A pop-up theatre group is taking over a disused library as part of a long-term bid to re-open it as a cultural community centre.
Theatre Delicatessen have taken on the old library in Burgess Park, Camberwell, which is owned by Southwark Council, and are inviting the public in this weekend to have their say about its future.
The group’s co-artistic director Roland Smith said he hoped their two-year tenancy would be the start of “a long-term relationship” with the council and the park’s friends group.
He said: “If it it had been a working library making way for us we would not have moved in, as that would be against everything we stand for, but this is a building that has been empty for I think 20 years and it was intended as a cultural resource for the community and that is what we are returning it to albeit in a slightly different form.”
The building, which also includes an old bathhouse, was the subject of a recent feasability study which recommended it become home to “a village hall concept” with artists studios and a cafe.
It will host circus performers, a dance company and a virtual reality performance this weekend as part of the annual Camberwell Fair.
Mr Smith said: “Also most importantly we will be opening our doors to local people and seeing what they want to do here”.
Theatre Delicatessen, which specialises in creating cultural pop-ups in disused places, already have a line-up of artists expected to work at the venue and want to put on drama and circus skills classes.
Former productions include Shakespeare, Ibsen, a play set on the Tour de France and an immersive marketplace of performance at the Bush Theatre.
Councillor Johnson Situ, Southwark’s cabinet member for business, employment and culture, said: “Investing in arts and culture is tougher than ever for local councils but we are really pleased to be able to welcome Theatre Delicatessen to Old Wells Way Library over the next two years. Their plans to turn it into a creative hub that the whole community can enjoy are really exciting and I’m looking forward to seeing local people get involved.”
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