Happy May folks! This month, we have more artistic practise coming up in our building, with residencies, workshops, rehearsals, networking events and sharings throughout. Plus, after a short hiatus, our Local Lounge initiative the returns offering free space to our local community. Read on for your monthly dose of #FriendsAtSTH – the blog that gives you a round up of all the wonderful people passing through our building. 

Spring Events

History Tour

6 May, SOLD OUT

Explore the hidden secrets of Shoreditch Town Hall throughout the years as you trace the history of our building on our History Tour. From a municipal building that opened in 1866, our building has been at the heart of history and witnessed key events like the inquest into the murder of Jack the Ripper’s last victim Mary Kelly in 1888; becoming one of East End’s premiere boxing venues in the 60s, hosting colourful Whirl-Y-Gigs in the 90s and finally growing into the leading arts venue it is today.

Town Hall Tea Dance 

6 May

This May, dance the afternoon away with Mr Wonderful as people from all over London and beyond gather in our grand Assembly Hall. Our Town Hall Tea Dance has become a signature event in our building with new and returning faces coming along to grab a cup of tea, a slice of cake and brush up on their dancing moves under the fantastic guidance of former world champion Raymond Root. Book your space by clicking here. 

STAMP Connects 2025

21 May

Breaking down barriers between artists and venues, STAMP Connects is an opportunity for creatives to find out how organisations can support you. Through an afternoon of networking, panel talks and open conversations, you will get the chance to speak to venues about how they can support you. With organisations like ArtsAdmin, Battersea Arts Centre and the Young Vic already confirmed, this opportunity is not one to miss. To see the list of confirmed marketplace stallholders, click here and head to our website.

In The Building

Local Lounge

From 1 May

Local Lounge is back! We’re so excited to be able to welcome new (and returning) faces to our building, offering free space for Hackney-based grassroots organisations, charities; non-for-profits and creative individuals to hold meetings, social events, creative workshops, training sessions and more. You can book for one-off or multiple dates, based on availability. In the year since the imitative started, we have housed 165 different events and yours could be next. For more info and to submit your interest, head to our website by clicking here.

Xenia Group

3, 10, 17 and 24 May

One of our Local Lounge regulars, Xenia brings together women from different backgrounds to connect, share and learn. With sessions which vary in theme week to week, using objects and stories from the shared history of women, Xenia sessions help participants to connect with each other and the history of Hackney. Explore more about them and the workshops they offer here. 

London Metropolitan University
Theatre and Performance BA End of Year Show

22 – 24 May

London Metropolitan University return to our untouched basement space, The Ditch for their Theatre and Performance BA students’ final showcase. You can find out more about the course by clicking here.

Image from Local Lounge group, Cut Out Club

Supporting Artistic Work

Ella Zgorska Rehearsing UP(BEAT)

2 May

Theatre maker, director, facilitator and one third of Speakbeat Collective, Ella Zgorska, will be rehearsing in our Large Committee Room for her upcoming directorial work Speakbeat Collective’s UP(BEAT). This bold, multidisciplinary play blends live DJing and immersive sound production to plunge audiences into the noisy, brutal and beautiful world of a young woman’s life in recovery. It is on at Southwark Playhouse from the 14 – 17 May. Sounds interesting? Head to their website for more details.

Kakilang Sharing

2 May

After running four creative workshops in our building over April to help partipants find their creative voices, Kakilang are back with a sharing which is to be performed in our Assembly Hall! Taking all the things partipants have learnt, explored and developed during the sessions, as a cohort they come together once more to share their creations in a mixture of genre and form to an invited audience.

Urbanlens3 and Xenia’s Photography Screening

10 May

Hackney Circle and Xenia participants have their photography work showcased in this screening after participating in six months of photographic workshops and events facilitated by Urbanlens3. Three screens in our Large Committee Room will showcase the work made from their photo walks and different locations in and around Hackney between November 2024 to March 2025.

Piss / CARNATION Residency

13- 16 and 27 & 28 May

Critically Acclaimed piss / CARNATION take up residency in our building over multiple dates in May in both our Large Committee Room and Mayor’s Parlour. From 25 June – 12 July they are presenting Ugly Sisters at Soho Theatre after an acclaimed sell-out run at the Edinburgh Fringe, and following a preview at last year’s Summer in The Ditch in our basement. Find out more about the show here.

Creative Workshop

Theatre Re: Monthly Training Classes

18 May

Town hall favourites Theatre Re are back for their monthly Sunday training sessions for creatives. Occurring monthly since September 2021, Theatre Re‘s professional classes supports professional, semi-professional, recent graduates and performers-in-training in their regular practice with monthly day-long training sessions with a community of like-minded creatives. Led by Theatre Re Director Guillaume Pigé and other members of the company, learn about body conditioning in preparation for: rigorous training, improvisation, Corporeal Mime repertoire and technique. Explore more about the workshops here.