Summer is here and we have an action packed few weeks ahead of us. We can’t wait for a weekend full of laughs with the return of our favourite comedy festival and prepare for something new as our exciting series Summer in The Ditch is almost here! Keep scrolling for all the details in this months #FriendsatSTH round-up.

Comedy Weekender

ARGComFest 2024

5 – 7 July

ARG will be taking over our building, with over sixty comedians performing in intimate, comedy-perfect spaces. Returning after sold out shows in 2022 and 2023, the festival kicks of with The Friday Night Show in our grand Assembly Hall, with the line-up including Jamali Maddix, Jen Brister, Suzi Ruffell, Phil Wang and more. The weekend programme features a huge list of comedy favourites, as well as newcomers, like Nish Kumar, Olga Koch, Jordan Brookes, Larry Dean and many more. You can find out more and book your tickets here.

Nights of Live Performance, Drag and Cabaret 

Summer in The Ditch

11 – 20 July

An exciting series of artist takeovers in our basement space, featuring a spectacular line-up of all things camp, queer, and cult. Prepare yourself for groundbreaking new works and raw, impromptu sessions from a diverse array of musicians, artists, poets, and performers. Our exceptional line-up features Queer Noise, showcasing stunning poetry and music from Queer artists. Hilarious performances from renowned pop sensation FEMMI and her stepson Fabio Lezonli, and East London’s finest comedy cabaret featuring Top of the Slops finalist Curly, alongside the spectacular Lust, Richard Energy, and Cyro. We also have work-in-progress shows from the multi-award-winning piss / CARNATION, and experimental artist Victor Esses, as well as an exciting new cabaret by our favourite dynamic duo, 2 Indie Boys. Find out more about the full line-up by clicking here. 

Supporting our local and artistic community

Local Lounge 

Until 28 June

Throughout July our Local Lounge is open, offering Hackney-based grassroots organisations, charities, non-for-profits and creative individuals the opportunity to utilise our Front Room space for FREE for events that benefit the local community. The space can be used for meetings, social events, creative workshops, training sessions and more. This month we’re looking forward to welcoming both new and returning groups, including Xenia, a fantastic organisation dedicated to bringing women from diverse backgrounds together for workshops where they can connect, share, and learn. Find out more about our Local Lounge by clicking here.

FAMEHUNGRY Rehearsals

1 – 5 July

Louise Orwin joins us this month to work on FAMEHUNGRY, which will be premiering at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this August, in the Main Hall at Summerhall. FAMEHUNGRY is a helter-skelter nose dive into the TikTok universe, the attention economy, and what it means to be an artist now. Performance Art meets The Almighty Algorithm to ask what a future looks like if all roads lead to TikTok. Find out more about Louise’s work by clicking here.

Artist Workspace

Ongoing

Our Made in Shoreditch: Artist Workspace initiative continues this month as we support artist development and the creation of new live performance. You can book a desk space for a day or week at a time, benefiting from a dedicated and safe communal working environment, interaction with other artists, and advice sessions with Town Hall staff. Find out more and book a desk by clicking here.

Want to hear more about opportunities for artists and creatives?

For first access to all of our artist-focused opportunities, such as discounted space hire, ticket offers, creative workshops and more you can sign up to our Artists’ Mailing List by clicking here.

Workshops

Marawa’s Majorettes

Weekly

Marawa’s Majorettes make everyone fall in love with hooping! They’ve become a leading fitness team and international performance troupe, teaching the world to hoop as they go. Every week we support the Majorettes in giving them space to rehearse at Shoreditch Town Hall. Find out more about them by clicking here.