Always on
This project successfully funded on 31st January 2021, you can still support them with a donation.
#SaveOurTheatres - Pentameters - Our Community
London, England, United Kingdom
First target reached!
With a little extra money, we'll be able to better improve the lighting rig and incr...
Aim: London's oldest fringe theatre needs your support. Ever rising building, legal, energy, development costs etc are an ever present threat.
The Situation in 2025
Pentameters Theatre is a family run, non-profit making organisation. It relies solely on box office revenue to keep going.
We aim to add to our rich history of nurturing Hampstead's creative community, with new productions, to continue the cultural and community benefits of artistry education and entertainment that has been the cornerstone of making Hampstead a vibrant and interesting place to visit, work and live in.
Pentameters is also required to carry out vital repair work to ensure that it is safe to be open, and to pay for the ever increasing costs from the energy crisis, insurance, and to undertake maintenance, as well as to pay the rent.
An injection of just £8,000 will be enough to cover the maintenance and the rent needed to keep the theatre alive for another year. We hope you will agree that this is a very small price for the positive impact Pentameters has in our community.
About Us
Ascending the delightfully creaky staircase above a pub in the heart of Hampstead sets the scene for entering the room where some of the greatest poets, writers, actors, and comedians have performed.
Pentameters has enabled a long, and deep cultural legacy for Hampstead, with Ted Hughes, Dannie Abse, Ivor Cutler, Roger McGough, Kingsley Amis, Rosemary Tonks, Edna O’Brien, and Harold Pinter as just some of the amazing artists who work has graced Pentameters' stage.
The Theatre showcases new talent, some of whom have turned into household names, including Rik Mayall, Ben Elton, French and Saunders, a legacy that continues to attract attention from a myriad of talent scouts, and celebrity interest - including for example a recent impromptu performance with Nigel Kennedy (the worlds leading violin virtuoso). Pentameters has a lasting legacy and for example the celebrated producer Sonia Friedman credits her time working at Pentameters as inspiring her to make a career in theatre.
Founded and run by its artistic director Léonie Scott-Matthews BEM, Pentameters is the oldest and one of the most respected fringe theatres in London. Léonie has put on hundreds of professional shows from Shakespeare, classic revivals and new plays to alternative comedy, music and poetry events.
The theatre has been deemed an Asset of Community Value by the Camden Council, and Léonie was awarded a Medal of the Order of the British Empire for services to British Theatre and to the community in Hampstead. Leonie was also honoured as an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music and was voted Hampstonian of the year in 2022.
About Save Our Theatres
Theatres are at the heart of their community, bringing people together, to be inspired and be entertained. Theatres are where our best-loved actors, musicians, poets and performers learn their craft and thousands of others learn valuable skills.
The threat of losing our heritage.
Theatres saw their income disappear in an instant during the Covid-19 pandemic. It has been a long road since, with a cost of living and and energy crisis etc. We welcome all people to the theatre, and ask that those who can pay do so, but those who can't continue to come to us for the benefits to their hope, motivation and mental health.
Traditional theatre going has changed - we offer an inclusive community to all, young or old, wealthy or not, experienced or inexperienced. You can spectate and get involved, without the costs an distance of the west end, in grass roots, intimate and authentic performances, focused on accessible art, and not just celebrity.
The costs, and uncertainty puts our theatres in a perilous situation.
Every day, theatres such as Pentameters are facing the tough decision to make staff redundant and to close their doors. Pentameters is not immune, and with only the modest income from the fabulous 'Moon at Night' to fund all our costs, and prepare for our next production, we rely on family and friends to keep the theatre alive.
With your support, we can sustain one of our nation’s most amazing theatres. Please help us to make sure our theatres survive this crisis and will be there to be enjoyed by future generations.
#SaveOurTheatres