Our online meeting will be on Wednesday 12th March 2025 at 8pm. Please register via our events page.
We’ll be discussing the latest developments at the theatre and next steps in the campaign. See our latest newsletter for more.
Back in 2017, the Theatres Trust added Streatham Hill Theatre to its “At Risk” register. Each year since, the theatre has remained on that list, and it has been confirmed today that it is still on this year’s list.
The theatre’s entry in the 2025 register is here. Our Statement of Heritage Significance gives much more information about the theatre’s importance. This is one of our range of publications about the theatre and our visions for its future.
Our campaign continues, to bring back the theatre to use for the benefit of the community.
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A passer-by has told us “There is a total power outage to the building, Merkur slots closed and a sign on the door. No other lights on anywhere, the last time there was a single light in the foyer big now nothing at all. Strange the shop next door has power as do all other premises opposite etc.“
A major issue is that any pumps would no longer have been powered over the time of the outage, and therefore flooding/water damage in the basement could start to be an issue again.
The Bishop of Ruach gave an update on 2/2/2025 at the Kilburn location in this video. It appears they had two fires in electrical circuits relating to the use of temporary heaters. The power company UK Power were needed to make repairs, costing £140,000. The Bishop called for donations to cover the cost.
The friends were delighted to meet just before Xmas with Zoe Cranmer, the Head of Geography at Dunraven School, and a group of her A Level Geography students to talk about the history of the Streatham Hill Theatre and our campaign to bring it back to use as a performance space and creative hub for Streatham and South London. The students study ‘Regenerating Places’, and are currently doing an in-depth local study which includes the theatre as an example of how the functions of a place can change. The students are exploring why regeneration is needed, how it is managed and what makes it successful, and we’re extremely pleased to know that our campaign offers them a great live case study!
Our online meeting will be on Wednesday 15th January 2025 at 8pm. Please register via our events page.
We’ll be discussing the latest developments at the theatre and next steps in the campaign. See our latest newsletter for more.
We’ve had another kind donation of programmes from Catherine Bennett, collected by her mum who was born in 1933 and grew up on the Clapham Park Estate. She was a “scholarship girl” at St Martin-in-the Fields High School for girls in Tulse Hill, and used to go to SHT while at school, and later with her husband after marrying in 1956.
Thanks to Catherine for sending these to us.
The Christmas Issue (pp8-9) of Heart Streatham magazine features the Friends vision for Streatham Hill Theatre, including proposals from award-winning director Thom Southerland who wants to bring back theatre and community access to the building.
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The Friends have been shocked and saddened to hear of the untimely passing of ‘Big Lad’ at the age of 45 on Saturday 2nd November 2024.
We were introduced to him by one of our members, Martin Clark, who had worked with him for many years at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, where Big Lad was the Deputy Technical Manager and Head of Stage Engineering. Big Lad was a hugely inspirational character, with his deep love for all things theatre and its people.
He was passionate about wanting to do all he could to help the Friends with our campaign to save the Streatham Hill Theatre. When he saw pictures of the orchestra pit at the SHT, he told us its lift was identical to the one at the Palladium. Big Lad became one of our Creative Industry Supporters and joined our Expert Panel. He organised two fantastic trips for us to Drury Lane to show us the result of the recent renovations, including the amazing backstage technical advances they had initiated, as he wanted to show us what could be done to make heritage theatres work in these creatively innovative times.
We have since discovered that he was also supporting another Theatres Trust ‘Theatre at Risk’, The Ashton Empire Hippodrome, and had been planning to get involved with its restoration.
We’ll be forever grateful for his kindness and know the industry has lost a very special soul, taken well before his time. He made such an impact on all who knew him and will be sorely missed.
There is a GoFundMe page for his funeral and to support his wife, Helen.
His well-attended funeral was held on 2nd December 2024. Many West End theatres dimmed their lights in tribute.
11 June 2024: The Friends and Big Lad on the stage of the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.
11 June 2024: Big Lad talking us through some of the Theatre Royal’s technical innovations.
11 June 2024: Backstage with Big Lad at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.
Our online meeting will be on Wednesday 20th November 2024 at 8pm. Please register via our events page.
We’ll be discussing the latest developments at the theatre and next steps in the campaign. See our latest newsletter for more.
Lambeth planning have asked us to outline how the Friends envision the building being used, so we have prepared this summary (PDF). It outlines how the Friends see a rejuvenated SHT working with an experienced theatre company to bring benefits to the local community and local businesses.
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