Brixton House to open this month as first shows announced

Brixton House Theatre will open its doors for the first time later this month with a season of productions aimed at positioning itself as a "vital cultural beacon" in south London, it has announced.

The organisation – formerly known as Ovalhouse – will launch its newly constructed theatre building on Coldharbour Lane in Brixton on February 24. It features two theatres – one seating 200 people and the other with a capacity of 120 – as well as seven rehearsal rooms and a café and bar. While performances will begin on Februayr 24, the full building, including the café and bar and hire spaces, will open on March 5. The previous Ovalhouse premises closed in 2019.

Alongside the rebrand and new building, Gbolahan Obisesan was appointed artistic director in 2020.

His first season will kick off with a co-production between Brixton House, English Touring Theatre and York Theatre Royal.

Mugabe, My Dad and Me, written and performed by Tonderai Munyevu, will run at Brixton House for two sets of dates in February and March before embarking on a national tour.

The play charts the rise and fall of the former Zimbabwean ruler Robert Mugabe, through the personal story of Munyevu’s family. It was shortlisted for the Alfred Fagon Award in 2019 and is produced in association with Alison Holder.

The programme also includes Hussina Raja’s Station, a live-performance installation set in a South-Asian home, a showcase of new Swiss work, actor and writer Waleed Akhtar’s debut play Kabul Goes Pop: Music Television Afghanistan – produced with HighTide and the Mercury in Colchester – and The Body Remembers, written and performed by Heather Agyepong and produced by Fuel.

For two weeks beginning in April, artists will take over the building with a festival of new work, Housemates, while France’s Compagnie Babel will conclude the season with Fathers, an exploration of the role of fatherhood in contemporary French households.

The productions in the opening season revolve around the theme of family, Obisesan said, as the theatre establishes its home in Brixton.

“Brixton House will be a vital cultural beacon in Brixton and a home of creativity and expression for everyone. We want to attract, support, and inspire new artistic experiences that will develop our community solidarity and passion for social change in society. 

"With this opening season, we focus on our family ties, because ours is a home where we acknowledge we are all connected and bound by our love of art and artists, propelled by our spirit of togetherness, whilst giving space to showcasing our creative bond and appreciation of human experiences," he said.

Running alongside its main artistic programme – which comprises theatre, cabaret, comedy, dance and film – the theatre will stage a season of work dedicated to family audiences and young people, and host a strand of participation work.

Season at a glance:

Mugabe, My Dad and Me by Tonderi Munyevu
February 24 to March 5, and March 39 to April 1
Presented by English Touring Theatre, Brixton House and York Theatre Royal, in association with Alison Holder

Station by Hussina Raja
March 17 to 31

Butterflies
February 24 to 26
Presented by Tangled Feet and Half Moon

Here and Now by Trân Tran
March 10 to 12
Presented by Trân Tran and Cie Toast

Binaural Views of Switzerland by Alan Alpenfelt
March 8 to 12
Presented by Alan Alpenfelt

Black Off by Ntando Cele
March 10 to 12
Presented by Ntando Cele and Manaka Empowerment Productions

The Body Remembers by Heather Agyepong
March 16 to 26
Presented by Fuel

Saturn Returns by Sonny Nwachukwu
April 21 to 24

Things I Can Laugh About Now by Shakira Newton
April 26 to 29
Presented by Piece of Cake Theatre Company

Comrades in the Dark
April 26 to 29

For the Love of a Primary Care Giver
May 3 to 5

Big Girls Words by Winnie Arhin
April 21 to 23
Presented by City Lighthouse Theatre Company

Concha by Carly Fernandez
April 26 to 29

Chicken Burger N Chips by Corey Bovell
Directed by TD Mayo
May 3 to 6

I Miss Amy Winehouse by Suchandrika Chakrabarti
April 3 to 4

Kabul Goes Pop: Music Television Afghanistan
May 11 to 29
Presented by HighTide and Brixton House in association with the Mercury Theatre in Colchester

Patricia Gets Ready (For a Date With a Man Who Used to Hit Her)
May 17 to 22

Fathers by Elise Chatauret and Thomas Pondevie
July 5 to 17
Presented by Compagnie Babel