Save the So and So Arts Club

Aim

Help to save a new arts venue & community hub: bringing affordable theatre, music, art, workshops & live entertainment to the North End Road

                                    The So and So Arts Club

Over the past eight years we have provided opportunities for artists across the creative industries. We have offered affordable space and, with our own pop up theatre, given companies, young people and communities from all over the world the opportunity to share their work in London.                 

                                             WHO WE ARE 

The So & So Arts Club was founded eight years ago. Built on an ethos of encouragement, support and sharing, the club's aim was to help people to help themselves.

We began simply by holding rehearsed readings of new writing, gradually building a reputation as somewhere people could come to see exciting new work in a welcoming social environment.

We went on to run  four pop-up venues and produced a series of plays, rep seasons, workshops and  festivals featuring theatre, music, film and exhibitions. We have always managed to support ourselves through space hire, ticket and bar sales and - to date - have provided paid work for over a thousand artists. We've developed a model with low overheads that meant good value entertainment was available to a broad audience at an affordable price.

                                            WHAT HAPPENED

At the end of last year the club finally found a permanent home in a new venue on the bustling North End Road in West London. The future looked bright for So & So as we began an exciting new chapter. We were looking forward to building relationships with the local community and continuing to develop new work and opportunities when Covid 19 struck and we were ordered to close.

                                            WHY SUPPORT US?

Since the pandemic, many venues have been forced to close and the future of the arts is in jeopardy. Our venue is on the frontline of the grassroots movement to ensure that artists can have a safe space to generate work and give back to the community. 

The arts are an essential part of any healthy community, giving a voice to the disenfranchised, and hope and a sense of community which is more essential than ever now.

Like many theatres we have been dealt a body blow by the inability to reopen safely. We will lose our new home and will be unable to continue to develop and support new work if we can't raise funds. We know that many theatres are asking for support so why help us? Our remit is to support everyone who works in theatre, both on stage and off stage, to grow diverse talent, offer opportunities to disadvantaged groups and bring professionals and the community together.

The club is founded on an ethos of mutual support. And now - more than ever - we need yours. 

By helping to save this thriving arts and entertainment hub you will be an essential part of this community asset, and we can't wait to welcome you through the doors when we are finally able to re-open.

                               COME ALONG, JOIN IN, THE CLUB IS YOURS!

We are based in an old fabric shop on the North End Road in West Kensington forming part of the high street’s regeneration and reinvention.

As well as live entertainment, we are opening a pop-up shop and gallery, along with affordable rehearsal and performance space. We are excited to be able to showcase local talent and to support local artists as well as providing a place for people to meet and relax in the café.

 Your donation will help us to:

• Pay essential overheads while the theatre is mothballed until we can re-open fully
• Bring the building up to requisite fire safety standards and making our theatre accessible
• Continue to develop and support new work  

                                 Please help us to make that happen

This project successfully funded on 25th October 2020