SPID Theatre Company

Childsplay

2011-02-15T17:30:00.002Z

Childsplay (photo by Colin O'Brien) is an interactive journey through outdoor games across the ages. It happened OUTSIDE in Normand Park, Lillie road, North Fulham, W14 9PA opposite Clem Attlee estate. Audience members had the opportunity to get involved in outdoor games during this 70 minute promenade show!

The first picture by Alison Neighbour shows Natasha Hill surrounded by Nicholas Ako, Jamie Oliphant, Aaron Gordon and Josh Allen. The second picture by Amy Waitt shows Nicholas Ako pushing Jamie Oliphant.

The show had some lovely reviews. British Theatre Guide says ‘a sort of illustrated lecture - but what an entertaining one! There is nothing boring about this show'. For the full review click here

Total Theatre says ‘ Open spaces, and a childlike defiance of the cold are both things we should strive to maintain. Nostalgia isn’t often thought-provoking – but sometimes it can be.‘ For the full review Click Here

Audience Club gave it *****, saying, 'Led by 5 very enthusiastic actors playing 12 year olds from the '50's, '60's, '80's and '90's (apparantly nothing happened in the '70's) we sampled a number of games. Some we knew and some we learned, but we enjoyed them all hugely... Cleverly coordinated by a soundtrack listened to on borrowed MP3 players, this was a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon.'

There are some exciting features about it from H and F chronicle and London Councils. It was part of The Independent’s Critic’s Choice in their Childrens’ section and The Guardian also recommended it for viewing, as did BBC news .

Childsplay is supported by Arts Council England, London Councils, H & F parks and culture, RBKC youth services and BBC Children in Need.

Team Spirit

2011-02-15T14:52:00.012Z

Despite the mayhem and closure of youth clubs, our latest youth show played to full houses in its tour of West London council estates! Team Spirit by Nnenna Samson is about a group of young people who have come together to dream their own part in the London Olympic opening ceremony. Despite the challenges that arise they have the numbers, the drive and everyone knows their position. Many lives, many dreams, one spirit!

This exciting free show, inspired by the young people, performed at 4 West London venues over a period of just 5 days. Each venue was transformed into a sports centre and the audience were drawn into the daily activities of the building as they watched the evolving drama.

PERFORMANCES

Thursday 11th August 7:00pm
Dalgarno Community Centre
1 Webb Close, Dalgarno Way, London, W10 5BQ
thanks to kind support from the Dalgarno Neighbourhood Trust

Friday 12th August 5:00pm
Tricycle Theatre
269 Kilburn High Road, London, NW6 7JR

Saturday 13th August 7:00pm
Chelsea Youth Centre
Blantyre Street, World's End Estate Chelsea, London, SW10 0EQ

Monday 15th August 7:00pm
Lancaster Youth Centre
128a Lancaster Road, London, W11 1QS

Home

2010-06-17T11:54:00.007+01:00

S.P.I.D. (Specially Produced Innovatively Directed) is an award winning theatre and film company who uses the arts to regenerate neglected spaces. We create site specific projects which foster a sense of community by engaging people with their local environment. We also run free weekly activities through out the year. We are based in the Grade II* listed community rooms of West London's Kensal House council estate. Check us on on BBC London Radio: http://tinyurl.com/876jjod! Photographs on this website are by Rob Marshall unless otherwise credited

GET ANIMATED! Get yourself animation credits over half term. Work with professional animators to make two short films. Past projects screened at the BFI and Hollywood!
8-12 YEAR OLDS:Sat 11th Feb 10.00am - 1.00pmTues 14th Feb 11.00am - 2.00pmWeds 15th Feb 11.00am - 2.00pmFri 17th Feb 11.00am - 2.00pm)

13-19 YEAR OLDSSat 11th Feb 2.00pm - 5.00pmSun Feb 12th 1.00pm - 4.00pmMon 13th Feb 1.00pm - 4.00pmThurs 16th Feb 3.00pm - 6.00pm

The workshops are free and will take place at:Kensal House Youth Club,Kensal House Estate,Ladbroke Grove,W10 5BQTo sign up and find out more, contact 0208 968 2961 or youth@spidtheatre.com

This project is supported by:

The Passersby

2010-06-17T11:47:00.007+01:00

The Passersby was a youth show written and directed by Nnenna Samson in collaboration with young people from and local to Kensal House estate. It was free and was supported by funding from the Golborne Ward Initiative, RBKC youth arts, London Councils and the Youth Opportunity Fund.

Echo

2009-08-05T21:04:00.007+01:00

Echo

A light and sound installation

At Meanwhile Gardens, Corner of Great Western and Elkstone Road W10
Open for exploration 7-9pm Friday September 11 2009 (rain date September 12)
Free but book on admin@spidtheatrecompany.com / 0208 968 2961 (leave message)

SPID present the second of their outdoor light and sound installations at Meanwhile Gardens in Westbourne Park, London this Summer. Echo is open for exploration 7-9pm September 11. This is a reworking of an event which premiered last year.

Deep within the garden, Echo and her unrequited love are trapped in time. But other sounds beckon us in. Shall we follow?

23176

2009-01-15T14:19:00.004Z

23176 takes its title from the number of sexual assaults in Britain last year...

In the shadows of a London council estate, crime and danger hang out everywhere. But news of a rape has got the local kids nervous. Amid all the accusations, who are can be trusted to do the right thing?

Background:
A sell out audience stepped into the action as the story played out on a council estate for which the show was especially created. It was funded by Kensington and Chelsea’s Community Safety Team as part of their Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership.

The Garden

2008-11-05T08:51:00.003Z

The Garden was a Riverside Studios co-production which took place site-specifically in Little Wormwood Scrubs, W10 5QB in August 2008.

Plays International review:

Site-specific theatre often takes place in old buildings whose real-life stories end up distracting from the make-believe. SPID theatre’s The Garden sidesteps this neatly by setting a post-apocalyptic tale in one of West London’s most picturesque small parks, Little Wormwood Scrubs – a real-life stabbing necessitating the move from original venue Sunbeam Gardens. The performance area is fenced off from the park’s practicing golfers and dogs ensuring Lili Barcroft’s meticulously constructed set envelopes the audience and allows its collective imagination to flow.

The story plays out against a Mad Max style oil crisis (with obvious climate change overtones) involving Josh and Laura, two lovers who tend the garden created by Laura’s deceased father. Their intimate world is violently interrupted by the Tempter, a rock n roll villain from the chaos outside who is more human than he first seems.

Helena Thompson’s script displays a clear love of language, mixing timeless lyrical passages with pop culture references to folk music and reality TV. The plot turns feel somewhat arbitrary (especially the father’s polluted grave) but the action is well-paced enough to carry the most literal-minded viewer along for the ride.

Ryan Saunders and Nicola Stuart-Hill play the couple with energy and feeling but it is Samuel Collings as the Tempter who holds the audience focus with a performance drawing on Jagger, Vicious and Paul Nicholas in the film Tommy. Rachel Grunwald’s direction is painstaking and faultless - the invading youths’ violent climax in particular is choreographed to a tee - while the production design requires no suspension of disbelief and the sound, dry ice and lighting are slick, on point and never overdone.

Weather permitting; this is an example of site-specific theatre at its most accessible. All in all, a very pleasant free evening in one of London’s best kept secret spots.

Total Theatre review:

This outdoor site-specific production is set in the not too distant future, where young lovers Josh and Laura tend the garden of Laura’s dead father. Into their secluded life comes The Tempter, a swaggering, rakish villain, from the brutal oil hungry world outside.

Cast and audience are fenced off from the general public, and the play’s success rests on its ability to sell this grubby enclosure as a haven and the beautiful fragrant park beyond as the chaotic badlands of the tale. (In a tragic case of life imitating art, a stabbing near original venue Sunbeam Gardens forced the move to Little Wormwood Scrubs).

The sure handed competence of the production -- Rachel Grunwald’s tight direction, Lili Barcroft’s impressive set, and the slick use of lighting and sound -- carry the viewer through some of the narrative’s more opaque moments. Ryan Saunders and Nicola Stuart-Hill (who has some difficult lines) are energetic and emotionally engaging but it is Samuel Collings’ Tempter who is most resonant in his role.

The action is up close and violent, yet the Garden’s pleasant setting makes for a strangely relaxing and hypnotic evening. If you’re unfamiliar with (or unconvinced by) site-specific theatre, this is a good place to start.

There is also a nice local review at http://www.nottinghilldiary.com/category/theatre/.

Jack Petchey scheme

2008-10-30T16:33:00.002Z

SPID runs the Jack Petchey scheme in recognition of young peoples' achievements. Recent award winners are:

Chris Murati (Jan - Feb 2008)
Chloe Watkinson (Feb - March 2008)
Charlotte Lant (April - May 2008)

How to fund SPID

2008-07-12T15:22:00.003+01:00

If you would like to find out more about funding SPID, please contact 07534928057 / 0208 968 2961 /admin@spidtheatrecompany.com

“SPID’s work is sustainable in the long term because its artistic merit and social benefits are mutually dependent. We rely on visionary funders who appreciate just how unique this model is”
Helena Thompson, Artistic Director

Aims & Objectives

2008-07-12T15:06:00.002+01:00

AIM
Our mission is to develop a new type of high-quality, site specific theatre that engages people with their environment in a way that strengthens communities

OBJECTIVES
Host ‘wraparound theatre’ sessions in Kensal House which:

Develops our relationship with Kensal House residents by finding out about their interests as the foundation for future work
Regenerates the neglected historic space by encouraging residents to familiarise themselves with it and with each other, thus honouring the architect Maxwell Fry’s philosophy
Produces professional plays site-specifically in order to attract non-traditional audiences
Develops strong narratives that embrace non-theatre disciplines eg dance, film and encourage audiences to identify with place as much as character
Attracts the residents’ interest in Kensal House with shows that unfold around them, drawing them into sharing an intimate experience in a way that fosters a sense of community

Creates community shows in Kensal House and capitalise on the interest they attract by:
Taking our work to audiences outside London
Running workshops to address the history of Kensal House

Tour plays as installations in order to:
Experiment with how to bring space to life before using these techniques to create new work for the residents
Raise the profile of the company

SPID OUTPUTS:

Build on the artistic excitement we’ve inspired
Foster new artistic partnerships
Advise other theatre companies on using theatre to empower neighbourhoods
Develop and diversify our audience

The following flowchart shows how we use site specific naturalism to attract a new generation to experience theatre and to build a stronger community on Kensal House estate and beyond:

Please click here to see our Spid Web of Activity

Testimonials : Audiences

2008-07-12T15:02:00.001+01:00

“I love the way the stories happen all around me. It really brings theatre to life for the young people I teach,” Rosie Scourtie

“I always see SPID’s shows. You can be sure of a strong storyline that is told in an imaginative way. That’s more than most companies can say,” Cormac McCormac

“SPID offers a different kind of naturalism. It’s unpretentious, it’s moving, and it’s very, very real,” Chris Brown

More Testimonials

Artists / Young Participants / Local Community

Testimonials : Local Community

2008-07-12T15:01:00.001+01:00

“SPID is a breath of fresh air for the estate. It’s wonderful to see the community rooms brought back into use.” Ivor Flint, Kensal House Residents Association

“The way SPID works is so original. The company really believes in the imagination of young people.” Susan Lant, St Charles Estate

“I’m so pleased that SPID has started working on my estate. Young people around here are desperate for something to do.” Siglinde Buhl, Peabody Estate

Other Testimonials...

Artists / Young Participants / Audiences

Testimonials : Young Participants

2008-07-12T14:56:00.002+01:00

“Theatre can be really boring. This is like a living film. Amazing!” Michael Grandison

“It’s great to have a theatre space just under where I live. Most estates don’t have that. I feel really lucky.” Ashley Akajioyi

“Since working with SPID, I’ve learned so much. I feel like a famous actress.” Helga Lalaj

More Testimonials...

Artists / Local Community / Audiences

Testimonials : Artists

2008-07-12T14:54:00.002+01:00

“Superhuman was the most unpredictable and original site-specific show
created with young people that I've yet seen - and what a fantastic and
flexible theatre home SPID have created for themselves in Ladbroke Grove...” John Retallack, Company of Artists

“Open House was intricately lovely. The attention to detail blew me away. I felt for all the characters “ Louise Chantal, producer

“Bluebeard’s Wives was so much better than the usual avante garde fare. At last, a genuinely original piece of story telling that is both experimental and moving,” Philip Dodd, ICA

More...
Young Participants / Local Community / Audiences

Activities

2008-07-12T12:51:00.013+01:00

Free workshops with SPID Theatre! Come and join us for theatrical training with our new project ‘ Far, far away. Enter a life that is nothing like your own.’ An opportunity to explore different times and places, through research, writing, stagecraft, song and dance. Each workshop will provide theatrical training in all these areas. Suitable for both new comers and SPID Veterans. Script writing workshop starts this Tuesday 1st Nov for 8-13 year olds at 4.30-6pm and Thursday 3rd Nov for 13-19 year olds at 6.30-8.30pm at Kensal house community rooms, Kensal House Estate, Ladbroke Grove, W10 5BQ. No need to book, just turn up at the door and fill in an enrolment form. If you have any questions please give us a ring on: 0208 968 2961/07534928057.

SPID has programmed a series of other FREE workshops taking place year round at Kensal House:

Gong Fu
Shaolin Gong Fu Preparation is an entry-level class. This class builds high levels of all round-fitness. Stamina, flexibility, coordination and Shaolin basic skills are all developed. Regardless of your current condition, you will quickly experience good levels of fitness.
Classes are Wednesdays 7.30-8.30pm for over 15s, instructed by Mickell Lemard, Senior Student of the Shaolin Temple UK
Contact Mickell - 07951604611, ielboxing@hotmail.co.uk

Yoga
Oneness Yoga teaches an awareness of breathing and a method to relax the muscles of the body. It encourages deep contemplation and the flexibility of the body. It assists you to manage your stress level and control mental fatigue. We practise asana pranayama and meditation.
Classes are Thursdays 12-2pm for over 15s
Contact Sami - 07895180474, kirosyoga@yahoo.co.uk

Other activities
You can also contact us about running a community class yourself or using the space. The dimensions are: Main Hall 7.78m x 10.83m, Rear Hall 4.34m x 5.76m, Stage 7.55m wide x 3.80m. The space has black out curtains, a stage, two halls, a kitchen and heaters

Address
Kensal Youth Club, Kensal House Estate, Ladbroke Grove, W10 5BQ
Get the 52 or 452 bus from Ladbroke Grove, Kensal Rise, Notting Hill Gate or Victoria to the stop outside the blue and white building just before Sainsbury’s.
The 316, 23 and 70 buses also pass the venue.

Contact

2008-06-28T15:37:00.004+01:00

To get involved, or for more information about SPID’s work, please contact:

07534 928 057 / 0208 968 2961 /spaceperformance@yahoo.co.uk

Our address is:

SPID Theatre Company
Kensal House community rooms,
Kensal House estate,
Ladbroke Grove,
London W10 5BQ

Directions:

Kensal House is the blue and white building just before the roundabout for the Sainsbury’s superstore, at the top of Ladbroke Grove.

You can take the 52 bus from Victoria, Notting Hill Gate, Kensal Rise or Ladbroke Grove, or it’s a twelve minute walk from Ladbroke Grove tube station (turn left when you exit).

Buses 18, 23, 52, 70, 295, 302, 316 also stop outside Kensal House or just round the corner

Kensal House

2008-06-28T15:36:00.004+01:00

Kensal House was designed by modernist architect Maxwell Fry in 1987. The community rooms, now SPID’s home, were a crucial part of his overall vision for Kensal House estate. His aim was to improve the lot of London’s urban poor at a time when London was in desperate need of housing reform. By the time we found them, they had been out of use for thirty years and had recently flooded.

Fry had high hopes for the community rooms. He wanted them to provide a meeting point for residents to hone their self sufficiency by accessing each other’s potential. Adhering to his original vision, we would like to restore the fabric of the building and to ignite the residents’ desire to use them as a community.

All our shows in Kensal House have responded to the past, present and possible future life of the rooms. Open House was set in a disintergrating squat, and the neglected state of the rooms, which in 2005 were complete with real mould on the walls, reflected the disillusionment of both Fry’s vision and the hopes of the house’s fictional owner, Charlie. In Kensal Youth we responded to the boarded-up and haunted nature of the place as we found it, whilst also reflecting the work we had done in the previous year to turn the rooms back into viable community space, specifically a working Youth Centre.

In Superhuman and Remember the Name we used the original Kensal House stage for the first time, linking past youth theatre activities with the new, ‘wraparound’ style which characterises our work now.

For more information about Kensal House and Maxwell Fry, Click Here

History of SPID

2008-06-28T15:34:00.007+01:00

S.P.I.D. was founded in 1999 by a group of artists who wanted to create theatre that excited young people otherwise unconnected to the art form. We incorporated film and dance into our stories in a bid to attract teenagers who felt alienated by traditionally staged theatre. Keen to create work where ever we could, we responded to found spaces such as a church, a railway arch and a graveyard.

We discovered that our unusual setting was hugely successful in attracting our target audience, and started running workshops about the history of where our work took place. The company committed itself to the importance of a strong sense of place in theatre and to giving young people a sense of ownership over their cultural heritage. The natural next step was to gain charitable status; we secured a head mistress, a QC and an event manager as our board members.

We teamed up with organisations the OctoberFest and the Arcola as marketing partners. The ICA co-produced our Bluebeard’s Wives show. It sold out, got published and transferred to Ireland. Then our play Open House won the Festival Highlight award and a Fringe First nomination. On the basis of its success at the Edinburgh festival, the Riverside Studios asked to program it.

But we were worried that putting the production on their stage would attract too traditional an audience. Instead, we wanted to develop the piece site-specifically. After extensive research we found a collection of neglected community rooms on a council estate which the owning council were keen for us to use. These pictures show the sorry delapidation in which we found the space.

The rooms were designed by the modernist architect Maxwell Fry in 1937 as a crucial part of his overall vision for Kensal House estate. His aim was to improve the lot of London’s urban poor at a time when London was in desperate need of housing reform. By the time we found them, they had been out of use for thirty years and had recently flooded.

We boarded off unsafe areas and staged the play in this historic but dilapidated venue. Audiences were encouraged to observe the action like “flies on the wall” as performers moved around the space. The production was marketed by the Riverside Studios and by Open House London architectural festival, who hosted post-show talks about the history of the community rooms. It secured 4 stars from Time Out and was so successful that its run was extended by three weeks.

Our evaluation of the project showed that:

audiences identified with the play’s characters as ghosts of the building's past
residents now wanted to be involved in the community rooms’ future
being on location with the performers fostered a sense of community

We then worked with teenage residents to create the sell-out Kensal Youth. Because the show was set in a youth centre, the project involved refurbishing the community rooms. The 13-19 year old estate residents who came together to make and promenade the show now call themselves the Kensal Youth group.

Funding and Partners

2008-06-28T15:29:00.002+01:00

Click here to see How To Fund Us

SPID receives annual funding from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Council and London Councils. The company receives project funding from the Big Lottery Fund and Arts Council England. As a registered charity, SPID benefits from Gift Aid on donations.

PARTNERS

Residents of Kensal House
The Resident’s Association includes SPID’s activities in their newsletter following their interest in the future of the long-neglected space. SPID holds regular Open Days when the residents can see how the renovations are progressing and have a say in what the space is used for.

The Tenant’s Management Organisation (TMO)
The TMO manages the housing stock for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. The TMO carries out repairs in the borough and also deals with anti-social behaviour. Like SPID, the TMO is committed to the regeneration of Kensal House community rooms as a way of improving the quality of life for the residents. The TMO is prepared to invest minimally in making it possible to hire the space out for rehearsal on the understanding that any earned income would be used for renovation and projects within the community. In the short term, the TMO have offered to pay SPID to run facilitation workshops in the community rooms.

Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
The council has invited us to reapply for funding and have advised us on forging relationships with other community groups such as the Citizens Advice Bureau, the local police force, their own recycling department and the Skills Council. They are keen to support future events in the community rooms where the residents can benefit from workshop and advice sessions, with SPID acting as an umbrella group to delivering some and host others. Through these activities residents will be encouraged to see themselves as rich in the resources they can offer each other.

Local Schools
SPID has forged relationships with the schools attended by the young people on the estate. Future activities we encourage them to be involved in will be accredited so that the young people participating in them have the improvement in their skills recognized and benefit from them academically.

RBKC’s Young Offenders Team
The head of the YOT overseas a rolling program of young people whose community service involves working with SPID to renovate Kensal House community rooms.

Arts Council, England
They have supported all our work in Kensal House to date, saw and evaluated our most recent production very positively and have invited us to apply for more funding.

Others
Open House London Architectural festival, the Heritage Lottery Fund and 20th Century Society who are keen to continue funding and publicise the regeneration of the community rooms because they see them as a landmark example the estate is of visionary British Modernist architecture.

SPID Web of Activity

2008-06-28T15:28:00.001+01:00

Our work is sustainable in the long term because its artistic merit and social benefits are mutually dependent, as shown by the following flowchart. This model is unique in the current theatre context. It shows how we use site specific naturalism to attract a new generation to experience theatre and to build a stronger community on Kensal House estate and beyond.

SPID WEB OF ACTIVITY

Host ‘wrap around theatre’ sessions in Kensal House which …
Produce professional plays site specifically in order to …
Tour plays as installations in order to …
Develop a new type of high-quality, site specific theatre that engages people with their environment in a way that strengthens communities
Foster new artistic partnerships
Build on the artistic excitement we’ve inspired
Attract interest in Kensal House as we …
Develop our narratives before we…
Experiment with how to bring space to life when we … … …
Develop our relationship with Kensal House residents … …

SPID Mission Statement

2008-06-28T15:25:00.000+01:00

AIM

Our mission is to develop a new type of high-quality, site specific theatre that engages people with their environment in a way that strengthens communities

OBJECTIVES

Host ‘wraparound theatre’ sessions in Kensal House which:
Develop our relationship with Kensal House residents by finding out about their interests as the foundation for future work.
Regenerate the neglected historic space by encouraging residents to familiarise themselves with it and with each other, thus honouring the architect Maxwell Fry’s philosophy.
Produce professional plays site-specifically in order to attract non-traditional audiences and:
Develop strong narratives that embrace non-theatre disciplines eg dance, film and encourage audiences to identify with place as much as character.
Attract the residents’ interest in Kensal House with shows that unfold around them, drawing them into sharing an intimate experience in a way that fosters a sense of community.
Create community shows in Kensal House and capitalise on the interest they attract by...
Taking our work to audiences outside London
Running workshops to address the history of Kensal House
Tour plays as installations in order to:
Experiment with how to bring space to life before using these techniques to create new work for the residents
Raise the profile of the company

SPID OUTPUTS:

Build on the artistic excitement we’ve inspired.
Foster new artistic partnerships.
Advise other theatre companies on using theatre to empower neighbourhoods.
Develop and diversify our audience

Please click here to see this illustrated in our SPID WEB OF ACTIVITY [Link]

Affected

2008-06-28T15:24:00.011+01:00

http://lafemme.org/blog/film-programing/features-2011

Spooky; our futuristic film tinyurl.com/4yg58qh predicted the London riots! It was screened in the LA Femme film festival on Friday 14th October 2011 at Davidson Valentini Theatre, 1125 N. McCadden Place, Hollywood,CA 90038

Plot
As natural resources run out, mass looting and fighting breaks out on the street. People are turning ‘affected,’ possessed by greed and empty of empathy. Teenage documentary maker Jacob and his girlfriend Laura take their camera to the violent Eden Estate...

Background
Affected has had been screened at the Portobello Film Festival and the BFI. It was funded by Media Box, Positive Choices, London Councils and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea with support from their Tenant's Management Organisation. This feature film won a Young People Now award and was made with London teenagers.

Superhuman

2008-06-28T15:22:00.017+01:00

A promenade youth show which toured council estate spaces.

‘It's the day before the hip hop show, and a lot of reputations are at stake. But the estate saddos, too uncool to perform, have a trick or two up their sleeve. Could they turn the tables on the lads who mock them? Nothing is as it seems in this wall-glowing, chair-moving take on gang rivalry.’

'Superhuman' was first directed by Rachel Grunwald. It is a 360˚ production that picks the audience up and whirls them around – literally!

It was SPID’s second groundbreaking community show, performed by 15 local young people. Featuring glow-in-the-dark designs, body-popping dance displays and moveable audience seating, this show takes the audience on a ride through time and space – literally! ‘Superhuman’ explodes all around the audience, and at times picks them up, whirls them round and sets them down in different places, to get a new perspective on each episode in this fast-moving, all-action drama.

‘Superhuman’ was adapted and re-staged as Remember the Name.

Sixteen

2008-06-28T15:18:00.021+01:00

‘It’s sixteen years since October was born into a squat. Now that everything’s legal, she’s desperate to celebrate. But the locals are suspicious; is this a party or a cover up?’

'Sixteen' was written at the National Theatre Studio and supported by the Gate theatre. It featured a distinguished and experienced professional cast, and also gave SPID youth theatre graduate Chloe Watkinson her first professional role. Supporting parts were played by other members of the youth company, challenging them with new responsibilities and introducing them to professional working methods as part of their continued, hands-on training at SPID.

The Stage review:

"Sixteen is an unforgettable social and theatrical experience. Would I recommend to it to everyone? Probably not, but being about a council estate, while being staged in an actual council estate, makes this a gritty and all too real experience for even the most broad-minded.

It’s the eve of October’s 16th birthday and the official opening of the Kensal Youth Club. Raised in an illegal squat by her failed actor father Mikey and failed chef aunt Beth, the squat has finally become legitimate, and trying to become the heart of the estate’s community.

However, there is a nasty undertone to the preparations, as the severe bruises all over October’s body take centre stage, tacitly and then later, loudly.

Paedophilia and incest are unpalatable topics society wants to bury and forget. And yet in Sixteen, we are forced to confront it as a possible reality between father and daughter, Mikey and October.

Tension mounts as October’s mother, Oleta, who abandoned her in the squat at birth, returns as a relatively high-flying journalist, with twisted messages for the nest she left behind.

SPID specialises in site-specific theatre and it’s a very powerful tool. By staging this play in the heart of a real-life council estate, when the Kensal Youth Club comes under attack from angry youths outside, the audience sat around the performance space on old sofas and mattresses, feel just as vulnerable as the characters. The environment forces the spectators to become part of the action and removes the usual comfort blanket of being a bystander.

Sixteen is violent, emotional and uncomfortable. All the things a play sometimes needs to be. You go to the theatre to be removed from your world and transported elsewhere. This really does that and makes you think about other parts of society. Mark Frost delivers a fantastic portrayal of Mikey, while Hoda Bentaher’s October is a heart-renderingly damaged performance."

Independent on Sunday review:

"On the night I attended, chino-clad punters - way out of their comfort zone - were having to argue their way into the show, past a bunch of hooded youths who loitered at the door, giving verbal cheek and violently slamming against the security shutters covering the windows. Rather wonderfully, that all became part of the show. And what a delight, being seated on old sofas and matresses on wheels which are shunted around wildly between scenes. I'd give that a whirl again."

The Times review:

"The script takes pains to juxtapose youthful idealism against the creeping spectre of middle aged failure...the acting is never less than competent and sometimes a good deal more. Bentaher's sweet, strange naivety as October is touching. There is also notable work from Chloe Watkinson, a teenager with showbiz aspirations, and Jean Marie Coffey as a fretful aunt for whom disappointment has become a way of life."

Fringe Review:

"This valiant attempt by SPID to look at an edge of society that is rarely explored in theatre and actually set it on a real council estate is interesting and well worth seeing."

Funded by Arts Council England and London Councils

Happyslap

2008-06-28T15:16:00.009+01:00

Happyslap screened on Community Channel at 10pm on 20, 22, 24, 26 July 2009 as part of their ‘Meet The Future’ season, an entire month of programming dedicated to celebrating the talents of young people. Community Channel is broadcast 24 hours a day on Sky 539, Virgin TV 233 and from 6am to 9am on Freeview 87. Community Channel is a Media Trust initiative.

Watch the trailer here.

Winner of the Apollo Award for Best Youth Arts Project in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.

It's Halloween, and the memory of teenage Max's suicide is fresh on the estate. His best friend Akeem is out for revenge, dead set on punishing the local bullies whose mobile clips made Max's life hell. Only femme fatale Abigail seems to understand – but could she have her own agenda?

Film noir for the surveillance generation…
A film by Helena Thompson
Directed by Ash & Naeem Mahmood

SPID collaborated with Ash and Naeem Mahmood of Transient Film Exchange (TFE) to create 'Happyslap', a new feature film based on their ‘Kensal Youth'(which Rachel Grunwald directed). 'Happyslap' was funded by Mediabox to involve disadvantaged young people in filmmaking of high artistic quality.

Kensal Youth

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Written by Helena Thompson
Directed by Rachel Grunwald
Assistant Director Nnenna Samson
Sound Design by Benjamin Esterson

Kensal Youth was SPID’s first community show.

Our professional production team worked with 12 young people aged 11-21 from the Kensal House estate and other areas in London to produce this pioneering ‘wraparound theatre’ piece, funded by the Arts Council, the Lottery and the local borough. The show was subsequently adapted into an award-winning feature film, Happyslap.

Seen through the eyes of Akeem, a young boy whose best friend committed suicide following a campaign of cyber-bullying, ‘Kensal Youth’ dislocates time, memory and perception in an exploration of peer pressure, guilt, betrayal and the use of technology in teenager’s lives.

The audience was allowed free roam throughout the centre as they listened to Akeem’s thoughts amplified on hidden surround sound speakers in every room, and watched the centre flash into life all around them as he reviewed his memories of his friend.

This piece started SPID on a journey from which we haven’t looked back. The cast’s enthusiasm for creating theatre which explodes around their audience, and their passion for playing in real rooms with real objects rather than with sets and props, has informed all our work and principles since.

SPID’s drama workshops started life as devising sessions for this play, and the company has broadened the age range of these workshops to accommodate the requests of keen residents.

Many of the young people in Kensal Youth have remained with the company and taken roles in subsequent productions Happyslap, Superhuman and Remember the Name as actors, designers, stage managers and assistant directors. One cast member has since ‘graduated’ to work with SPID professionally on Sixteen.

Reviews of Open House

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Time Out London, Pick of the Week, ****

‘The fun starts before the play begins: first the audience must find the theatre - the stylish, elusive Kensal House, in darkest Ladbroke Grove. On the ground floor, a single flat (number 666) has been transformed by Spid theatre company into a dilapidated bedsit that, littered with overflowing ashtrays, broken pianos and half-empty wine-bottles, seems more like a crack house than a performance space.

‘Moving fluidly from room to room, guided by music, dialogue and cunning lighting changes, 'Open House' explores the tangled mess left behind after the violent death of a young man who once lived there. The house belongs to Charlie, an ageing boho who has made an almost psychotic effort not to alter a hair of his home since his wife died, and who is only too pleased when his daughter Marie's friends move in. But with the arrival of a genial hooker and a repressed, grieving brother, the paper-thin fabric holding this arrangement together begins to tear...

‘With Rachel Grunwald's superb direction and Stephen Evan Graham's flawless design, this production generates an atmosphere so tensely dramatic that the characters take on a dimension rarely experienced on a conventional stage. The scenes between Mich Duffy's aching Marie and Kevin Murphy's deceptively deviant Josh in particular are at once raw and magically etherial.

In all, a rare and original theatrical treat.’

The List, *****

'At last; a piece of new writing that is not only perfectly written, but perfectly performed. Helena Thompson's play restores one's faith in the ability of writers to create new plays dealing with real issues … Top quality new comedy-drama '

Winner of The List Edinburgh Fringe Highlight of the year award,

'Thompson's play was the real fringe. It was understated, moving and above all - it was naturalism.'

Time Out Edinburgh

'Thompson is an interesting, complicated talent, who takes admirable risks in this darkly humourous depiction ...a voice to listen out for in the future,' Time Out

The Scotsman, Nominated for a Fringe First, ****

'Thompson's slick script reveals a seductive fusion of anarchy, communism and black comedy. As the anger and frustrations of the piece build, this blistering performance urges for a response. And rightly gets it', Fringe First nomination’

Sunday Times Culture

'Just when festival fatigue was setting in, a few sparkling productions sent the clouds packing……Open House, for one, is a tightly scripted and well-acted drama'

Back to Open House

Open House

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‘A rare and original theatrical treat.’

Edinburgh Fringe Festival, August 2005
Croydon Warehouse Theatre, September 2005

Winner of The List's Edinburgh Fringe Highlight of the year award
Fringe First Nominee (Edinburgh)
Time Out Pick of the Week (London)
Nominated for the Carol Tambor Award

Written by Helena Thompson
Directed in London by Rachel Grunwald
Directed in Edinburgh and Croydon by Sarah V. Chew
Cast: Richard Evans, Selina Chilton, Kevin Murphy, Mich Duffy, Napoleon Ryan

Photo by Amber McDonald

Open House charts the disintegration of a fragile urban community after the death of one of their number. During its London run, the audience moved through the neglected house alongside the characters - eavesdropping, peeking through holes in walls and dodging smashing plates as the web of secrets which had held the group together falls apart.

Open House played to critical and popular acclaim at the Edinburgh Fringe, garnering top awards and nominations before transferring to London in co-production with The Riverside Studios. The overwhelming success of the site specific performances in the community rooms in the Kensal House estate, West London, led to the extension of the sell-out run and SPID’s invitation to take up permanent residence on the Kensal House Estate.

Press Quotes on ‘Open House’:

'At last; a piece of new writing that is not only perfectly written, but perfectly performed. Helena Thompson's play restores one's faith in the ability of writers to create new plays dealing with real issues … Top quality new comedy-drama '
***** The List

‘With Rachel Grunwald's superb direction and Stephen Evan Graham's flawless design, this production generates an atmosphere so tensely dramatic that the characters take on a dimension rarely experienced on a conventional stage. The scenes between Mich Duffy's aching Marie and Kevin Murphy's deceptively deviant Josh in particular are at once raw and magically etherial.

‘In all, a rare and original theatrical treat.’
****Time Out London

Click here for more press on Open House

Reviews of Bluebeard’s Wives

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Edinburgh Evening News, ****

‘Faith Hagerty was quite simply stunning as Sarah. She travelled effortlessly from bantering with herself like a posh Lily Savage, to terror and near-madness, then back again in this hour and fifteen minute long show.

‘Using cleverly timed video projection, she danced and acted with three incarnations of herself and the offstage voice of Shaun Aston as a stone-walling Bluebeard, so seamlessly, that it would have been easy to believe there were four other players behind the scenes.

‘This was a simple, if fantastical, love story, but so beautifully written and directed that every member of the audience could leave with a subtly different understanding of the play. Perhaps the descent into madness, the ascent to sanity, or some point in-between. It was certainly no children’s fairytale.

‘Did they all live happily ever after? You’d better hurry if you want to find out.’

Plays International

‘a wickedly inventive one-woman pantomime…Faith Hagerty’s tour de force’
Plays International

Fringe Report

‘Powerful staging, the searing power of Helena Thompson's haunting script, Rachel Grunwald's gifted and quirky direction, inspired video work, Faith Hagerty's literally enchanting performance. A crazed theatrical delight.’

The Scotsman

’Not your typical fairytale.’

Three Weeks

‘Redefines the use of film on stage …a captivating show.’

British Theatre Guide

’Under the imaginative direction of Rachel Grunwald, and with a production team of no less than 17, this is a very promising production which suggests that S.P.I.D. is a company to follow.’

Back to Bluebeard's Wives

Bluebeard’s Wives

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A multimedia fairytale of degradation.

“Do whatever you want, but don’t degrade yourself”
-extract from Bluebeard’s Wives

Following a sell-out run at London's ICA Theatre in July 2003, Bluebeard's Wives transferred to C central venue for three weeks at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Bluebeard's Wives is theatre in its truest sense, a spectacular presentation of original new writing. In an explosion of sound, film and dance, SPID reworks the mythical tale of the wife murderer and the woman he tests. Alone in her husband's castle, this wife makes a surprising sacrifice for her husband's secrets. Innocence vies with the past in a provocative piece of performance theatre that examines the roles today's women play and the ways they are commodified.

Written by Helena Thompson
Directed by Rachel Grunwald
Designed by Odelia Lavie
Original music and sound design by Marc Sherer
Film by Dan Wilson

Bluebeard’s Wives was published by Plays International in 2004

Press Quotes on Bluebeard’s Wives:

"Powerful staging, the searing power of Helena Thompson's haunting script, Rachel Grunwald's gifted and quirky direction, inspired video work, Faith Hagerty's literally enchanting performance. A crazed theatrical delight."
Fringe Report

“This was a simple, if fantastical, love story, but so beautifully written and directed that every member of the audience could leave with a subtly different understanding of the play. Perhaps the descent into madness, the ascent to sanity, or some point in-between. It was certainly no children’s fairytale. Did they all live happily ever after? You’d better hurry if you want to find out.’
Edinburgh Evening News, ****

Click here for more press on Bluebeard’s Wives

Today

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Shunt Arch, October 2002, as part of the Octoberfest

Devised by Helena Thompson and Davina Silver
Starring Davina Silver
Lighting design by SHUNT

Press on ‘Today’:

'Hard hitting and moving at the same poignant time'
Total Theatre Company

Lear

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Jackson’s Lane Theatre, July 2002
Camden People’s Theatre, July 2002

Written by Helena Thompson
Directed by Patrick Nielsen
Starring Philip Philmar, Henrietta Landon, Chris Hastings
Set design by Odelia Lavie
Costume design by Dina Begum

Press on ‘Lear’:

'Thompson's script hurtles along. Her idea is worthwhile and she has a genuine feel for the tennis of dialogue…It's the right time for a play that holds the press to account.'
The Ham and High

'A playful microcosm … and a smart play …Much enjoyment is to be derived from recognising the clever synthesis between this Lear and Shakespeare's
original …Philip Philmar, resembling Eliot's Prufrock more than the defrocked king, provides a fascinatingly wizened and strained editor.'
Time Out

'Shakespeare's tale of power-mongering is translated to a newspaper office and, like any paper, the performance is designed to hit deadline …Philip Philmar gives an outstanding performance as Lear, wooed by the wide boy Eddie, but then
seduced by the dubious moralising of Cordelia… this Lear hits the spot'
Islington Gazette

'Pick of the week'
The BBC online

'Helena Thompson's script is well written and audiences will enjoy the short, flippancy of the one-time gruelling tragedy ….it is an intelligent short play, light enough to be fun but dense enough to give you something to chew on'
Camden New Journal

Not Me

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Not Me was invited by the Stoke Newington Festival, June 2002

Press on ‘Not Me’:

'Mystery is something this show seeks to preserve'
Londonnet website

'A moving experience that churns up tingling responses to death'
Total Theatre magazine

Ophelia

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Jackson’s Lane Theatre, November 2001
Arcola Theatre, February 2002
Candid Arts Centre, March 2002

Written and directed by Helena Thompson
Starring Davina Silver, Simon Kane, Christopher Prior, Emily Hobbs, Jack Hughes
Designed by Sarah V. Chew
Original music by Adem Ihlan (FRIDGE)
Original film by Martin Hampton (squint)
Ophelia was supported by Haringey Arts Council

Press on ‘Ophelia’:

‘The most refreshing and radical take on Hamlet …S.P.I.D. shows a remarkable talent for reworking the classics. The show's use of film is as clever and dramatic as the script. The production is a harrowing success.'
The Daily Telegraph

'Pick of the week,'
Hackney Gazette

Click here for original publicity poster [hyperlink to poster – as on current website]

Human Remains

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New End Theatre and Rivington Gallery, August 2000

Original concept by Michael O'Brien
Adapted by Helena Thompson
Directed by Benjamin Yeoh
Starring Wendy Phoenix Chin, Jonathan Sidgwick, Simon Kane, Nicola Hinton, Andrew Fletcher
Set design by Martin Lauder

Press on ‘Human Remains’:

'Pickled people gain a starring role in this daring play.'
The Ham and High

'Amid the inevitable furore over the Turner Prize currently raging …this short play about the morality, the meaning, and the worth of modern art could not have come at a more apposite moment …Sefton (a nicely self-important Simon Kain) is wooed by the commercial success of his creations …though he sees the art world as the flawed, fashion fashion-driven beast it undoubtedly is'
Time Out

'Human Remains is a modern Jacobean tragedy featuring pickled people, sex and death … short scenes packed with action and emotive language continually entertain as you get drawn into the grotesque horror surrounding four people's lives.'
Hornsey Journal

Still Morning

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Jackson’s Lane Theatre, September 2000

Devised by Helena Thompson
Starring Damon Burrows, Jacqueline Mackenzie, Madelyn Gordon, Angus Taylor, John Terence
Set design by Martin Lauder
Lighting design by Tony Williams
Choreography by Susan Plyer

Press on ‘Still Morning’:

'Still Morning talks an evocative language of images. Fusing surprisingly subtle visuals with honed movement, the show creates a familiar world viewed afresh'
Dance Theatre Journal

'A moving piece of poetic dance theatre'
North London Newspapers

Apple

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Christ’s College Theatre, June 1999
Etcetra Theatre, Camden, August 1999

Devised by Helena Thompson and Ajesh Patalay
Starring Lucy Middleweek, Charlie Bell, Dan Bates
Set design by Tony Williams
Choreography by Triona Kennedy

Press on ‘Apple’:

'The highlight of the term … was Apple, new writing by Helena Thompson…sizeable audiences were treated to a multimedia experience which felt half way between traditional theatre and an unusually cerebral bop chill out room!…Apple is aimed at the young, looking to the dance and drugs culture for inspiration. Urban and up-to-the-minute, with music being mixed especially for the production, Thompson explores the innate theatricality of the rituals of youth.'
Varsity, the Cambridge University newspaper

'Apple is exciting on account of its innovativeness, demonstrating a strong desire to push the boundaries of physical theatre and verse drama …it offers a fresh perspective on modernity and drugs'
The Ham and High

'A play with bite …Apple is, among other things, a plea for sympathy regarding the significance of drugs to our generation'
North London Newspapers

'Good music, good blocking …sort of a metaphor for drugs'
The Guardian

Apple was funded by the Cambridge Judith E. Wilson fund and by the Amateur Dramatic Society

Past Productions – Pre-2003

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Please click on each of the show icons to see production details and reviews for SPID’s shows before 2003.

Apple

Still Morning

Ophelia

Human Remains

Not Me

Lear

Today

Auditions and Vacancies

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If you are interested in volunteering please email your CV and availability to admin@spidtheatrecompany.com.

Workshops

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‘ Far, far away. Enter a life that is nothing like your own.’ An opportunity to explore different times and places, through research, writing, stagecraft, song and dance. Suitable for both new comers and SPID Veterans. Sessions are for 8-13 year olds Tuesdays at 4.30-6pm and for 13-19 year olds Thursdays at 6.30-8.30pm at Kensal house community rooms, Kensal House Estate, Ladbroke Grove, W10 5BQ. Tues 22nd Nov, Thur Nov 24th: Singing; Tues 29th Nov, Thur Dec 1: Dance; Tues 6th December, Thurs 8th Dec: Filmmaking, Tuesday 13th December, Thur 15th Dec: Think Tank session; details of more to come in the New Year. You can book via admin@spidtheatrecompany.com or just turn up at the door and fill in an enrolment form. If you have any questions please give us a ring on: 0208 968 2961/07534928057.

S.P.I.D has programmed several other FREE weekly workshops taking place throughout the year at Kensal House:

Gong Fu

Shaolin Gong Fu Preparation is an entry-level class.This class builds high levels of all round-fitness. Stamina, flexibility, coordination and Shaolin basic skills are all developed. Regardless of your current condition, you will quickly experience good levels of fitness.

Wednesdays: 19:30-20:30 for over 15s

Instructed by Mickell Lemard, Senior Student of the Shaolin Temple UK
Contact Mickell on 07951604611 / ielboxing@hotmail.co.uk

Yoga

Oneness Yoga teaches an awareness of breathing and a method to relax the muscles of the body. It encourages deep contemplation and the flexibility of the body. It assists you to manage your stress level and control mental fatigue. We practise asana pranayama and meditation.

Thursdays: 12:00-14:00 for over 15s

Contact Sami on 07895180474 / kirosyoga@yahoo.co.uk

Getting here:

Kensal Youth Club, Kensal House Estate, Ladbroke Grove, W10 5BQ
Get the 52 or 452 bus from Ladbroke Grove, Kensal Rise, Notting Hill Gate or Victoria to the stop outside the blue and white building just before Sainsbury’s.
The 316, 23 and 70 buses also pass the venue.

Current & Forthcoming Shows

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GET ANIMATED! Get yourself credits in voice over, animation, and sound design. Work with professional animators to make two short films from December 2011 to March 2012 (during school holidays and after-school.)The schedule is:
8-12 YEAR OLDS:Mon 19th Dec 2.00pm - 5.00pmTues 20th Dec 4.30pm - 6.00pmTues 27th Dec 4.00pm - 7.00pmWeds 11th Jan 4.30pm - 6.30pmWeds 18th Jan 4.30pm - 6.30pmWeds 25th Jan 4.30pm - 6.30pmWeds 1st Feb 4.30pm - 6.30pmWeds 8th Feb 4.30pm - 6.30pmSat 11th Feb 10.00am - 1.00pmTues 14th Feb 11.00am - 2.00pmWeds 15th Feb 11.00am - 2.00pmFri 17th Feb 11.00am - 2.00pm)

13-19 YEAR OLDSThurs 22nd Dec 6.00pm - 8.45pmWeds 28th Dec 12.00pm - 3.00pmMon 2nd Jan 1.00pm - 4.00pmFri 13th Jan 5.30pm - 7.30pmFri 20th Jan 5.30pm - 7.30pmFri 27th Jan 5.30pm - 7.30pmFri Feb 3rd 5.30pm - 7.30pmFri Feb 10th 5.30pm - 7.30pmSat 11th Feb 2.00pm - 5.00pmSun Feb 12th 1.00pm - 4.00pmMon 13th Feb 1.00pm - 4.00pmThurs 16th Feb 3.00pm - 6.00pm

The workshops are free and will take place at:Kensal House Youth Club,Kensal House Estate,Ladbroke Grove,W10 5BQTo sign up and find out more, contact 0208 968 2961 or spidtheatreco@gmail.com

This project is supported by:

Who We Are – Board Members

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Rosalind Laurie, Chair
Rosalind is a teacher at Fortis Green School. She is head of the English department and oversees after-school drama classes. In her teaching career she has worked in West and North London.

Peter Kenneth Thompson, Secretary
Peter became a QC following a career in the civil service during which time he advised ministers on social policy. He offers free legal advice, edits the County Court practice and is the author of three legal books.

Duncan Parrish, Treasurer
Duncan is an investment manager who has patented a business accounting system. He joined the board shortly after SPID received annual funding from Kensington and London Councils in 2006.

David Russell, PR
David runs The Social Enterprise, offering public relations services and advice to charities such as the Rwandan Survivors Fund and HelpAge International. He has handled SPID’s press since 2002.

Helen Atkins, Trustee
Helen researches exiting strategies for women who want to leave the sex industry. She has worked for numerous human rights organisations and universities in London. Helen joined the board in 2006.

Henrietta Bannister, Trustee
Henrietta is a freelance producer and event organiser. She has worked on shows for Channel Four and the BBC. Her themed Peacock Club parties take place in listed buildings around London.

Key People / Associates

Who We Are - Associate Artists

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Lilli Barcroft, Designer
Lili has designed SPID’s Superhuman and Remember The Name shows and has run SPID’s design workshops for young people . She also works with Rowan Arts and Jackson’s Lane. She specialises in site specific projects.

Kevin Murphy, Actor
Kevin graduated from LAMDA in 2004 where his theatre credits included Translations, Maggie May and A Winter's Tale. Television includes The Year London Blew Up, 1974 (Channel 4), The Long Walk (BBC). He was also in Space 1889: Red Devils for radio. He is a member of SPID who performed in ‘Open House’ and worked with Kensal House teenagers on performing ‘Kensal Youth’.

Benjamin Esterson, Technical Director
Ben provides special effects for film and theatre projects. He works with volunteers and ushers to ensure the smooth running of SPID’s shows. He oversaw the technical refurbishment of the space in 2007.

Key People / Board Members

Who we are – Key people

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Helena Thompson, Artistic Director and Resident Writer
In 2005 Helena wrote ‘Open House’, which won The List’s Edinburgh Festival Highlight Award. For schools she has adapted ‘Ophelia’ (based on ‘Hamlet’), ‘Bluebeard’s Wives’ (based on Angela Carter’s The Bloody Chamber) and ‘Lear’ (based on ‘King Lear’), written study notes and given workshops. Her feature film, shot on Kensal House estate, was featured on BBC London and screened by Channel 4. She was on the National Theatre’s attachment scheme. Helena manages the Community Hub program at Kensal House.

Rachel Grunwald, Resident Director
Rachel has directed Helena’s work since 2003 and together with Helena has forged the style of theatre which is now SPID’s trademark. Her interest is in collapsing the distance between actor and audience, starting from the one element which is indisputably shared between both groups: the space. For SPID she has directed ‘Bluebeard’s Wives’, ‘Open House’, ‘Kensal Youth’, ‘Sixteen’ and ‘Superhuman’. She also directs freelance, including new writing, Shakespeare and opera, and has been Assistant Director for the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Almeida Theatre. Rachel is the chair of ‘Act for Darfur’, a group of artists using all creative means to inspire and equip people to take action about the crisis in Darfur. She is represented by Peter MacFarlane of MacFarlane Chard Associates.

Nnenna Samson, Outreach Director and Assistant Director
Nnenna produced, directed and wrote the Christmas youth Show 23176. Nnenna runs SPID's program of youth workshops.She has assisted directed SPID shows since 2006 including The Gardens, SuperHuman, Remember The Name and Kensal Youth. She is an associate artist with the National Youth Theatre, delivering workshops with young people in their Open Acess Courses. She has also led workshops at Feltham Youth Offenders Insistute & done research in conjunction with Highhbury &Islingtion Social Services on behalf of Talawa Theatre Company & Clean break. Nnenna belives in the use of Forum Theatre to tackle real issues.

Caryn Stanley, Administrator and Production Assistant
Caryn handles the administration for the Community Hub program and for SPID theatre company’s shows. She assists Nnenna in her work with young people and reports to Helena and to the trustees on financial matters.

David Russell, Publicist
David runs The Social Enterprise, offering public relations services and advice to charities such as the Rwandan Survivors Fund and HelpAge International. He has handled SPID’s press since 2002.

Please click here to find out about our Associate Artists and Board Members

What we do

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Our activities include:

Running weekly ‘wraparound’ theatre sessions for estate residents. These are drama workshops delivered by experienced professionals to young people aged between 11 and 21.
Creating site specific community shows in Kensal House. Click here to find out about our most recent community show.
Creating site specific professional shows in Kensal House. Click here to find out about our most recent professional show.
Taking our work to other local community spaces. We toured ‘Remember the Name’ to the Lyric Theatre in Hammersmith, and in August 2008 our new professional show ‘The Garden’ took place in a local park.
Regenerating the Grade II* listed community rooms.

We are currently installing cutting-edge sound, lighting, special effects and audiovisual equipment and state-of-the-art computerised systems to control them. This will give young people a chance to experiment with technical theatre art at its best, and help the company create ever more sophisticated and exciting ‘wraparound theatre’ techniques.

More About SPID

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SPID is based in the historic community rooms of Kensal House estate, designed in the 1930s by the modernist architect Maxwell Fry. While the rooms themselves are transformed for each show, their location on a West London council estate has informed every narrative.

The company works with organisations such as Kensal House Resident’s Association, the Tenant’s Management Organisation, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea’s Young Offender’s Team, the Riverside Studios and Open House London architectural festival to build strong links locally and nationally.

SPID was incorporated in 2002 and gained charitable status in 2003. We have been resident in Kensal House community rooms since 2005. The Tenant’s Management Organisation for Kensington and Chelsea has agreed to let us manage these premises rent-free during our start up period, ending April 2011.

We promote our events to the residents of the estate as a way of developing our audience and encouraging typically hard-to-reach participants to get involved in the arts. Our work has three principle outcomes:

Developing a new form of high quality theatre that engages audiences with the space that it inhabits
Regenerating Kensal House community rooms and other neglected spaces
Creating shows that empower neighbourhoods by fostering a sense of community

We produce both professional and community shows. The only difference between the two is that the former are scripted and performed by professional artists whereas the latter are devised and performed by teenage residents in collaboration with SPID’s artistic team.

The company consistently challenges the assumption that text-based theatre only belongs on the stage. Instead, the relationship between the script and the space our shows inhabit is the foundation of our work.

What is Spid?

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S.P.I.D. (Specially Produced Innovatively Directed) theatre company is the only youth organisation to specialise in site specific and promenade work.

We are also the only charity who consistently champions the social benefits of bringing the arts to non traditional spaces.

This style has been called ‘wraparound theatre’ or ‘living film’. SPID’s performance work does not take place on stage. The shared space which cast and audience are both in is our stage, and there are no rules for where or how our stories unfold. Our constant challenge to ourselves, when conceiving of a show, is to collapse the distance between the actor and the audience.

We are based in the Grade II* listed community rooms of the modernist council estate of Kensal House. Other council estates where we also work include the Rootes estate, the Peabody estate and William Sutton estate. Our promenade performances in neglected community spaces have won prizes nationally. We actively involve the council estate residents in the research, creation and performance of our shows.

Our experienced, professional creative team works both with professional actors and with young people to champion site specific theatre as a popular art form that builds strong communities.

For more details about the company, please Click Here

S.P.I.D Production Gallery

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