I had energy but I didn't know how to define it, I loved to be in school plays but I never knew there were other kids like me from South London who loved the same thing. At Theatre Peckham I met people like me, from my area, who were not afraid to say "I love art, and I love expressing myself".
— John Boyega, Theatre Peckham Patron and Alumnus
Theatre Peckham is a flagship cultural venue and a pioneering Learning Theatre, where inspirational artists meet aspirational young people. We are home to world class creative learning and performance, with, by and for young people, building a talent pool for the creative industries.
Theatre Peckham works to ensure that entry into the creative industries is socially inclusive. Our building serves a central strip of poverty in Southwark, where 24% of children are living in poverty and 51% of households in Peckham have an income of less than £15,000. 79% of our participants define themselves as ethnically diverse, 5% have a reported physical or learning disability and 25% per year need financial support in order to take place in our classes.
Theatre Peckham is committed to the development of participants’ social, economic and personal possibilities as well as their creative potential. Our programme delivers an extensive open-access education, training and performance offer as well as customised performing arts projects for schools and community groups. We fundraise each year to make classes affordable and we offer a Fee Support scheme with 25%, 50%, 75% bursaries for the least able to pay.