Patron: David Harewood, OBE

‘Theatre and the Creative Arts are so important for people’s well-being, which is just one of the reasons I’m fully behind the Friends’ campaign to bring this very special building back to life as a beating heart for our wonderful Streatham community and beyond.’

With a career spanning almost 35 years, proud Streatham resident David Harewood has performed at some of the most prestigious theatres, and across TV and Film on some of the biggest networks in the world. He’s highly acclaimed as an actor and has had an illustrious theatre career. He made history in 1997 playing The National Theatre’s first ever black Othello. 

‘Homeland’, ‘The Night Manager’, ‘Man in The High Castle’, ‘Supergirl’ and ‘Blood Diamond’ are just some of the TV shows and films he’s worked on.  His TV directorial debut was working with his ‘Supergirl’ family, and his film directorial debut will be the boxing drama Boxing Drama ‘For Whom the Bell Tolls’.

As a driving force for systematic and cultural change, David has become known for his ground-breaking documentaries, ‘Psychosis and Me’, ‘Black is the New Black’, ‘Will Britain Ever Have a Black Prime Minister’ and ‘Why Is Covid Killing People of Colour?’. He’s a regular goalkeeper for UNICEF’s Soccer Aid and is one of their UK Ambassadors. 

A true change maker, David has helped raise awareness as well as millions of pounds for many charities, organisations and individuals across our collective global communities. With a natural flair for writing, David is often commissioned to explore personal pieces for publications like The Guardian and The Telegraph, covering topics from racial inequalities to mental health.  His first book ‘Maybe I Don’t Belong Here: A Memoir of Race, Identity, Breakdown and Recovery’ was published in 2021.