Shoreditch Town Hall is a lovely if rather forbidding looking venue in East London. But pass through it's grand Victorian entrance and you'll find a lot going on. I've always enjoyed making theatre there.
Today they announced that following a 24-week period of closure due to the Coronavirus pandemic, they will reopen their building to the public from Tuesday 1 September 2020.
A new initiative called Made in Shoreditch will provide 200 free desk space slots to artists who, we're told, will benefit from "a dedicated and safe communal working environment, interaction with other artists, and advice sessions with Town Hall staff."
Further more, according to the press release, "The Town Hall will recruit its first ever Youth Board. Supported by Hackney Council’s Discover Young Hackney programme, the 8-strong Youth Board of 16-19 year olds from across Hackney will play a key role in the development of the organisation’s programmes and future direction. This process will begin next month, with the Youth Board initially in place for a year."
Live performances will commence with Still, Here – a walking audio exhibition across Hackney exploring learning disabled life in lockdown and beyond. Commissioned by Chats Palace, and presented with Hackney Carnival, the piece will play from Sunday 13 September – Saturday 31 October 2020.
James Pidgeon, Director & Chief Executive of Shoreditch Town Hall, today said:
“We are thrilled to be reopening the Town Hall’s doors and welcoming visitors back to the building again. Whilst our process of reopening rightly remains tentative for now, our artistic and civic responsibilities continue at the heart of what we do as we focus on physically reconnecting communities and supporting people to reengage with public spaces. Covid-19 has had a devastating impact on the cultural and live events sectors, and whilst the Town Hall continues to face significant financial challenges and uncertainties – particularly given we receive no regular funding and rely on 100% earned income – only by reopening can we meaningfully start to rebuild and adapt, as well as more proactively contribute to wider local recovery plans.”
Following last week’s announcement that Netflix will stream the U.S. Princess Diana musical ahead to its Broadway opening it’s been confirmed that Ryan Murphy's THE BOYS IN THE BAND film, based on the Mart Crowley play, will be available on the streaming service from September 30.