Shoreditch Town Hall have released their latest yearly report, covering the time period between 2021 and 2023, with a focus on the community work and artist support given by the building. With more than five thousand free Artist Workspace day slots offered and 157 companies and individual artists working in the building, Shoreditch Town Hall continues to be a space where creative individuals and teams can explore their craft, and its programme continues to be a collaboration across the industry with 13 co-productions and co-commissions. Livestreamed events have reached thousands across the world from Australia to Argentina, and the cultural programme maintained affordability with pricing from free to a maximum of £25.
Beth Byrne, Chief Executive Officer of Shoreditch Town Hall, comments, As the first report of my tenure, I’m delighted to demonstrate the Town Hall’s resilience and strength of recovery over the past three years despite the deep impact of the pandemic, Brexit and the current cost of living crisis. Our dedicated staff have worked hard to welcome back artists, participants, audiences and clients and to better address some of the barriers preventing some communities from accessing our programme. I am proud that this hard work is taking effect and to have showcased some extraordinary cultural talents and fantastic shared experiences here in our beautiful Grade II listed building.
Shoreditch Town Hall has also supported 27 Hackney based organisations with subsidised rates, and served as Hackney Polling Station in both 2021 and 2022. Hackney Council Housing Conference was held in the building in November 2022 and, following its summer postponement, Hackney Carnival took place in the Assembly Hall, celebrating and showcasing the borough’s amazing creative talents. All staff at Shoreditch Town Hall have received basic BSL, Visual Impairment Awareness, Identity and anti-racism training, and the programme has presented 54 accessible performances, including BSL interpreted, captioned, audio described and relaxed. The proportion of Hackney based audience also rose to 20% in 2022, welcoming more local people into the building to see the brilliant productions.
The spaces at Shoreditch Town Hall are also available for hire for events and wedding ceremonies (and are also dog-friendly!). Made in Shoreditch: Artist Workspace initiative continues to provide free desks for artists to create new live performance, and Shoreditch Town Hall also partners with Mountview to offer the MA in Site-Specific Theatre, the first course of its kind in the UK.
Looking to the future, Shoreditch Town Hall’s vision sets out to be a leading venue of pioneering contemporary culture at the centre of East London life, helping to amplify marginalised voices within the local community. Their mission to develop the landmark building and animate it with an adventurous programme of cultural and live events, harnessing the Town Hall’s history as home for its diverse and multicultural community.
You can read the full report here: https://shoreditchtownhall.com/about/annual-reports.html
