The Streatham Space Project set out in June 2018 to give South London more opportunities to watch, and perform, grass-root talent, after a local bylaw gave London Square an obligation to include a community space in their new Streatham Hill development project.
I spoke to Lexie, one of the few permanent staff at the project, to learn more about what they get up to and how the community can get involved. Community involvement is deeply ingrained in their ethos and how they run it themselves—as Lexie put it, “all of our other jobs to keep us afloat gave us the skills to run this space.”
Upon entering the building, you can instantly tell how much effort has been put into the project. The first thing you’ll see is the beautiful bar, adorned with the artwork of local artists. The bar is open in the evenings on Tuesday-Saturday and whenever there is a performance on, and is very family friendly, so please take some time to visit whenever you can. Other facilities at the project include a studio that can be hired out for events such as yoga classes, a small office, available to hire out for more personal meetings, such as private tutoring, and of course the theatre. The main theatre space can fit up to 120 people and is not only used for putting on plays; the Streatham Space Project want to ensure that they can appeal to everyone so they also use the space for film screenings (especially during the Streatham Free Film Festival), stand-up comedy and music (find their full programme here). The team are also looking to make their programme even more diverse by next February by introducing regular drop-in events such as open-mic nights and pub quiz nights.
All of the facilities at the Streatham Space Project are available to hire out, and, as a charity, they are always willing to negotiate prices with those who may not be able to afford them. They are also sometimes able to give out free bookings the friday before if no one else has hired those spaces.
Please support this wonderful project right in the heart of Streatham by going along to see one of their many Christmas events, such as comedy nights and theatre productions, or by visiting the bar with some mates to get a drink (or two—it’s nearly Christmas after all!).
Get in contact with the Streatham Space Project on their Twitter or Instagram (@streathamspace), via Facebook (/StreathamSpaceProject), or by dropping them an email at hello@streathamspaceproject.co.uk.
