BREAD AND ROSES THEATRE

London Pub Theatre Awards 2020

COMMENDATION

FOR SERVICES TO PUB THEATRES

For exceptional representation of our society's real diversity 



What's On at Bread and Roses Theatre HERE


Theatre Profile  

THE BREAD AND ROSES THEATRE 
68 Clapham Manor Street
London SW4 6DZ
020 8050 3025

IN A NUTSHELL
Feel some artiness!  It’s a vibrant multi-cultural arts hub with a theatre, comedy club (featuring Edinburgh previews), screenings, live music stage, writer’s groups and other regular creative gatherings.  

LOCATION
Bread & Roses is pleasantly situated in upmarket Clapham with easy transport links. It is just a few minute-walk from Clapham High Street, Clapham North and Clapham Common stations. Bus stops are also nearby on Chapham High Street.

PRODUCTIONS
Artistic quality, equality and representation of our society's real diversity are at the forefront of the programming, which features visiting companies as well as in-house productions, with a focus on new writing, underrepresented voices and distinctive work. 

FESTIVALS 
Bread and Roses Theatre host The Clapham Fringe Festival

VALUE ADDED
For theatre goers -
The theatre is great value for money, and the pub also has really reasonable prices. Add the cost of theatre ticket, drinks and meal and it’s cheaper than the cost of a theatre ticket to a West End show or even lower. 
Opportunities for theatre makers -
  • The Bread & Roses Playwriting Competition 
  • The Bread & Roses Emerging Directors and emerging Producers scheme 
  • The winning entry of the playwriting competition is directed and produced by graduates of the scheme
Bread and Roses have always aimed to support theatremakers as much as possible by providing box office split deals, keeping overheads and running costs as low as possible.

THE PUB
Redeveloped in 2016 with walls knocked down to create more space it provides a new live music stage which can be seen from any angle. New bar. Beer garden. The overall effect is lovely! It’s big, colourful and has an authentic festival feel. The Company who runs the pub also run bars at Glastonbury and Latitude festivals.

DID YOU KNOW …
  • 2014 Tessa Hart (Artistic Director) and Rebecca Pryle (Managing Director) founded Bread and Roses Theatre.
  • 2018 Tessa Hart stepped down as Artistic Director and becomes Executive Director.
  • Velenzia Spearpoint appointed Artistic Director in April 2018.  She is also Artistic Director of Get Over It Productions
  • In 2018 Bread and Roses venue and pub together were commended by the Time & Leisure Food & Culture Awards as one of the most innovative art projects and in 2019 it was picked by TravelMag as one of the best 8 pub theatres in London.
  • Bread & Roses is three times recipient of the ICWP 50/50 Applause Award (2015, 2016 and 2017).
  • Bread and Roses Theatre opened The Clapham Fringe Festival in September 2015.
  • Former AD, Tessa Hart, also runs activist theatre, Goblin Baby Company, a London- & Berlin-based theatre and film production company. A fascinating interview with Tessa on her approach to activism (in the One Billion Rising Festival and the UNHEARD Festival) is on our blog - read here
  • The Bread & Roses is an award-winning free house owned by The Battersea and Wandsworth Trade Union Council (BWTUC) and run by the Workers Beer Company, part of BWTUC Trading, it prides itself as a pub with a social conscience.
  • In recognition of the struggle of workers around the globe for a better quality of life. The name is taken from a song written during a strike of women textile workers in Lawrence Massachusetts, USA in 1912. 27,000 women went out onto the streets and marched for eleven weeks to improve their working conditions. Their banners called for bread and roses. 
  • Through its Workers Beer Company fundraising arm BWTUC Trading has been running bars at major festivals throughout the UK and Ireland for over 27 years, these include Glastonbury, Reading, Leeds, Latitude, Proms in Hyde Park, Tolpuddle Festival and many more, including the Olympic Live Sites in 2012. 


NEWS July 2022


Former Artistic Director of Old Red Lion Theatre, Alexander Knott, joins the team as Associate Producer.


NEWS March 2022


Co-founder of Bread and Roses Theatre, Tessa Hart, steps down as executive director


Co-founder Tessa Hart has stepped down as Executive Director.  Having left the UK in 2018 at which time she stepped down as Artistic Director, she stayed on as an Executive Director.   There was much to manage for the theatre to make it through Covid-closures and other events. The journey of trying out the space, the ethos of the Bread and Roses Theatre started in 2012 and then the space officially opened in 2014. 


Tessa Hart said: "Co-Founding this theatre, serving as its Co-Director, growing with this project for about a decade, has been a life-changing and life-shaping journey."

INTERVIEW WITH

Tessa Hart (Executive Director), Rebecca Pryle (Managing Director)

and Velenzia Spearpoint (Artistic Director)

May 2021



LPT: Delighted to find out more about the Bread and Roses ethos. Firstly though, could you tell us about your experience of reopening the Bread and Roses Theatre?

Rebecca Pryle: We’re just so over the moon about it. As a small pub-theatre where we are only able to welcome 40-60 audiences members during the normal times, it’s always a challenge (which we’re absolutely up for embracing!) to break-even and ensure both us & visiting companies are able to cover our costs through ticket sales in the best of times, let alone currently with social distancing. To be able to receive support from several generous funders and individuals who donated to our campaign, taking that pressure off us slightly, enabling us to continue to produce new plays and be a home where companies could present their first ever piece, feels extra special.

Bread and Roses has a huge commitment to the representation of society's real diversity. Could you tell us a little more about this and what you hope to achieve in the future?

Tessa Hart: We recognise that representation of society’s real diversity on stage starts with who gets to tell the stories. The Bread and Roses Theatre remains one of the few London Fringe Theatres that operates on a transparent box office split model with visiting artists/companies/producers presenting work. By sharing the financial risk, removing some barriers, we hope that the opportunity to tell your story here at our theatre feels accessible to as many as possible and result in a diverse range of work being programmed.

For our Playwriting Award, we ask that stories need to feature at least half female, non-binary or gender neutral roles. We have also specifically ring-fenced the Emerging Company Award for companies led by those identified as ethnically diverse. We’re doing this because we recognize that these voices are currently under-represented and we’d like to champion them.

Going forwards, we’ll continue to listen and evaluate where appropriate by asking the question “who’s not in the room?” “Who is this opportunity not reaching?” to ensure those we work with continue to reflect Clapham and beyond’s diverse community.

 

Your in-house production of I AND THE VILLAGE is one of the three winners of your Playwriting Award for 2019/20. Could you tell us a little bit more about that?

Velenzia Spearpoint: This beautifully written play takes us inside the reality of being a female Asylum Seeker in Ireland and the UK. Asylum Accommodation Centres are designed to provide temporary housing for people seeking safety. In truth, these people are tucked away there for years and years, waiting to restart their lives. I and the Village invites you inside to meet three wonderful women who will make you laugh, grieve, connect, and ultimately wonder why you never knew they were there before.

 

The play will be co-directed by Velenzia and Rebecca. Do you each have particular strengths that you will sharing with the actors and creatives?

Velezia Spearpoint: Here at the Bread and Roses Theatre we’re a strong believer in working in a non-hierarchical way. We thought combining both of our voices, vision, and skills together, we would keep each other supported and accountable during a very challenging time (as we’re still living under COVID-19!) as well as enhance the production of course. As the old saying goes, two brains are better than one.

 

Bread and Roses Theatre is also a receiving house and has several shows lined up for its reopening season. Do you aim to build a lasting relationship with the companies?

Rebecca Pryle: Absolutely, and we recognise each company is different so we’ll do our best to understand their needs and tailor our support to them. If we’re not best placed to offer that support, we’ll sign post companies to other colleagues within the industry. We of course aim to build a lasting relationship with them. Most of the time, the Bread and Roses Theatre acts as a springboard where theatre-makers get to present their early-career work, get seen by other industry professionals and their career progresses. Those are really proud and priceless moments to us.

 

How do you expect (or hope) that audiences will respond to the opening programme of events?

Rebecca Pryle: For I and the Village, we really hope it will provoke reflection and awareness. Aside from some announced shows like Stray Dogs and a trio of Improv Events, we’re pretty much programmed until March 2022 so watch this space for more excitement. Each company and show is different, so we do hope audiences will come with an open-mind and be ready to live through a different world in that hour or two at our theatre.

 

Finally, what you particularly looking forward to doing (personally) over the coming months?

Rebecca Pryle: I can’t wait to get some rest and catch up on sleep after the run of I and the Village, but also very excited to be watching some up and coming theatre-makers presenting their first ever show here at the Bread and Roses.

 

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REBECCA PRYLE


Rebecca Pryle  is the Managing Director and Co-founder of The Bread & Roses Theatre. Graduating with a BA Hons in Drama before training as an actress at the Maggie Flanigan Studio in New York on a two year Meisner Conservatory program. Rebecca has worked in theatre for the past 12 years as an actress and creative producer and in more recent years as a director. Rebecca has appeared in four of BRTC's full length in-house productions, including 'Miss Julie', 'Low Level Panic', 'Dirty Butterfly' and 'The Black Eye Club', ‘The Vagina Monologues’ several times, ‘Age of Love’ at the Camden Fringe Festival and numerous new writing nights around town with other theatre companies.


TESSA HART

 

Tessa Hart is a culture maker in performance, film and sociocultural fields, who has primarily worked and studied in the UK and Germany. Besides being a co-founder & Executive Director of The Bread & Roses Theatre, Tessa also served as its Artistic Director from 2014 to 2018, when she stepped down to focus on her work in Berlin, where she is currently the Project Director of AfroPolitan Berlin. Tessa is also the Artistic Director of Goblin Baby Co. and holds an MFA in Acting International from East 15 Acting School as well as a BA in Theatre Studies from the Free University of Berlin, where she is currently also completing a PhD.




THE FULL PROGRAMME OF EVENTS CAN BE FOUND HERE


VELENZIA SPEARPOINT

 

Theatremaker Velenzia Spearpoint has over 10 years experience on the fringe theatre scene as a director, performer and producer. As of April 2018 she became Artistic Director at the Bread & Roses Theatre & in January 2019 co-founded the Chapel Playhouse. She is also co-founder of women-led theatre company Get Over It Productions and consistently works with several other companies and theatres across London. Recent credits include, Difficult Conversations (Union Theatre), Hungerland (Bread & Roses Theatre), Lucky 8 (Glass Half Full- Online) & The Scene (Chiswick Playhouse / Podcast).



THE BREAD AND ROSES THEATRE & COMPANY


A 40- to 60-seat fringe venue above The Bread & Roses Pub, this intimate and versatile space boasts a wide variety of productions which bring in local and far-reaching audiences alike. Artistic quality and representation of our societies' real diversity are at the heart of the theatre's programming with a focus on new writing, underrepresented voices, distinctive work and the development of new work and opportunities. As well as welcoming visiting companies, the theatre hosts an in-house schedule of its own, producing well received in-house productions, The Clapham Fringe and facilitating a range of schemes and events. In 2020, due to Covid-19, for the first time in its history, none of the in-house theatre projects could take place, however, the theatre was granted lifeline funding from Lambeth Council's Arts & Culture at Risk fund, as well as the government's Culture Recovery Fund (through Arts Council England), to help enable it to continue operating as well as keeping fringe theatre diverse and exciting.


I and the Village 25 May - 5 June 2021

Image by Jack Owens


Velenzia Spearpoint performing in AS WE UNRAVEL May 2019

ARCHIVE Interview with Velenzia Spearpoint 

Velenzia Spearpoint took over from Tessa Hart as Artistic Director of Bread & Roses Theatres in April 2018

Velenzia is working alongside Managing Director and actor Rebecca Pryle. Spearpoint modestly explains how grateful she is to the pair for their trust which gives her such an incredible opportunity: "Tessa is a force to be reckoned with and the Bread & Roses is hers and Rebecca Pryle’s baby. I fully intend to continue the work they have put into creating an open & accessible fringe venue.”

Tessa Hart’s work as an activist with her company GOBLIN BABY also seems to give her an edge which might be hard to replace, but Spearpoint has it covered. “Existing in the world as a queer, working class woman who has managed to get to this position I see myself as a walking activist” she says, “although I still know my privilege, and I hope my outlook on life is reflected through the work I create and encourage in our space.” Spearpoint’s actual initial fear was far more about the workload. The first shock is always the number of emails in the inbox, so Spearpoint was immediately thrust into “an oncoming river of work”. Hart managed to fit so much into her life and covering all of this is challenging.  

It starts to become clear that Spearpoint is the ideal person to take on the role because she also has a radical company of her own. She’s co-founder of GET OVER IT PRODUCTIONS, who champion all women performances of Shakespeare, and are currently running new writing nights. Adding to this she’s just finished acting in a run of Annie Power’s new play AS WE UNRAVEL (May 2019) at Bread and Roses.  She has also recently  co-founded and taken on the role of co-theatre manager at café venue, Chapel Playhouse. Spearpoint has such a quiet confidence that it is all too easy to underestimate her. She has a tremendous spirit which is going to be reflected in the direction she is taking Bread and Roses theatre. She’s most interested in working with people who are on the fringe circuit and have something urgent to say. “Artists who see the value of a place where we don’t have to exist as a heteronormative, whitewashed, middle class, able bodied, patriarchal society and aren’t just using it as a steppingstone."

"I'm definitely interested in fringe", explains Spearpoint:  "In artists from or who share the stories of the fringes of society.  I’m keen to programme stories of people who aren’t usually heard because they can’t get a foot in the door. It is massively important that we do as much as we can in order to offer opportunities for artists from backgrounds with less financial stability.” Bread and Roses make the financial arrangements very attractive and affordable. They offer straight box office splits with no hire fees and no reserves. With very little financial risk Spearpoint hopes to encourage artists from working class backgrounds to submit their projects and give them a space for experimentation. “It also makes the whole experience a collaborative one” says Spearpoint, “we are in the same boat and we all want and need it to succeed.” She adds that within her first season of programming she has been on a mission of sorts to “seek working class artists and projects that represent these voices in a positive light”.  

Furthermore, Spearpoint’s excited about theatre that feels like London but also work that flirts with all fractions of the world. “I’m keen to explore how we get audiences that reflect those stories into our theatres – rather than preaching to the choir. How do we commit to getting our audience more community based, more working class? How do we eradicate the myth that theatre or the arts isn't for us?”

To help this along Bread and Roses theatre offer a number of initiatives. They have recently introduced Emerging Director and Producer programmes. They also have a Playwriting Award which has been running since 2015. Their 2018/19 submissions were quite overwhelming. Giving all the plays their full consideration has taken a year and they are soon to announce their long list of contenders.

The Emerging Directors Programme has introduced two successful Directors who have become part of the Bread & Roses family. This year’s Director is Nathalie Wright, a director, writer and activist from Huddersfield. Her political work, especially as a disability activist, informs her approach to theatre. “We were blown away by her effervescent personality” says Spearpoint “I am really excited about not only working with her but what she can teach me.” 

Earlier this year Bread and Roses introduced their Emerging Producer Programme. This is very exciting for Spearpoint as she started at the Bread & Roses as an Associate Producer. Tim Blore is their first Emerging Producer and like many of the people at the Bread and Roses, he wears many hats. He’s a producer, writer and actor. He wrote and self-produced his first piece of theatre, AlterNativity, (in December 2018) which did exceptionally well. He’s a self-taught producer and Spearpoint explains, they thought that he would really run with the opportunity and expand his networks. “His motivation and composure are to be admired and he’s also a complete joy to be around”, she adds. 

Wright and Blore have both worked on in-house new writing night with pieces taken from their monthly Playwrights Circle & they will be assistant producer and director on the full-length in-house production of the winning playwright’s work this November. They’ll also collaborate on a project of their choice next year. Spearpoint is keen to offer her expertise as well as allow them to shadow other projects if they want. “As we are all also freelance theatre makers, we try to offer them opportunities outside of the programme too!”

For Spearpoint the role as AD has been an adventure so far but she’s settling into her stride. Managing Director, Rebecca Pryle is back from her maternity leave which gives them “more time to bounce off each other”. The addition of the Chapel Playhouse as the new sister venue must have been a shock to the system but Spearpoint considers herself incredibly lucky to be where she is. She claims that she’s been suffering from an imposter syndrome: “The arts are a difficult place to exist, I spend a lot of my time trying to ignore my imposter syndrome. We are all just seeking validation after all aren’t we? That’s why we are in this isn’t it? Right, Heather? Right?”  It would be nice if someone said 'you're doing a good job'!

Workload is similarly something that we must learn to cope with as best we can. Fortunately for Spearpoint, she loves a spreadsheet! “It’s the Producer in me. If I can feel on top of those then everything is okay. As any theatre maker knows you don’t really have any days off, you take those little moments when you can and remind yourself that there is no end to the list, and you can only get so much done in a day. Also, drink water, exercise and enjoy it, otherwise what’s the point!”

Incredibly Spearpoint is still fitting in her personal projects even though she had a panic a few months ago that with the pressures of the admin, she would never do any of her own work again. As well as her recent role in AS WE UNRAVEL at Bread & Roses, she’s directing a piece at the Camden Fringe this year and has two projects coming up with her all-female theatre company, (GET OVER IT PRODUCTIONS), this summer at The Playground Theatre & The Rudolph Steiner. Spearpoint thinks she's “blessed to exist in a world where I can be an all-round theatre maker”. If that sounds like the tiniest bit of ego, then Spearpoint soon quashes that. She’s here helping other theatre makers to get on in theatre and they all must work together. 

“It’s about finding the balance between them having enough ego to exist in this industry but also removing enough to collaborate with us. There isn’t space for too much ego, including mine. This is their product, their show, their baby. They need to flourish and I’m not there to own that.”

Velenzia Spearpoint was chatting with Heather Jeffery, Editor of London Pub Theatres Magazine.

@June 2019 London Pub Theatres Magazine
All Rights Reserved


Archive interview with Artistic Director Tessa Hart and Managing Director Rebecca Pryle (June 2016)

The theatre is up two flights with two staircases to choose from, the layout is labyrinthine. Entering the theatre there is more of the same feeling of disorientation as the stage has completely changed position to the other end of the room. Pryle and Hart direct me to sit on one of the auditorium’s comfy chairs while they perch on the raised stage (great for sight lines).  

I’m intrigued to know how a theatre comes into being at a pub venue. Rebecca tells me that while she was working here, behind the bar, she met another actress working at the pub. They decided to use the space and find other like-minded people.

Tessa continues the story “I had already advertised and been in touch some months previously but I had to go abroad to spend time with my sick grandfather. When I got back, I replied to their advert and we got together initially just to start the Bread & Roses theatre company. We already had this space which was unused.”  

The company who privately owned it said ‘yeah! just use it’”.
The pub is owned by Battersea Wandsworth Trades Union Council – and it’s the only trade-union-owned one in country. 

“We pay a very reasonable rent. The pub also benefits because the theatre brings in more custom. During the first year the pub had a 26% increase in sales.”

The growth is phenomenal! Starting from scratch the pair first concentrated on building up good audience numbers.  

“The first couple of months compared to a year later we had a growth of 800 percent. We had a networking event for people interested in working here. A lot of people came along so it was good to see the level of interest. Competitions were launched and a number of festivals. The Number of proposals to put on plays have also grown.”  

Their success with audience members has had a knock on effect. People have an option of donating a few pounds when buying their tickets, and because support has been consistent, it has enabled a technical upgrade.  

“People have really embraced the place. We have upgraded our 6 channel desk and 2 light stands to a full lighting board, and scaffolding around the room. Scaffolding means lights can go all around and do so much more. It can also support projectors and design elements – so it’s been a major change.”

The quality of the work shows in a series of five star reviewed shows, both in-house and from visiting companies. 

Bread and Roses is mainly a receiving house. Every now and then they have something in-house. They have a scratch night of new short plays. They also staged Miss Julie (2015) and Clare McIntyre’s comedy Low Level Panic (2016). 

Tessa adapted Strindberg’s Miss Julie to massive five-star critical acclaim. “The adaptation evened it out a bit between Miss Julie and ‘John’; to make it more of an even dialogue. It gave it a twist. I changed the ending; left it open. The control is constantly shifting, so the ending is left open as to who won.”   

Although this seems particularly feminist theatre, this is not the heart of their work. They are consistently striving for equality, great diversity, and giving equal opportunities. This does include feminism but it also embraces gender, class and race. Giving everyone equal opportunities.

Both Pryle and Hart live in south London. Rebecca was born and bred in London. “My Mum’s American and my dad’s Irish”. Whilst she largely grew up in London she has also lived in Bristol and was in New York for three years.  

Tessa was born in Berlin, her mother is German, and her father is from Guinea. She was born in Germany but mainly grew up in Brussels, Belgium. She’s been in Colliers Wood for 5 years: “So now I don’t know where I’m from!”

Rebecca completed a two year Meissner conservatory programme in New York which really taught her “to make your own work, find your own work and meet loads of people”. The quirky little venues in New York were mirrored back here in London. When she got back she “needed to do stuff in London” and found the same possibilities here. “The same openness, things not being set. Things don’t only work in a certain way, there are lots of different approaches. The culture allowed you to do that.”
  
Tessa believes that “London’s such a special place, in terms of the diversity of theatre. Pub theatres are very close to the people, very close to the audience; you can play into their eye. The pub is such a hub for the local community so to have a theatre just above that, it’s a really nice thing. You don’t get the culture of pub theatres in other countries, it’s something quite Britain specific. We want to create a venue which gives people equal opportunities to create theatre, not just those who come with money. We do box office splits, so there are no upfront costs for the companies.”  

Bread and Roses seems to be beating to the rhythms of Clapham and its rapid development and I wonder how they would describe the vibe in this area? Tessa gave me “Exciting, vibrant, affluent, buzz, multi-cultural”.

Rebecca notes that the pub is really mixed race reflecting the racial diversity in the area: “Done a few pubs after shows and found them bland but there’s something different about this pub and the space we hold here. It’s one of the last hubs of community pubs. And then you’ve got the theatre crowd, different spaces where different people can be and it all works really well together.”

So what kind of people want to work with them in the theatre? Tessa laughs. “It’s quite diverse, but overall we get more interest from young people, a lot of recent graduates, for instance from East 15”. Tessa went to East 15 and that seems to have got the ball rolling. “One person from East 15 started and found out I was a graduate, then spread the word, then tutors came along, and then they are very good at networking, spearheading the news”.   

And the audiences? “Both appealing to local and Londoners over all. People come here because they know the area. We’ve had projects specifically linked to the area. For instance, FOLLOW ME (by Ross Gurney-Randall & David Mounfield now showing June 2016) is about the last woman in Britain to be hanged and events before her death linked to a pub in South London.  

They’ve also got stories that are not specific to the location and it’s this mixture that keeps regular audiences coming.

Pryle manages the pub overall, programming the live music and comedy as well as the theatre. She also manages to fit in a career as an actress. (She was brilliant in her role in LOW LEVEL PANIC early in 2016). While we are talking Rebecca is taking business calls on her mobile and her adept management shows she is used to multi-tasking. 

At this point in time the pub is about to reopen after several months of closure due to a redevelopment. So how is she coping?  

“Not very well, it’s absolutely crazy, we’re opening in 8 days’ time. Otherwise not too bad when everything is in the swing of things, I work mainly during the day and two nights as well. Everyone is flexible here, great company to work with so you make it work. It helps when you’ve got great people working with you, good staff, strong team.”

They also have the advantage of having “lovely pub staff, nice people. Everyone who comes to the theatre praises the pub … actors, musicians, artists.”

The pair are clearly used to working as a team so it’s no surprise when Pryle adds Tessa as an afterthought “Great people around you, Tessa as well, of course.” Tessa laughs embarrassed by the compliment.

With such excellent teamwork their success is no surprise.

Tessa Hart and Rebecca Pryle were chatting with Heather Jeffery, editor of London Pub Theatres Magazine

@June 2016 London Pub Theatres Magazine Ltd
All Right Reserved