About

An innovative & award-winning fringe pub theatre ​in Clapham, South London

  • Theatre
  • History
  • Team
  • ​Gallery
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'This venue is quickly shaping up as one of the most exciting ones amongst the London pub theatres!'- RemoteGoat
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A 40- to 60-seat fringe venue above The Bread & Roses Pub, the theatre programs a wide-spread variety of productions for local as well as far-reaching audiences. Equality, diversity and artistic quality are at the forefront of the theatre's programming, which features in-house productions as well as many visiting companies. The theatre regularly hosts touring shows and has worked with award-winning ensembles with decades of experience but also frequently welcomes and supports emerging theatre-makers taking their first steps. The programme includes new writing, contemporary revivals, reinvented classics and occasionally also devised work, improvisational theatre, comedy events, family shows and physical theatre.

Located within walking distance of several Underground and Overground stations in London Travel Zone 2 (Clapham North, Clapham Common, Clapham High Street and Wandsworth Road) as well as many bus routes nearby, the theatre sits in a brilliant location. Furthermore, the pub downstairs offers drinks, food, a beer garden and on Fridays and Saturdays often live music after the theatre performances.
'this kind of venue proves what can be accomplished in the city’s smaller performance spaces' - 17Percent
PicturePhotographer: Ricardo Correia
Previous shows include: 5-star-reviewed in-house productions of dirty butterfly (debbie tucker green), Low Level Panic (by Clare McIntyre) and  Miss Julie (by August Strindberg, adapted by Tessa Hart) presented by the Bread & Roses Theatre Company; ​acclaimed 4-star-reviewed premiers of new plays White Feathers (by Suzy Gill), presented by Blue Ash Theatre Company, and Cooked (by Christopher Adams), presented by ScotchBonnet Theatre; a 5-star-reviewed new take on Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray (by John Foster) presented by Doppelganger Production; 5-star-reviewed Muscovado (by Matilda Ibini)  which went on to tour the UK presented by BurntOut Theatre; the 5-star reviewed premier of The Princess Monologues as well as the ground-breaking One Billion Rising and UNHEARD Festivals presented by Goblin Baby Theatre Co.; yearly sold-out V-Day benefit productions of The Vagina Monologues (by Eve Ensler); the premier of a brand-new translation of Federico García Lorca's Blood Wedding (by Fay Lomas) presented by Dreamcatcher Theatre; and the  London premier of Romeo & Rosaline (by Sharon Jennings) presented by award-winning theatre company Fentiman; a 5-star-reviewed revival of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) presented by Burn Bright Theatre; as well as many more as the theatre has worked with over 100 companies at this stage! See a list of all past shows here.
'exploring London’s fantastic fringe theatre scene is a rewarding experience, and at a fraction of cost of the big well-known productions. The Bread & Roses Theatre works well as a venue and made for the perfect setting' - LondonTheatre1
PictureManaging Director Rebecca Pryle & Artistic Director Tessa Hart
In 2015 The theatre's team  also went on to launch the Clapham Fringe Festival as well as The Bread & Roses Playwriting Award  and The Bread & Roses Emerging Companies Award.

On September 21st 2015 The Bread & Roses Theatre was announced  as a recipient of the 2015 ICWP 50/50 Applause Award and also listed on TimeOut as one of their readers' six favourite  small-scale theatres in London. The theatre also received the ICWP 50/50 Applause Award in 2016.

The Pub

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The Bread & Roses Pub is owned by the Battersea and Wandsworth Trades Union Council. This is a lay run local trade union body which is the South West London arm of the national TUC. BWTUC, trading through its Workers Beer Company fundraising arm, has been running bars at festivals throughout the UK and Ireland for over 27 years.  It trades at Glastonbury, Reading, Leeds, Latitude, Proms in Hyde Park, Tolpuddle Festival  and many more including the free Olympics Live Sites event in Victoria Park throughout the Olympics in 2012.  The Bread and Roses in Clapham is the Company's first pub and is a great place for live music, comedy and theatre.

To find out more about the pub and its history go to  www.breadandrosespub.com.

The Theatre

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The in-house Bread & Roses Theatre Company (BRTC), founded in summer 2012, has been running regular new writing night The Platform  since October that year, in what was initially nothing more than the upstairs function room at The Bread & Roses Pub. Following these first regular theatre performances at the venue other companies and groups started enquiring about the space and putting up scratch performances and showcases. Hence the idea of creating a permanent pub theatre at the venue was born.

After some major refurbishing work of the space and the investment in lights and stages - all sponsored by the fabulous Bread & Roses Pub - the theatre was then officially launched in November 2014 under the management of the BRTC.  Since the launch the theatre has immediately been able to build up a busy and diverse quality programme, which is going from strength to strength. See a list of all past shows here.

Why 'Bread & Roses'?

Bread and Roses was a song written during a strike of women textile workers in Lawrence Massachusetts, USA in 1912. Twenty seven thousand women went on strike and marched for eleven weeks to improve their working conditions. 

Their banners called for bread and roses and a poet among them, James Oppenheim, wrote these words, which went on to become a famous song for women trade unionists everywhere and is still sung by delegates to the ICTU Women's Conference at the conclusion of the conference.

The pub is named in recognition of their struggle and the theatre and in-house theatre company consequently decided to adopt the same name.
As we come marching, marching in the beauty of the day,
A million darkened kitchens, a thousand mill lofts gray,
Are touched with all the radiance that a sudden sun discloses,
For the people hear us singing: "Bread and roses! Bread and roses!"

As we come marching, marching, we battle too for men,
For they are women's children, and we mother them again.
Our lives shall not be sweated from birth until life closes;
Hearts starve as well as bodies; give us bread, but give us roses!

As we come marching, marching, unnumbered women dead
Go crying through our singing their ancient cry for bread.
Small art and love and beauty their drudging spirits knew.
Yes, it is bread we fight for—but we fight for roses, too!

As we come marching, marching, we bring the greater days.
The rising of the women means the rising of the race.
No more the drudge and idler—ten that toil where one reposes,
But a sharing of life's glories: Bread and roses! Bread and roses!

Examples of The Bread & Roses Theatre covered in the press and media

​In June 2016 The Bread & Roses Theatre was featured as pub theatre of the month by the London Pub Theatres Magazine.
Our Edinburgh Fringe Previews (July 2015), Clapham Fringe (September 2015) and One Billion Rising Festival (February 2016) were all covered by television channel London Live.
The Stage, the world's longest-running publication for the performing arts industry, featured our launch in October 2014!
Female Arts published an interview with the venue's co-managers Tessa Hart & Rebecca Pryle.
After another interview with the theatre's co-managers the SW Londoner also published an article about our launch.

FAQ for Theatregoers

Can I cancel and get a refund for my booking?
​As per our terms and conditions specified below and at the time of placing your booking, all ticket purchases are non-refundable.
Can I change the date of my booking?
Whilst technically speaking all ticket purchases are non-amendable, if we have availability, we will always try and change your booking to another date for the same production, free of charge! Please not that any such requests should be directed per email to info@breadandrosestheatre.co.uk!
Can I call The Bread & Roses Pub for Theatre Queries?
It's quickest to email info@breadandrosestheatre.co.uk as the pub is a separate business.
Are there any booking fees?
You will not pay any booking fees for booking online or via smartphone app YPlan. You will only ever be charged booking fees directly by our booking agent TicketSource if you place a telephone booking.
Can I book via telephone?
Yes you can, by calling 0333 666 3366. However, please note that booking fees apply for telephone bookings. To avoid fees book online. For tickets from 3rd April and onwards please call ​ 020 7498 1779.
Can I book tickets by calling the Bread & Roses pub?
Yes, from April 2016 onwards the pub will be able to sell tickets on the phone.
Can I book the space for other events?
Yes, but please note, we only manage the theatre programming, for rehearsal space and function room booking enquiries contact the Bread & Roses Pub directly:  020 7498 1779 or by email at  info@breadandrosespub.com.
Can I reserve tickets to pay for on the door?
No, but there are no booking fees for online and YPlan bookings, so you pay the same price online as on the door.

FAQ for Theatremakers

Can I hire the theatre for my own production?
​We don't offer theatre hire as such but even better, we offer box-office splits and select productions for our programming through an application process. You can find out how to put a proposal forward for our consideration in the 'Bring a Show' section on our website.
Why do you offer box office splits instead of hire fees?
​We want to help theatremakers provide fairer opportunities for everyone involved as well as build up a theatre programming that is not led by someone's finances but instead the artistic quality of the project and producing company.
Besides the box office splits are there any other fees to pay?
No, we genuinely charge no deposits, nor a minimum amount to make per night, nor fines for not bringing in enough people. Instead we trust our companies to do their best to promote the show and deliver a quality production as well as to be professional and honest.
What is you seating capacity/layout/technical equipment?
​All answers to this and more are found in our 'Bring a Show' section.
Can I come and view the space before applying?
Yes, of course! Please email us at info@breadandrosestheatre.co.uk to arrange a time.
Can I email you all my questions instead of reading details on the website and in the marketing pack?
​We expect companies to check out the 'Bring a Show' section before emailing us their questions, about 90% of questions we get asked about using the space are answered there. As we are a tiny team, we make all the info on using the theatre available online to make your lives and ours easier. If you have a good look through it all you can find out if our venue is suitable for you in the first place. After that feel free to send us your proposal or get in touch with any additional questions!
Can I book the theatre as rehearsal space?
Yes, but please note, we only manage the theatre programming, for rehearsal space and function room booking enquiries contact the Bread & Roses Pub directly:  020 7498 1779 or by email at  info@breadandrosespub.com.
Still questions left? No problem, just email info@breadandrosestheatre.co.uk.