Fe Fie Fo Fum...

We have cleared up after the street party and have been fighting on all fronts for the last month.  We have been granted the premesis licence, which allows us to put on plays, dancing, a live band (once a month) and run a film club on a Monday, only classics though (Terminator 2, Ghostbusters, Rio Bravo and Fight Club).  This is huge, we are an art house and like the scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz we have the paperwork to prove it, thank you Lambeth.

We have the planning approval, this was tricky as we had started work before we got permission, and could have gone terribly, terribly wrong.  I sat for three hours and observed the workings of the planning committee meeting.  It was fascinating, objections, supporters and applicants came and went arguing over public space, rights of way, and the direction and growth of an urban area.  The committee is made up of local councillors supported by council officers from the different departments (planning, transport, environment) some of the people involved have sat on the committe for thirteen years and actually seemed to care about the living conditions in this borough and defended the encroachment of building projects into green spaces and ancient rights of way.  My cynicism about local government was arrested, the checks and balances of councils actually work, who'd have thunk it.

We have building control approval.  This has been our greatest concern.  I have mentioned in other blogs about doing things right and that includes, the pipework, drainage that goes on in the fabric of the building to create a safe public environment.  We have delayed for over a month to get this right and we have dotted the Ts and crossed the Is and it is worth it.  We want to be here for the next hundred years.

We mentioned that our war chest was getting low, but we have rented Fred to the RSPCA as a test subject and all our finances are now in place. 

Permission, the money and the will.  We have broken the back of the building work, the interval is over, the bell has been rung, drink up and retake your seats, please turn off your mobile phones, here comes the meat and potatoes.

Here are some pictures...

What was then

What is now

The chimneys are a problem.  This is a very old building (opened 1887) but we are going to persevere and get as many working as possible.

We have built a lobby as a wind break and this will also double as the box office for the theatre events.  The old fire door has been completely replaced with a brand new window in its original frame, hand carved stonework and freshly milled tongue and groove. It is the one on the left in the picture.

This fireplace has been completely re-lined, with a Celtic arch insert, italian slate hearth and antique surround, fully certified and will be a joy to light come winter.

Oxford blue, first coat.  Tea House Theatre will be written on the fascias at the top and the graphic will go above the doors.  A septuagenarian man sat outside on a bench, bemoaned our lack of alcohol and said we looked like a chemist.  He wandered off muttering to his dog.  Change is a difficult thing, and to loose your old pub is terrible.  But we aint no Rat and Carrot chain of fast food.  The first tea garden in Great Britain opened on the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens in 1720.  Our provenance is well established.  I hope he comes back, we will allow dogs and always have a copy of the racing post.  Everyone needs a cuppa.

This is the second time we have built this wall.  They used metric red bricks the first time, which caused the Governor to start smoking again (his wife was not a happy lady), this time the correct yellow imperial bricks have been used and it doesn't look like a mini skirt on your gran anymore (he's still smoking).  We are going to darken the new bricks so they look even better.  Talking of imperial, your tea will be available to take away, freshly wrapped by the ounce.  If anyone doesn't understand what that means we will have a conversion table from English to French to help you out.

This is the ladies lavatory, not quite finished.

On the far left is the disabled WC and baby change area, in the middle is the Ladies WC and baby change area (yes, we have two) and on the right is the gents (down the stairs, mind your head).

Met a chap called Hugh, scraggly beard and writes notes on his hand.  He is a director who loves his Shakespeare, just the kind of chap we want to get to know and join our company.  We wish to facillitate, support and invest in the art of others, this is a base of operations.

Work beckons, the website has to be reformated, we are once again involved in Cultivate on 16th and 17th July at the Country Show at Brockwell Park http://www.lambeth.gov.uk/Country-Show/index.htm we will run a tea stall and do a bit of street theatre, run the Tea Dance and Henry V on the main stage, see you there.

A Huge Gallery

The photos of the street party have been collated and are now up on our website.  Please follow the link below to take a look.  Thanks to everyone for helping to make the day such a success.

It is a really big page so if some of the photos do not come up, please hit refresh on your browser and this should sort out your problem.

http://www.teahousetheatre.co.uk/royal-wedding-street-party.html

Enjoy

H&F

Bunting, Baloons, Bingo and Booze

The Royal Wedding Street Party was a fantastic success.  Thank you ever so much to all of you who came, brought food and drink, held stalls and partied with us.

A full blog piece and pictures are forthcoming.  We are just collecting the photos from the various photographers that were there on the day.  If you have any photographs please send them to freddie@teahousetheatre.co.uk

Watch this space.

Royal Wedding Street Party

 

Tea House Theatre presents...

A Royal Wedding Street Party

Location: Vauxhall Walk, outside the new Tea House Theatre (formerly the Queen Anne Pub) on the Vauxhall Spring Gardens

Date: 29th April 2011

Time 9am – 6pm

Ladies and gentlemen, in celebration of the nuptials of Prince William and Miss Catherine Middleton, Tea House Theatre invite you to join them at a quintessential London street party in the beautiful Vauxhall Spring Gardens park, within earshot of the bells of Westminster Abbey.

The traditional celebrations will include all the usual festive trimmings; bunting, toasts, refreshments, dancing and games. As well as the tea, cake and sandwiches on offer, courtesy of Tea House Theatre and Blueberry Hill Cakes, guests are encouraged to enter into the spirit of things, bringing a culinary offering of their own and a generous prize will be awarded for the best cake, judged by Fleur de Guerre and Hal Iggulden. The wireless will be tuned to the BBC for uninterrupted audio coverage of the wedding itself.

We have a wonderful special guest Vintage and pin up model Fleur de Guerre and music from DJ Fruity spinning his wheels of slate, sending appropriately celebratory and swinging music over the park. Then its eyes down for a full house, that’s right, Bingo with professional caller Jimmy Ash, with top prizes afternoon tea for two at the Tea House Theatre and a meal for two at the Black Dog.

Joining us for the celebrations will be ponies and small animals from Vauxhall City Farm and representatives of The Friends of Spring Gardens will be there to promote and discuss the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens regeneration. VGERTA will also be there to let everyone know about their plans.

Get in early gents and watch your googlies. Sign up for the Tea House Theatre vs The Black Dog cricket match on the Queen Anne Field in the afternoon.

Attendance at the Street Party will also entitle guests to free entry to the “Royal Wedding Afterparty” and barbeque at the beautiful Black Dog public house, conveniently located opposite the Tea House, for the purchase of fine draught ales and intoxicating liquors throughout the day.

Ladies and Gentleman this promises to be a glorious day. You are all invited to don your gladdest of rags, pack a picnic, bring a bottle and your sporting gear and join us to toast the newlyweds in style.



If anyone would like to run a stall, help with organisation or generally just chat to me, please get in touch with Freddie on 07870 564 777 or at Freddie@teahousetheatre.co.uk



Agony and Ecstasy

They say that theatre mirrors the agonies and ecstasies of life and it is certain that building a theatre is no exception. One moment someone has used hideous bricks on the back end of a glorious Victorian building. The next they have uncovered the beautiful original signage, an image from history that can take your breath away.

The Truman's name has been bought by an Englishman and brought back to life.  Sales of the original recipes are beginning again through them look at http://www.truemansbeer.co.uk/  We wish them well.



Nights vary between passing out due to exhaustion and sleepless hours running problems and solutions through a tired mind, wishing it all would end.

The graphic is now beautiful. Jon has worked wonders with our initial sketches and provided us with a piece of art that will provide us with the sort of strong, identifiable branding that we need.

We missed so much in the original costings, so many problems have been unearthed. Our war chest is looking dangerously light. We are making hard decisions.  We would rather things were done well and others not at all, than everything done badly. This is the ethos we have to stick to, we must get open and deal with those things at a later time.

We fight, we scrap, we repel boarders, we correct mistakes, we march on. We will not be deflected from this. We are still waving, not drowning. Nothing worth doing was easy.

We are going to have real fires. Celtic arch inserts, Italian slate hearths and antique surrounds. They are beautiful. The chimneys have been swept, the linings have been checked and the pots are on order. A real fire will blaze in the Tea House and when the nights grow long we will gather around it and give praise to the goddess.

The spring solstice has passed and the clocks have gone forward, we do not tire or rest, or seek comfort.

In a first rehearsal the jokes are funny, by the second week they are not anymore. As an actor you have to remember where the jokes were, it is part of the craft. We seem to be in the dark well of this adventure and must remember that the idea is great, the concept is sound and the standards of the execution must be kept high. If anybody has any ideas to help us, you can find our supporters pack on the website.

We are going to start building the company. We are not looking for lifelines or lifeboats, but steadfast men and women who want to live and breathe art. Our front doors are still closed to the world, but our stage door is open.

Here are some pictures of the work so far.

And now a word from our sponsers...deafening silence

Up to Date

Week... we’ve forgotten.




As you will have seen from our last blog the main space is now completely stripped out.

We have relocated the office into the attic, the views are spectacular; MI6 on one side, trees and greenery all around, cows being taken for a walk every day, a regular flock of Goldfinches and a play area which is good but could be better (more on this later). We are ticking all the boxes on regulation. Planning application and building controls are in, the structural engineer has been in. There is a lot of official stuff that needs to be done. Once upon a time I would have sniffed at this red tape but I now realise that this is all very necessary for the correct and safe running of a public space. We want to restore this old lady, not cut corners.

Update: Mike came round on Sunday and the three of us went at the lean to with sledge hammers, crow bars and elbow grease. Man’s work. Here’s the pictures.

Building work hasn’t started 'due to financial reasons' but the hiatus has given us time to look at the details. We know where every plug socket and light fitting is going. We are looking at colour, blue and nicotine yellow, the subtle variations of which one can get lost in. We will study each sample in great detail, searching our souls for the perfect resonance and feeling of perfection letting us know that our choice is just right. Or we could just open the first tin, Oxford Blue, and just get on with it.


All the designs are done, the elevations are done, the lavatories have been designed, the major works are ready to go we just need to pull the trigger on the starting pistol.



Financing takes forever, we are all in we have mortgaged ourselves up to the hilt and sold our nearest and dearest into slavery. Everything is coming in and the next phase will commence soon.

Update: Monday 14th March, Week 7 of the calendar year of 2011, 4 days before the full moon, the Christian feast day of Mathilda of Ringlheim, birth date in 1933 of Sir Michael Caine and in 1879 of Albert Einstein and the Opening of Gilbert and Sullivan’s Mikado in London in 1885. Phase Three will begin with a twelve week lead time, we open 1st June.


This delay is unfortunate but we are planning a Royal Wedding Street Party for the 29th April. We want to get to know everyone who lives in the area, let them know more about what we are doing and have a blooming good time celebrating a fantastic national occasion at the same time. There will be food and drink and games and music we will toast the health of Prince William and Princess Catherine, entertain and be entertained and hope it doesn’t rain. There will be a full blog post on this exciting event coming soon.

Update: Prince William and Catherine will be coming to our party, they will leave the church, cross Westminster bridge and join us for tea and cakes. The palace has requested this, so we have had to reserve two chairs. They will change out of their wedding garb into pearly King and Queen outfits and we will all do the Lambeth Walk, Oi.



Sniper, our favourite photographer, has been in touch. He is about to embark on a fantastic journey. He is the best festival photographer in the business The Edinburgh Fringe Photographer and he has got a great gig photographing a festival in Dubai. We are extremely chuffed for him, all he needs to do now is get on that plane, best thing that could have happened my friend.

Update: Edinburgh’s looking dodgy this year and T.V.G. might not make an appearance for the first time in 6 years.



The Glasshouse walk play area right beside us has become a political hot potato it is in the running for a grant for refurbishment. For this playground to be brought up to date at the same time as we are creating a family friendly Tea House will be a great boon for this little corner of London. This whole park is earmarked for serious green space improvement work. The new gates are imposing and modern. This should encourage more people to use this fantastic place. Over the next few years the council and the Friends of Vauxhall Gardens will be spending lots of money to make this park better and better. We wholeheartedly support the Vauxhall Gardens Residents and Tenants Association campaign to win this funding for the play area and would like to offer help in any way we can.

Update: that bloke Hal Iggulden who wrote that famous book about dangerous stuff or something has given his backing to the cause. We hope that helps.



One set of contractors fired.



Fred went on a Food Hygiene course to make sure that all our kitchen stuff will be tip top.  While on this course he met two cake girlies.  It was like fate bringing two lives and dreams together over a free cuppa, some very plain biscuits and a multiple choice exam. They are an emerging cake baking business and we now, after meeting up and tasting their wares, have the very pleasant task of designing our cake menu with them.  It turns out that they work out of  a kitchen locally and therefore we will be using local produce in the tea house.  They are also surprisingly thin for girls who make such delicious cakes. Man I love the cake.

Update: They have sent us a preliminary menu. Girly cakes, fliffy, pretty, dainty, fresh, delicious, creamy, girls; no low fat thinking here, we need double cream ruminations. Spoil yourselves, you deserve it.



We met a marketing team on Monday. They are from a local advertising industry partnered marketing school. Interesting vibe. The strange thing is we don’t need creatives we need technical, but we have given them the brief to help find our logo and graphic and change of colours from the theatre black and red to the tea house blue and white. It is fifty-fifty whether they will get anything we can use, but they are creatives and we want the tea house to be a place for them so we will try and keep a good relationship with these young locals.



Had a meeting with mood board woman we made it clear that in our light fittings the one thing that we didn’t want was Victorian gothic or ultra modern. So she gave us two options...

Update: Totally changed the ladies WC doubled its size, now looking absolutely brilliant, going to make it light and feminine, it is going to cost more, but it will be worth it.

 

I sense a beltane fire coming on.  To mark the beginning of spring, the renewal of the Annie in honour of the goddess.  A pyre will be built, a beacon of light and life.  New energy, renewed passion, this is still a house of the goddess.  For many years she danced her dance in this sacred space.  It returns as a safe and welcome place for the mother and her child, with high chairs and soya milk and a relaxed atmosphere over breast feeding and baby changing.

Praise be the Goddess.

Wot we did on are Christmas Holidays

This is the space just after we moved in, all our stuff, ten years of theatre in boxes and bags moved into the temple of the goddess.  The stage has been hers and hers alone for many years.  We will always remain worshipful and respectful to her, but the Tea House Theatre is coming... 

That was a lot of stuff and a dog. It all needed to be cleared out, so we called in some men with big hammers and strange accents.

Look what they found behind the mirrors, original baby!

Plenty more still to go...

But once it was cleared out, the space is huge.  1200 square feet!  With an excellent selection of wallpapers from its previous incarnations, original tongue and groove wainscotting and under the floorboards the original deeds, this baby is Victorian, not Edwardian as everyone seems to think, she was built in 1888.  This old lady is going to be reborn.

Amazing original fireplaces.  These are going to be opened up for a well deserved evening by the fire

 A high backed chair gives a little privacy and a cup of lapsang suchong warms your hand, a smoking jacket is prefered but not necessary though the opium pipe is obligatory. You warm your feet as they rest on the Ottoman, crockadile boots drying by the fire with a pistol between your knees.

You smile, a lucrative days toil has yielded a pocket full of diamonds, smuggled up the Thames. Slowly, with each sip, your aches and pains melt away.  A petite girl arrives with your paper, a gentle shoulder rub and a plate of roasted meat sandwiches. The rains come and you can finally relax, with one eye on the door.

The empty space.

Praise be the goddess.

Happy New Year