“We were determined that our final season should not be full of rose-tinted reverence for the theatre’s past; we wanted to ensure that we continued to tell the most urgent stories of our time.” Owen Calvert-Lyons, Ovalhouse’s Head of Theatre & Artist Development, tells us about creating the Demolition Party season that will close the south London venue with a bang. Read what he has to say, then book your tickets!
The season, which kicked off earlier this month with Emma Frankland‘s We Dig, runs until 14 December 2019 and features Christopher Brett Bailey‘s This is How We Die, Greg Wohead and Rachel Mars‘ Gaping Hole (Story #3) and Carolyn Defryn and Abigail Bouher‘s Kissing Rebellion.
Ovalhouse’s Demolition Party Season has been created as a collaboration between engineers and companies, allowing artists to dismantle parts of the building as part of their creative process. This has created a truly unique opportunity to take apart the physical structures that so often contain creatives and performers. Ovalhouse is giving its artists the freedom to take risks on stage, off stage and with the very stage itself.
Ovalhouse
Ovalhouse has existed as a community venue in Kennington for 80 years, and as a theatre for 55. During that time, it has built a reputation for supporting for artists and young people, commissioning new work that responds to today’s social and political issues, and staging work that reflects the cultural diversity of its local community. In 2021, it will re-open at a new, purpose-built venue in Brixton.
Before that, the Demolition Party season culminates with a series of actual parties, with Bar Wotever, Brazilian Wax and Cocoa Butter all hosting parties before Inua Ellams ends the season with an R.A.P. Party.
Owen Calvert-Lyons on the Ovalhouse Demolition Party
What was the idea behind the Demolition Party season?
We were determined that our final season should not be full of rose-tinted reverence for the theatre’s past; we wanted to ensure that we continued to tell the most urgent stories of our time. We wanted to stay true to our radical roots, right up to the last. Leaving an old building which is scheduled for demolition and moving to a new theatre on a different site presented us with a unique opportunity, an opportunity to do something which had never been done before. So we invited artists to propose ideas for collaborating with structural engineers to destroy the building through performance. All of this reminded us that it is not these bricks and mortar which make us who we are. Taking risks, breaking new ground, creating opportunities for artists to make something extraordinary, that is the true spirit of Ovalhouse.
How difficult was it to choose the artists to be part of the season?
We put out a public call-out for commissions in April 2018. We had loads of applications, so the hardest part was selecting the five artists. We had asked artists to be bold with their ideas, to ‘dream big’ and they did exactly that. We received some of the most exciting artistic proposals I have ever read. There was only one application which we had to turn down as it was just too dangerous! The five that we chose really were the most exciting of the lot. I’m enormously grateful for the hard work and imagination that artists put in to call-outs like these.
How much of the venue are they actually allowed to take apart?
We Dig at Ovalhouse (Image: Rosie Powell)
Artists were given license to destroy anything inside the building. We need to keep the structural integrity of the building, so that it doesn’t collapse into the street, but as long as the destruction is to the interior of the building, then anything goes. I won’t tell you the specifics of what has been destroyed as that would give away some of the surprises in the shows, but with show titles like We Dig and Gaping Hole you have a pretty big clue.
What has the relationship been like between artists and engineers?
This has been one of my favourite elements of the project. We were determined from the outset that all of the engineers and construction workers would be treated as members of the creative team. The construction teams have come to our Meet & Greets and production meetings and engaged with the stories and ideas behind the work. This has led to really exciting, collaborative processes. We couldn’t have asked for more supportive partners than Conisbee and Galliford Try who have done all of the demolition work for this season.
Why was it necessary to move from the current building?
Ovalhouse is moving to a brand new, purpose-built theatre in Brixton, which will open in Spring 2021. We needed to do this as our current venue is over 80 years old and is reaching the end of its life; it leaks when it rains and the boilers and air-handling system have already given up the ghost. The current site is also not fully wheelchair accessible. The new venue will provide the very best rehearsal and performance facilities for artists and audiences.
How are the team feeling about leaving the current Oval location behind?
There will always be a mixture of emotions when it comes to moments such as this. Buildings, and especially theatres, can hold powerful feelings and memories. Most artists, audiences and staff I speak to feel positive about the move. Anyone who has been into this building over the past year understands why we need to move and anyone who has seen the plans for the new building cant help but be excited for what the future holds.
What opportunities does the new Brixton building offer?
The two theatres in our new building are both double the size of our current auditoria, meaning that even more people can enjoy Ovalhouse productions. We will have seven rehearsal rooms (we currently have two) which means that we will become a rehearsal centre, filled with artists making new productions. These additional rehearsal rooms will also mean that we can run an even bigger programme for children and young people, with activities taking place across multiple spaces every night of the week and at weekends. We will be able to better support disabled artists, audiences and staff. The new building has one of the few wheelchair-accessible lighting rigs in the country, so for the first time we will be able to employ wheelchair users as theatre technicians. The most exciting thing this building offers is to be based in Brixton. Pre-war, Brixton had seven theatres and now it has none. By re-establishing a permanent theatre in the heart of Brixton we have the opportunity sit alongside cultural beacons such as the Black Cultural Archives, Brixton Academy, PhotoFusion, Raw Material, 198 Arts and Learning and many more.
What will happen between closing the current building and opening the new one?
We are planning a season of site-specific performances, staged in central Brixton. We will be announcing the productions in the Spring, so stay tuned.
What are your favourite memories of this Ovalhouse?
Rejoicing At Her Wondrous Vulva – Ovalhouse – May 2019
This building has held some extraordinary moments. Ovalhouse is a centre of theatrical innovation, so the most memorable moments are often when we are trying something that feels like it’s never been done before. Like the moment in which Javaad Alipoor began communicating with the audience of The Believers Are But Brothers using WhatsApp – there was something so exciting and subversive about communicating directly with an audience through encrypted messages during a performance; or the moment in which audiences in VR headsets were rolled through the theatre on office chairs in Tokyo Love Hotel; the night we first tested Rejoicing At Her Wondrous Vulva The Young Woman Applauded Herself and so many audiences stayed for the post-show feedback session that we couldn’t fit them all in the room – people crammed on top of each other in order to share their experiences of the show; the first London performance of Medea Electronica by Pecho Mama – nobody had really heard of this company who announced themselves on the theatre scene with this extraordinary show which completely blew its audience away. This season has added new memories to that list: the sledgehammer-through-the-wall entrance for Emma Frankland’s We Dig, described by Lyn Gardner as ‘the best entrance ever’, is now one of my all-time favourite moments in theatre.
Why should audiences come down to the Ovalhouse during the Demolition Party season?
If you have never been to Ovalhouse before, or you have been here many times before as an artist or an audience member, then this is your last opportunity to see a performance in this great building. The building holds over 80 years of theatre history, so its passing is momentous. But mainly I would urge you to come and see some of these extraordinary Demolition Party productions – brilliant artists creating performances in ways which may never happen again.
