NEWS @ theatre peckham

Press Release
THEATRE PECKHAM WIN A NEW HOME AT THE LIVESEY MUSEUM

Southwark Council Executive vote to hand over the historic museum to local award-winning theatre team.

Theatre Peckham, who have long overgrown their base at the Havil Street hall where they began working 24 years ago, have found a new home in the historic Livesey Museum.

The Executive of Southwark Council voted on Tuesday 16th December to award the lease of the Old Kent Road Museum to Theatre Peckham as a new base for its ever expanding programme of classes and workshops. The Company are now embarking on a campaign to raise the funds necessary to reshape and refurbish the existing building, plans for which include space for a small studio theatre/installation space, two studios, a cafe, and children’s play area.

Space has been a huge problem for the company, who have over 400 members attending a weekly round of over forty performing arts classes, up to three productions to rehearse each year, and practical external exams for the BTEC students. The new building will enable all these activities to take place under one roof, and also free up the Theatre on Havil St for more performance work from incoming groups.

Space should also be available to share for classes and rehearsals, with some offices to let as an admin base for other arts groups.

Theatre Peckham is a voluntary organisation which is funded by Southwark Council and the Arts Council of England, who significantly increased their ongoing grant this year to reflect the quality of the company’s work. The company work with many children who would otherwise not have an opportunity to enjoy theatre and drama, and they have a 100% pass rate for their national performing arts examinations.

Teresa Early, the Artistic Director of Theatre Peckham, said last night.’ This is a great opportunity for us to work with even more young people from Southwark. It’s wonderful that the council have recognised the positive impact performing arts have on the confidence and imagination of our local children.’

For further press information about THEATRE PECKHAM please call Louise Chantal on 07976 418232 (louisejchantal@aol.com)

Previous press releases

NEW COURSE FOR 2008!  BTEC in Performing Arts National Certificate

Following on from the 100% success of our First Certificate BTEC course last year, we have started a higher level course – the National Certificate – for the first time. Entrance is by audition only. It is a unique opportunity to undertake high-quality performing arts training within a professional theatre setting.

Our BTEC courses for this year are now full. Places for 2009-10 are limited and entrance is by audition only. Auditions are held in September each year. Please call 020 7708 5401 for further information.

Theatre Peckham Out & About

Theatre Peckham delivers performing arts projects designed specially to suit nurseries, schools (primary, secondary and special), after-school clubs, youth groups and community-based organisations.  We also provide INSET training for teachers.  Below are just a few examples of recent projects.

Pathways Project
This long-term project focuses on creating accessible routes into the performing arts for school children living in Southwark and uses drama to develop work around the basic skills of speaking and listening.

BLAST OFF boys project
Specifically designed to engage boys aged 11 to 16 with the performing arts.  The project comprised a series of after-school workshops that focused on Urban Street Dance, Break Dance, Drama and Stage Combat.

St Georges C of E Primary School After-School Project
A participatory drama project with 5 to 7 year olds based on the famous children’s book ‘Amazing Grace’ by Mary Hoffman, culminating in an informal performance to parents. 

Opening Doors, Opening Minds
A drama-based project forging a lasting partnership between two Southwark secondary schools and their immediate communities, improving community involvement and cohesion between two very different groups of people: school pupils and local residents.

Play Project @ Keyworth Primary School
Theatre Peckham worked in partnership with the Blue Elephant Theatre to present a drama-based project at Keyworth Primary that focused on ‘play’.  The project aimed to encourage and facilitate six different classes of children to develop their creative skills through play and story-telling.

PE Curriculum Enhancement at Sacred Heart RC School

Jack Petchey Achievement Awards

The Jack Petchey Achievement Awards (which are funded by the Jack Petchey Foundation) are an excellent chance for students at Theatre Peckham to reward their peers and thank their tutors (as well as giving a gift of their choice to the theatre).

Previous winners have been nominated for many different reasons: from being an excellent role model to younger students to demonstrating extreme commitment to acting and dance.

Four winners are selected each year and each award winner is given the opportunity to choose a gift that they would like to give to Theatre Peckham (to the value of £600). Award winners also receive a framed certificate and medal to acknowledge their achievements.

An annual award is also available for the Jack Petchey Leader of the year which is given to a member of staff who demonstrates excellence in their commitment to the theatre. The tutor who wins this award also has the opportunity to choose a gift to give to Theatre Peckham (to the value of £1,000), as well as a framed certificate and medal.

So, without further ado, the winners so far are:

Steven Adu-Antoh
Sean Pursani
Lysia Gregory
Ruby Haycraft
Chloe Buckle
Kyle Treslove

Winner of the Jack Petchey Leader Award
Jreena Greene

Theatre Peckham would like to thank the Jack Petchey Foundation for the opportunity to celebrate the achievements of our members in such a fantastic way!

Theatre Peckham RBC Dexia Investor Services Charity of the Year!

Theatre Peckham is delighted to announce that we are RBC Dexia Investor Services’ charity of the year for 2008/9. RBC Dexia Investor Services offers a complete range of investor services to institutions worldwide. They rank among the world’s top 10 global custodians, with USD 2.9 trillion in client assets under administration. Their innovative products and services help clients maximise operational efficiency, minimise risk and enhance portfolio returns. And their 4,700 professionals in 15 markets offer proven expertise to enhance clients’ business performance.
Each year their staff fundraise for a specially chosen charity, and last year they raised over £10,000 for The Samaritans, so it is a great privilege that this year they have elected to support Theatre Peckham. An RBC Dexia Investor Services spokesman commented: “In choosing a charity of the year we were looking to partner with an organisation with a focus on children and young-people and one which we could support in a variety of ways; not just financially, but also through employee volunteering and by providing professional mentoring and support. Theatre Peckham ticked all of these boxes and we were impressed by its mission to be a catalyst for challenging the perceptions of Peckham and its young people through an innovative theatre and education programme.”
We look forward to working with RBC Dexia Investor Services and their staff over the coming year!

Theatre Peckham Camberwell Society’s Charity of the Year!

Theatre Peckham has also been named as The Camberwell Society’s Charity of the Year! The Camberwell Society, which started in 1970, aims to stimulate interest in the borough of Camberwell and maintain high standards of planning and architecture. We look forward to working with members of the society throughout 2008.

Southwark’s Woman of the Year for Arts and Culture!

Theatre Peckham’s Artistic Director, Teresa Early, has been awarded the title of Southwark’s Woman of the Year for Art and Culture. Teresa founded Theatre Peckham over 22 years ago and continues to write all of the theatre’s much loved productions. Teresa’s contribution to the arts in Southwark has been profound, and her artistic vision has been paramount in engaging many new young people and communities in the magic of theatre. We are delighted Teresa’s cultural endeavors have been recognised and extend our warmest congratulations to her.