Shoreditch Town Hall announces sensational spring season of immersive, inclusive and uplifting events

Shoreditch Town Hall will present a stand-out spring season of bold new work and returning favourites, continuing the venue’s commitment to championing unconventional work, community, and facilitating important conversations in the arts. Amongst the line-up, there will be a new residency from technology pioneers DARKFIELD as well as the Scotsman’s Fringe First Award-winning A Little Inquest Into What We Are All Doing Here. The season also includes a variety of fantastic panel discussions and networking opportunities for artists and the arts industry, creative workshops and participatory events for locals, and performances celebrating the queer community.

Headlining the season will be ThisEgg’s A Little Inquest Into What We Are All Doing Here (11^th -15^th March), a powerful production challenging the complexities of censorship and freedom of expression. Lead artist, performer, and producer Josie Dale-Jones will be returning to East London with her critically acclaimed show. Following rave reviews at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2024, this thought-provoking and gripping production examines the delicate balance between artistic freedom and societal limitations.

Pioneering producers of immersive experiences DARKFIELD (1^st – 12^th April) will be taking over Shoreditch Town Hall’s coveted basement space, The Ditch for a two-week run of innovative experiences at the forefront of technology and theatre. Offering their first live experiences outside of a shipping container, DARKFIELD’s signature sensory effects and 360-degree binaural sound situates each participant at the centre of intense, evolving narratives. Following a sell-out run at the BFI, ARCADE will be headlining the takeover. Using the nostalgic aesthetic of 1980’s video games, ARCADE’s interactive narrative will explore the evolving relationship between players and avatars. Audiences will be asked to address deep existential questions about free will and consciousness in a world where some may win, and some may lose.

After the success of 2024’s Queer Noise X Summer in The Ditch, The Queer Noise Collective (13^th March) is back with phenomenal new work from queer poets, musicians, performers and artists. Platforming difference and creativity, this evening of queer celebration will uplift audiences with new material from clown Paula Lenoir, poet Ray and musician Tall Child. There will also be a pre-show social where attendees can meet others from the LGBTQIA+ community. Visitors can also be in with a shot of winning the raffle, that is fundraising for gender-affirming surgery.

The spring season will also continue the charity’s commitment to supporting artistic development. Devoted and Disgruntled (12^th -14^th April), Improbable’s nationwide conversation about theatre and the performing arts will celebrate its 20^th birthday with a special event in the UK capital that asks What are we going to do about Theatre and the Performing arts? Boasting a decided lack of fixed agenda and key-note speakers, the gatherings will use Open Space Technology to facilitate events where everyone’s voice can be heard, and no topic is censored. Shoreditch Town Hall will also host STAMP (Supporting Theatre Artists and Makers of Performance) Connects (21^st May), breaking down barriers between independent artists and the organisations who exist to support them. An exciting afternoon of panel talks, open conversations and networking, it will offer an opportunity for artists and companies to build relationships with up to 20 London-based arts organisations, including the King’s Head Theatre, Soho Theatre, Theatre Deli and Pleasance Theatre. Made In Shoreditch: Artist Workspace will also be continuing by popular demand, as the initiative provides over 1000 free workspace slots per year to artists. 

The women-led venue will be celebrating International Women’s Day with events hosted by their talented team. An empowering Introduction to Bollywood Dance (8^th March) workshop will be led by the Town Hall’s Devashree Pande. Having started her multi-decade professional dance career in 2006 with the world’s largest Bollywood dance academy, SHIAMAK Group, participants can immerse themselves in their very own Bollywood musical, learning movement to the very best-known songs. Cultural Programme Manager Susannah Bramwell will also be leading a special edition of the Shoreditch Town Hall History Tour (8^th March). Featuring the stories of Sylvia Pankhurst, women’s rights advocate Helen Taylor, Shoreditch’s first woman mayor Henrietta Girling OBE and more, attendees can discover spaces typically closed to the public and learn about Shoreditch Town Hall’s development from a 19^th century municipal building to the leading arts venue it is today.

Throughout the season, the Town Hall Tea Dances will continue every month (7^th April/6^th May/16^th June), delighting audiences with an opportunity to dance the afternoon away in the magnificent surrounding of the Assembly Hall, with a £3 special offer ticket to those joining for the first time. A Beginners’ Dance Class, led by former world champion ballroom and Latin dancer Raymond Root, will take place from 12pm-1pm before every class.

As part of Shoreditch Town Hall’s unwavering commitment to inclusion and accessibility, building works on the venue’s new ramp will also be completed at the end of March, to facilitate easy entrance to the building for those with access needs or those using a pushchair.

Ellie Browning, Head of Cultural Programme, comments, This Spring, we’re excited to present our signature mix of progressive theatre, music-hall style cabaret entertainment and innovative immersive experiences at Shoreditch Town Hall. DARKFIELD’s inaugural transfer of work out of their trademark shipping container and into a venue finds its perfect home in our atmospheric basement, The Ditch, and we’re thrilled to continue our commitment to supporting artists and companies by presenting both ThisEgg and Queer Noise in the Assembly Hall, marking their first performances in our largest space. This commitment continues with notable offers for the artistic community including STAMP Connects, the Artists Workspace, and as a former Town Hall, what better place is there to host Devoted & Disgruntled – a vital forum for shaping the future of the sector.

As a women-led venue we’re especially proud to celebrate International Women’s Day with activities led by our very own team, including a guided tour sharing extraordinary stories of women from our 150-year history. Whether local audiences are joining a beginners Bollywood Dance class, trying out our monthly Tea Dance for the first time, or travelling from further afield to experience internationally acclaimed work, we remain committed to offer culture at the heart of East London life and to being a hub of pioneering contemporary performance.

You can find the full season at https://shoreditchtownhall.com.