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New venue aims to 'safeguard' next generation of actors

SCRUM Theatre Adrian Lester leading a workshop with fellow artists standing around himSCRUM Theatre
Actor Adrian Lester is supporting the Hammersmith venue to help others in the creative industries

A theatre in west London is hoping to offer a "lifeline" for freelancers struggling because of the precarious nature of creative industries.

Actor Adrian Lester CBE, is patron of SCRUM theatre, a cooperative of actors and writers which opens in Hammersmith on Thursday.

The venue is based in the council’s old archives building on Talgarth Road.

Co-leads Lucie Dawkins and Dom Applewhite said they hope the centre will fill a resource gap, support artists and "foster the next generation".

SCRUM Theatre Exterior of the SCRUM TheatreSCRUM Theatre
SCRUM Theatre is taking over a former council archives building in Hammersmith

They added: "In a crisis for the arts, we want to create a space where creatives can find their heat and light, helping safeguard the next generation of makers and audiences in UK theatre."

The co-leads said: “The vast majority of the UK theatre industry is made up of freelancers, and this can be a brutal environment.

They said the UK's freelance nature within the cultural industries and low government spending on them mean they can "often overlook basic needs".

The venue features three rehearsal rooms, a script library, a self-tape studio, a workroom for scenic designers and prop makers and a large performance space.

Artist Will Dawkins has decorated the theatre with custom murals celebrating key figures in theatre history, including the renowned actress Sarah Bernhardt, trailblazing black actor Ira Aldridge, and queer poet Federico García Lorca.

SRUM Theatre Adrian Lester standing next to a mural at the SCRUM TheatreSRUM Theatre
Actor Adrian Lester is patron of the new cooperative arts venue
SCRUM Theatre Piano in the foreground in a wood-floored studio with a mural of a woman at the end wallSCRUM Theatre
The venue features artwork tributes to figures throughout theatre history

Ahead of the opening on Thursday Ms Dawkins and Mr Applewhite said: "We wanted to open this space because crucial support for the arts was disappearing, with opportunities for people from less privileged backgrounds to access the industry."

The space is already being utilised by organizations like Compass Collective, which supports young asylum seekers in the UK.

SCRUM Theatre's inaugural production will be Twelfth Night, set to debut next autumn, with plans to tour regions lacking arts funding while integrating educational programs.

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