Art for Advocacy: A new show in a new space for SPID Theatre
SPID Theatre makes art that advocates housing justice. Their high quality youth theatre takes place on council estates. Using theatre, film and radio they call for investment in social housing’s heritage and in young peoples’ futures. Work is created using a mix of verbatim testimonies with scripted dialogue to celebrate and champion estates’ history, community and spirit.
Everything Theatre is always happy to support our friends at SPID (Social Political Innovative Direct) Theatre, a charity specialising in remarkable work with young people on council estates. We were delighted to be invited to the recent relaunch of their newly refurbished theatre space in the community rooms at Kensal House, an historic modernist council block just a mile from the tragic Grenfell Tower, with whom they share a landlord, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
Where Grenfell had fire, Kensal House has had floods. From relentless water ingress to extreme mould and damp, the wellbeing of residents has been horrendously affected for years. Desperate for action from their landlord when none was forthcoming, SPID has been a vocal campaign group in a successful community class action against the Council, which found they should pay compensation and initiate a capital works programme to overcome the neglect. The theatre renovation is part of a £3m project to bring the estate up to standards.