SPID and the TMO bring modernism to life in Kensal House

SPID (Specially Produced Independently Directed) Theatre Company first took up residence in Kensal House estate’s dilapidated community rooms with an innovative production called Open House in 2005. Following a lot of hard and planning, the play sold out to a local audience, had its run extended and received awards and rave reviews from the press, along with a National Theatre commission for its writer Helena Thompson.

Open House generated great interest from young residents keen to find out how they could be involved in future. SPID and the TMO are therefore working on a new sustainable community project to keep the interest alive in the Grade II* listed  Kensal House community rooms.  This newfound enthusiasm for the space is in keeping with the vision of the 1930s architect Maxwell Fry, who saw the rooms as the hub of the estate and the backbone of a self-sufficient community.

The new show involves the talents, insights and enthusiasm of Kensal House residents as the performers and creators. The 'Community Centre' project is set in a haunted youth centre and concerns a young boy's efforts to rise above the bullying of his racist contemporaries. The Arts Council and the Council have all added their financial support.

The play will be performed in late October by 12–19-year-old residents during this year's Black History Month. SPID sees 'Community Centre' as a model project: primarily for the residents, it calls on their experiences and explores the potential for today of the utopian Modernist vision embedded in Kensal House's design. In the future, the aim is to refurbish the place fully while offering educational workshops for young people and collaborating with other groups to bring the space into regular use.