The operators ThinkTank have announced that SSP is to close at the end of March 2025.
Streatham loses a key performing arts space with the closure of Streatham Space Project
“The trustees of Streatham Space Project (SSP) have made the decision to close the venue and to cease our activities from the end of March 2025.
After our announcement in September 2024 that we were facing financial difficulties, we took steps to streamline the organisation and reduce our overheads whilst pursuing other funding options and models of operation. Sadly, we have not been able to find a sustainable model for the venue and the Board feel that closing the venue now is the responsible thing to do.
Since we opened in 2018, Streatham Space Project is immensely proud to have programmed over 600 shows and events, welcomed over 40,000 visitors, and provided over 28,000 affordable tickets to events spanning different art forms and cultures.
Streatham Space Project has supported 984 emerging artists that have benefited from mentoring from the team and having their work programmed at the venue with subsidised rehearsal space. And thousands of local children and their families have benefited from the free-to-access Family Days, affordable children’s theatre and free theatre workshops. All of these have been in line with our charitable objectives to promote arts for the people of Streatham and the local area. We have also enjoyed hosting parties and marking key events for many locals.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has worked so hard to make Streatham Space Project such a vibrant hub for the community, the funders who helped make our activity possible, and our audiences from Streatham and beyond who supported our programmes. We’re so sorry not to be able to keep going.
The trustees think it is important to highlight the backdrop to our decision:
- COVID-19 pandemic from which programmes and audiences have not recovered
- Energy prices and other cost increases
- The cost-of-living crisis impact on audience figures and community activity
- The reduction of funding for the arts in London as part of the Arts Council England’s 2023-2026 Investment Programme.
As any person working in the arts can tell you, the increasingly difficult funding and financial climate is deeply worrying – it prevents vital stories from being told, important ideas from being explored, reduces creativity and joy to luxuries only accessible to those who can afford them and is impacting on the next generation of theatre-makers and arts practitioners.
Brian Harris
Chair of Trustees”