

Act Drop

A maelstrom of physical theatre, mime and puppetry […] engrossing, resourceful and concise in a way that fuels the urgency of the story being told.

The Stage

This feminist revival of Shelley’s Frankenstein is a must-see for every Frankenstein lover.

A Younger Theatre

inspires pity and terror

London Grip

a must-see for Shelley fans and newcomers to the story – a dynamic, haunting production that will linger long in the memory.

4 STARS

Fairy Powered Productions

This female-led version of Mary Shelly’s classic Frankenstein is creative, energetic and, despite changing the gender of the lead characters, faithful to the original.

Reviews Hub

Click here to book tickets

2017 has been a typically busy year for the Space, packed with stunning performances and we’ve celebrated births, marriages and anniversaries. We’ve got so much to be grateful for, lots to be proud of and countless people to thank.

We kicked off the year with the One Festival, our annual showcase of solo performances. 5 programmes of work, 3 weeks of shows and over 50 artists delivering unforgettable performances. What we love about the One Festival is that it really is a case of expecting the unexpected. I certainly didn’t expect my son, Otis Andrew Hemming, to arrive a week early in the final weekend of the festival (thank you to Keri and Isabel for picking up my slack!).

What followed was a packed spring season including Nigel Fairs return to the Space with the intelligent, witty and deeply moving ‘Ebeneezer and Me’, directed by Louise Jameson. Spring also saw big changes for the Space team as Theatre Manager Keri became Mrs Mason when she married Tom in April and, after 4 years at the Space, Isabel left us to become Marketing Manager for the Pleasance.

Then it was summer and we packed in 20 different performances at the Space alone. We were particularly excited to welcome trailblazing director Sue Dunderdale and Head for Heights as they presented the UK premiere of Juan Radrigan’s ‘Mad Man Sad Woman’. Other summer highlights included; the hilarious double bill of ‘The Trial of Le Singe’ by the Heretical Historians and ‘Grab ‘em by the Pussy’ by Caroline Buckley, and the magical romp, ‘Elixir’ by Christy Hawkins. Our championing of female-led work continued as three exciting new companies, Volta, Wonderbox and Filthy Cow produced some excellent work, delighting audiences and critics.

Of course a Space summer wouldn’t be complete without the Crossrail Place Roof Garden performance space which presented the work of 22 different artists and companies as part of the Early and Late Bloom community arts festivals, and all for free. July and August also saw the long-awaited return of ScriptSpace, our development and feedback service for playwrights and we want to say a huge thank you to all of our readers, especially Mike Carter and Alison Porter, for their support.

And the hits kept on coming into our Autumn/Winter Season! Metal Rabbit Productions ‘The White Bike’ by Tamara Von Werthern attracted packed houses and stunned the reviewers. A perfect storm of excellent writing, acting and direction allied with superb sound, lighting, set and costume made this an easy pick as our ‘Visiting Show of the Year’. Box office staff quickly became accustomed to handing out tissues for teary audiences at the end of the show.

The ‘Bums on Seats’ award goes to our very own Space Productions for ‘The Castle’ by Howard Barker which had the highest audience total of 2017. Described in the press as ‘a beautifully constructed production’, ‘a triumph’ and ‘the grandest, most epic fringe show I’ve ever seen’, it was a joy to direct the incredibly talented ensemble. Just too hard for us to pick one, the entire cast of The Castle, therefore, are given our ‘Performer(s) of the Year’ award.

To round off the year, we were delighted to welcome back; C-12 Dance Theatre with the 6^th ‘Emerge Festival’, the Season of Bangla Drama with ‘Sold’ by Showmi Das, and the London Docklands Singers with their carol concert. Finally, we ended 2017 in style with a sparkling Christmas Cabaret in aid of our house lights fundraising campaign. A huge thank you to the Events Management team for their tireless organising and the raffle donors/buyers and performers for all their heart-warming contributions.

None of the above would have been possible without the support of our dedicated volunteer team and we want to thank them all for their patience, enthusiasm and hard work over the last 12 months. In particular, Nina Nevoa Tavares. Nina joined the Space on an internship and very quickly became an invaluable member of the team. Although she returned to Portugal in August, her efforts are still being hugely appreciated and her presence missed. It’s no surprise then that Nina wins our Volunteer of the Year award!

In other news, we were thrilled to welcome Grace Chapman to the team as our Theatre Manager in June. A talented playwright, Grace brings a world of experience from her time with Idle Motion Theatre Company. Whether it’s writing funding applications, climbing ladders to finally get those ropes down from The Lighthouse or leading on our production and marketing plans, Grace brings bags of enthusiasm, a can-do attitude and insightful intelligence. The stress-free process of staging ‘The Castle’ and our rising audience numbers are testament to the work she’s done so far.

And finally, I don’t have room (I’ve probably gone on a bit too long as it is…) to thank or mention all those that deserve it – a huge number of people, staff, trustees, volunteers, performers, artists, funders, audience members, press, participants and workshop tutors who have contributed to making 2017 such a great year for the Space. Your work and dedication never goes unnoticed.

Looking ahead to 2018 we have a brilliant spring season lined up featuring true stories, unsolved mysteries and history’s greatest horror story. Click here to find out more (psst tickets for ALL SHOWS are currently 25% OFF!)

We thank you all and wish everybody a very, merry Christmas and a peaceful and prosperous new year.
Adam Hemming
Director