Guardian House, 119 Farringdon Road, London

Dates: 2014-16

Established in July 2014, in the shell of the ex-Guardian Newspaper offices, this pop- up creative hub represented the first time that Theatre Delicatessen had looked beyond their core constituency of artists and theatre-makers to open up affordable workspace to the wider creative industries.

Spread over the 7 floors of this 72,000 square ft central London building, the pop-up creative hub comprised:

  • 9 dedicated rehearsal rooms, offered to artists at minimum cost

  • 4 performances spaces, including a 50 seat black box studio theatre

  • Shared resources and working space for costume makers and designers

  • Nomad Pop-Up photography studio

  • 4,500 square foot 'design and make' workshop
  • Office and administration space for theatre companies, charities and start ups

Total number of performances:
412 (27 productions)
Total Audience Attendance:
7574
Total Rehearsal Room bookings:
5179 (by 1033 customers)

One from the vault:

Shelter Me (Aug - Oct 2015)

Circumference / Theatre Delicatessen

Immersive circus production that took audiences on a journey from basement to the roof-space of 119 Farringdon Road, exploring the impact of social media and modern communications on our relationships.

Shows:
Lemonade and Laughing Gas / Blanche and Shock present The Owls are Not What They Seem (Aug - Oct 2015)
Plunge Theatre present Private View (January 2015)
Soundboxed in association with Theatre Delicatessen present The Development (December 2014)
Theatre Deli present Pedal Pushers (September 2014, remount of 2009 production at Regent Street venue

Deskspace users:

Theatre: China Plate, DifferencEngine, Fevered Sleep, Finger in the Pie, Lab Collective, Lemonade and Laughing Gas, Little Soldiers, No Feedback, Same But Different, Shunt, Specifiq, Time Won’t Wait, Younger Theatre

Design: Ampersand Architecture, ODOS Architects, Emily Harwood Set Design Design/Costume Becky Evans, Florence Hendriks, Chloe Holland

Charities: Forum for Discussion of Israel & Palestine (FODIP), Make A Difference Trust

Creatives: Anisa Topan Communications (fashion), Blow Presents (fashion), Hare Meets Tortoise, Johnny Favourite (film makers)

Artists: Amber Anderson, Saki n Bee, Lou Ireland, Karis Knight, Karl Millett, Pins Artist

Local Authority: Islington

Partner Landlord: Viridis Real Estate Services

A photo of two people hanging from scaffolding outside and holding hands, it is dark with theatrical lighting and people are watching from below A photo of 3 people in a bath tub in the middle of a room with a shiny silver curtain and props behind them, including crates and a plant
A dramatic digital show flyer that says Shelter Me and includes show details, the photo on the flyer is a person hanging from a tall ceiling with other people reaching up and audience members watching from different levels A photo of three people posing in front of an abstract dark wall indoors, the room is light with striped carpet tiles on the floor
A photo of two people sitting on the floor looking into a small light in a dimly lit indoor space with people standing around them watching, the photo is taken through a metal sculpture A photo of two people doing acrobatics from large scaffolding outside with audience members watching below, the photo is dark with theatrical lighting
A photo of a person standing in the middle of green plants in an indoor space, the person is wearing a checked top and has one hand resting on their jeans A photo of a person posed between metal bars and wires in a dark space with theatrical lighting, they are wearing a white top and black shorts
A photo of people sat on chairs watching a presentation from a projector with laptops and notepads, in a room with bright lighting A photo of a person dressed in a suit and tipping a drink on the floor from a mug, people are sat in booths watching in a room with a checked floor and lights hanging from the ceiling
A photo of a person with long hair doing acrobatics from the ceiling and a person sitting on a chair on a rug, they are in front of a yellow wall in an indoor performance space A white and bright pink graphic with text saying did you perform or develop work at this venue? Click here to add to the archive