October is officialy here, and our Autumn Season is in full swing at Shoreditch Town Hall – that means it’s finally time for our big fat 160th anniversary celebration. You’re invited to one unforgettable night celebrating 160 years of our building with 16 Acts, hosted by legends Bourgeois & Maurice (there are limited £16 tickets available). Also coming up, Fun Palaces returns this Saturday for a free family-friendly day of activities; Theatre Re and Mod Games return later this month too, and we’ll be welcoming a host of artists for residencies and R&Ds. Plus, new hit musical Ceilidh brings its joyful tunes and dancing to our Assembly Hall stage. Tune in for your #FriendsAtSTH blog – the monthly round-up of the interesting people and exciting events coming to our building this month.

Live Events

Shoreditch Town Hall is a Fun Palace!

3 October | Free

Fun Palaces is back this weekend as we once again host a jam-packed family-friendly day of creativity and chat – all for free! Join us this Saturday to take part in a host of activities, from board games and colouring in, to interactive drama and costuming workshops, doll making and a compassionate tea party, history tours, and a children’s reading nook. Meet local organisations, try out a new activity, or just come to us for a sit down and a free cup of tea. Find out more and book the workshops on our website.

16 Acts

9 October

Join us next Friday for our one-night-only celebration of 160 years of our building. Hosted by cult cabaret legends Bourgeois & Maurice, we’re bringing together 16 iconic artists who have performed and found a home at our venue for one big cabaret evening filled with the weird and wonderful. Featuring performances from: The Cocoa Butter Club, Pecs Drag Kings, Corali; Frankie Thompson, Travis Alabanza, Midgitte Bardot, Operotica, Riss Obolensky, Fabio Lezonli, Fanny Bleach, Lavinia Co-op and award-winning theatre maker Emma Frankland, this is gearing up to be a night of truly epic performances. There is a limited number of £16 tickets, get yours before they’re gone. Book now.

Image designed by Donald Shek

Mod Games

Taster Menu

20 October | Free

Following a successful Taster Menu earlier this year, the Mod Collective are back with a free evening of games, chats and heists. Can you run a rewilded nature park? Assemble a band of co-conspirators to undertake a heist? Collectively create your own wildest dreams? This is your chance to prove it. If you’ve got a competitive spirit and are interested in activism, book a free spot and come along! Join alone or in a group, grab a drink, play some games, and talk about the future. Book now.

Grove Entertainment, Barbara Whitman, Trafalgar Theatre Productions and Eilene Davidson Productions

Ceilidh The Musical

23 Octoer – 13 November

THE BAND’S ALREADY PLAYING. FIND YOURSELF A HAND TO HOLD. Tony Award-winner Sam Pinkleton (Oh, Mary!, The Rocky Horror Show) turns his sharp instincts to the dance floor with CEILIDH – a brand new musical making its London premiere this October, following a sold-out run at Alan Cumming’s Pitlochry Festival. CEILIDH invites you to step into the heart of one of Scotland’s oldest and most beloved traditions. It’s a gathering of songs, stories and dances, all while sharing a dram or two along the way. Head to our website to book.

Workshops for Artists

Theatre Re

Monthly Training Classes

4 October

Come and get your Theatre Re fix as the company return with their monthly workshops for artists. Rooted in their training and creative process, sessions focus on conditioning the body in preparation for: rigorous training, Corporeal Mime technique and repertoire, as well as improvisation and composition inspired by their current projects. Suitable for seasoned professional performers, newcomers and artists in need of a fresh approach to making, book now to meet fellow creatives.

Theatre Re

Re: Treat intensive workshops

19 – 23 October

Interested in a week intensive for artists which explores ensemble composition, develop physical storytelling, devising? Book onto Theatre Re‘s latest intensive which marks 10 years of their acclaimed show The Nature of Forgetting. Meet fellow performers, makers, recent graduates and actors in training and immerse yourself into the devising methods behind the company’s unique method of storytelling. Combining rigorous physical training with collaborative creation, the intensive offers a rare opportunity to explore how Theatre Re builds emotionally powerful narratives through movement, rhythm, live music and ensemble work – without relying on text. To find out more and to book your space, head to our website.

Supporting the Artistic Community

Paula Varjack’s R&D for The Labubu Effect

1 & 2 October

The Labubu Effect is a performance project exploring how a collectible toy, Labubu, became a symbol of global hype, scarcity, and algorithm-driven obsession. Blending theatre, pop culture, storytelling, and interview, this residency marks the first stage of R&D for a full-length performance interrogating virality, consumption, and “kidult” culture. Paula was one of the collaborators on ThisEgg‘s unfortunately, and we’re thrilled to be welcoming her back to the building for her own project.

Rudzani Moleya’s Papa is not dead  Residency

26 – 30 October

Papa Is Not Dead is a semi autobiographical piece looking at the impact of colonialism on the land and the body. It follows Lerato moving through space (London and South Africa) and
time (1960- present day) as she retells her family history and realising the impact apartheid had on her home soil and the bodies of not just herself but people in her family. Papa Is Not Dead blends storytelling and movement in a poignant show about grief, family and the price of silence.

Fag Packet rehearsing DYKE Systems Ltd

27 – 30 Oct

Critically Acclaimed and Summer in The Ditch alumni, Fag Packet are back in the building after a sold-out run of their show DYKE Systems Ltd with us back in Spring. Since then, the show has gone on a national tour and it has just been announced to be returning to London for a performance at the Southbank Centre. If you missed this unhinged, unforgettable and truly iconic show with us in Spring, you can book your tickets now to their November performance by clicking here.