In 1982 I was involved in setting up a series of workshops for the campaigning group “Women in Entertainment.” After a big, women only, event at Lauderdale House on Highgate Hill, some members of WIE wondered why so few Black, Asian or other minority group women had attended.From my home in Peckham in South London, I knew the answer to this question.

Our extremely diverse local population rarely moved anywhere out of SE15, unless to safe destinations of their own choice, preferably within their own communities. Young people, later on, became further trapped by post code mythology, which, as intended, had a way of becoming reality;-  acting to keep young people ignorant not only of other people, but of opportunities outside their estates. We taught teenage boys how to take the 171 bus out of Peckham……..

Working with Women

At a women’s workshop on a council estate in Peckham, ethnically, socially, and economically diverse groups of women attended. Doing something for themselves was a big deal to start with. Some had attended drop-in groups with me before, some knew each other from waiting at the school gate. A fragile, but real, sense of trust had begun to take hold. Even after considering this, the group had a lot of doubts about “doing drama”. They did not instantly start limbering up and volunteering to sing a few bars. Oh no. They had things to talk about. So talk they did. The initial weekly sessions went on for months, and from them much was learned, mostly by me.

The stories told, and the issues discussed, eventually raised ambitions to stop talking and do something. Working on the issues the talk had raised, we began with improvised scenes, which we then worked into plays, and later into two short films – “The Drum Game” and “Hard to Let.“

These achievements led to positive transformations in many of the women’s lives.

Steps on a long Road –“ Peckham Varieties”

It was time to build on this beginning. I was on the outlook for space and funding. “Peckham Varieties” was the name of the first run of the company, that much later was re-named “Theatre Peckham” This name we borrowed from a tiny music hall on Rosemary Gardens in the early part of the 20^th Century. During the time we made ”The Drum Game”, this first incarnation of Theatre Peckham already existed, based in a local community Centre. In January 1985 I had to pull the infant company out of the community centre, and somehow find new money and a new base. (See “The Back Story” on “Dinosaurs and all that Rubbish” pages)

The Building called “Luke”

Our new home was the little hall belonging to St Luke’s church on the North Peckham Estate. The money came from Ken Livingstone’s Greater London Council.

What to do and how to do it?

I now had to decide just what I meant to do.

A straight (171) bus ride away, the South Bank offered an amazingly rich feast of culture; theatre, film, books, music…Looking at Peckham, with its run down Victorian housing and sprawling disintegrating estates, I could see – nothing at all of that kind. Theatre was what I had in mind, but here was a disconnect, socially and culturally, between the Peckham Estates and the South Bank, and it was almost total. However my instinct was that Peckham’s jostling mix of peoples and cultures offered something different, and full of potential.

The question was, how would any child growing up in the area learn the skills to make theatre happen?? There was no existing model of a school or theatre company I could borrow that would fit my urban surroundings, or my purpose.

Many arts companies did “education work” but this was never the core purpose of that company, it was an “add on”, required, on the whole,  for funding purposes and to ensure charitable status. I did not want to follow that model.

Nor did I want to run a “Stage School” where parents pay the school to train the children; and the kids compete as hard as they can to get paying, professional roles. This form of training has only one goal, professional performance for child actors; that is “success”. And that is always a lottery. Some winners, and some losers. I did not want any more losers.

My nearest model was the school/company structure of the big dance companies, but this time the development would include new audiences, and expect an end product of a whole variety of diverse members of the creative industries, who would eventually take over with new artistic work and companies from a previously excluded demographic.

So what did I want to do?

It was this – I wanted to pass on the tools and skills needed for theatre making, – drama, voice, and dance , of course, but also a basic knowledge and real respect for all the other essential elements – stage lighting, design, ushering, marketing, wardrobe, administration, stage management, writing, stage door keeping,  choreographing composing, security guard  and more–just to know such  things were possible, and might be interesting ways to earn a living. 

The Peckham estates were teeming with young people, and our education work would always be structured with them in mind. But the estates were also noted for their high unemployment figures. Unemployed youth on Government schemes were being landed on us from the very first day of opening. I was not about to raise a bunch of youngsters who all imagined they were going to become stars of stage, screen, or any other medium, and end up unemployed – (or misemployed.…..)

There were other openings, which probably had not yet occurred to the local job centre. Of the legal ones; I knew that London’s creative industries offer a huge range of other, paid and legal employment opportunities–– all part of the overall production process. Also, broad based theatre training offers a wide range of transferrable skills.

Theatre Peckham now owns to a huge range of alumni in extremely varied occupations throughout the creative industries. They are not all performers.  Our people also work in  every other aspect of theatre making. …….

But we had a long road to tread. We were about to create a company, in which all the elements would come together. That’s how theatre is made, – to learn its skills, you have to actually practice them. At Theatre Peckham, our young people experienced the creation of the plays, bespoke, around them, led by real time professionals.  The work was  performed to public, paying audiences.

What did we have to begin with?

• • We had a new home on the North Peckham Estate
  • We had a new Management Committee of professional friends, many of them working in the voluntary sector.
  • New Peckham Varieties (NPV) was officially listed as a Company Limited by Guarantee at Companies House
  • Registration as an Educational Charity was under way, completed in 1986
  • We had funding from the then GLC to employ one and a half staff and to set up some activities.
  • We had a formal structure and a small amount of money- what next?
  • “What kind of theatre is it going to be, Mum?” asked ten year old Sian as the first activities began – “You know, the kind about women and the unemployed? Or is it proper “theatre theatre”, with tip up seats?

    The answer?

    Both! We planned to teach proper skills, to enable people to perform, to create, to manage and maintain live theatre, and understand how it might diversify into other art forms.

  • Both!! We planned to teach skills that would enable people to understand, create and maintain live theatre, and to diversity into other art forms as the opportunities arose. 

Why the Education Programme?

Theatre is a performing arts form. Art forms require proper teaching which asks for discipline, effort and regular application. This kind of education is usually only available to better off people who are already educated themselves. Many other people really don’t know anything about it. We proved that, given the chance, anyone can become involved in playmaking, and love it. The chance to learn was what we offered from the start (together with a lot of hissy fits, nervousness, hilarity, tired legs and floor washing. …..) The spinal column of what we created in the life time of the company was a broad based, multi stranded education programme; working consistently over a long period.