OSO Arts Centre

Last updated

OSO Arts Centre
The Old Sorting Office
OSOArtsCentre (cropped).jpg
OSO Arts Centre, Barnes Green
OSO Arts Centre
Address49 Station Road, Barnes
London, SW13 0LF
England, United Kingdom
Coordinates 51°28′20″N0°14′47″W / 51.4723°N 0.2465°W / 51.4723; -0.2465
Public transit National Rail logo.svg Barnes National Rail logo.svg Barnes Bridge
Type Fringe theatre
Capacity 130 seats
Current useTheatre and Arts Centre
Opened2002;21 years ago (2002)
Years active2002–present
Website
osoarts.org.uk

The OSO Arts Centre is a theatre and arts centre located in Barnes in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. [1] The building was previously the postal sorting office, but was redeveloped into a mixture of residential and commercial space with the first residents moving in in 1999. In 2002 the arts centre opened [2] and in 2012 the OSO Arts Centre came under the direction of a new board of trustees. The building is located on Barnes Green, and provides arts services to the community, both in the form of evening performances in the theatre [2] space, and daytime dance and art classes. [3] Some well-known names have performed at the OSO over the years including Patricia Hodge, Timothy West, Stephanie Cole, Julian Glover, Janie Dee, Issy van Randwyck, Harriet Thorpe, Lee Nelson and Robert Pattinson. [4]

The theatre is currently led by Artistic Director Jonny Danciger and General Manager Lisa Ross. Its artistic ambassadors include Gyles Brandreth, Roger McGough and Kate Silverton.

During the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 the theatre space was refurbished as a 'Crisis Kitchen', with the OSO staff and volunteers preparing over 10,000 free meals for the elderly and vulnerable, NHS workers, and those in economic hardship. The chair of trustees was awarded an MBE in the 2021 New Years Honours list for this initiative. [5]

A full refurbishment of the venue, designed by B3 Designers, [6] was completed in autumn 2020. The refurbished theatre was officially opened by Michael Ball in October 2020.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barnes, London</span> Area of south-west London, England

Barnes is a district in south London, part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England. It takes up the extreme north-east of the borough, and as such is the closest part of the borough to central London. It is centred 5.8 miles (9.3 km) west south-west of Charing Cross in a bend of the River Thames.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South London Theatre</span>

The South London Theatre is a community theatre housed in a Grade II listed former fire station, in West Norwood in the London Borough of Lambeth, England. The first play opened in October 1967, and it is now a busy theatrical venue, presenting more than 22 shows annually in its theatre space, which was remodelled during refurbishment of the Old Fire Station during the period 2015–2018. The theatre facilities also consist of two dedicated rehearsal spaces, an entire floor of wardrobe rooms and a private basement bar, open Sunday to Friday evenings to audiences and members and which plays host to regular social events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bristol Old Vic</span> Theatre in Bristol, England

Bristol Old Vic is a British theatre company based at the Theatre Royal, Bristol. The present company was established in 1946 as an offshoot of the Old Vic in London. It is associated with the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, which became a financially independent organisation in the 1990s. Bristol Old Vic runs a Young Company for those aged 7–25.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southbank Centre</span> Complex of artistic venues in London, England

Southbank Centre is a complex of artistic venues in London, England, on the South Bank of the River Thames.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northcott Theatre</span>

The Northcott Theatre is a theatre situated on the Streatham Campus of the University of Exeter, Exeter, Devon, England. It opened in 1967 and was run until 2010 by the Northcott Theatre Foundation, when the company ceased operating after a period in administration. The theatre is now known as Exeter Northcott Theatre and became a registered charity in June 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nottingham Playhouse</span>

Nottingham Playhouse is a theatre in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England. It was first established as a repertory theatre in 1948 when it operated from a former cinema in Goldsmith Street. Directors during this period included Val May and Frank Dunlop. The current building opened in 1963.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richmond, The American International University in London</span> University in London, England

Richmond American University London is a private university in London, United Kingdom. Richmond was founded in 1972, by British educator Cyril Taylor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belgrade Theatre</span> English live performance venue

The Belgrade Theatre is a live performance venue in Coventry, England. It was the first civic theatre to be built in Britain after the Second World War and is now a Grade II listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ovalhouse</span>

Ovalhouse, formerly called Oval House Theatre, was an Off-West End theatre in the London Borough of Lambeth, located at 52–54 Kennington Oval, London, SE11 5SW. It closed in 2020, and moved to Brixton, becoming the Brixton House theatre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Gate Arts Centre</span> Arts centre in Cardiff, Wales

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malthouse Theatre</span>

Malthouse Theatre is the resident theatre company of The Malthouse building in Southbank, part of the Melbourne Arts Precinct. In the 1980s it was known as the Playbox Theatre Company and was housed in the Playbox Theatre in Melbourne's CBD.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orange Tree Theatre</span> Theatre in Richmond, London, England

The Orange Tree Theatre is a 180-seat theatre at 1 Clarence Street, Richmond in south-west London, which was built specifically as a theatre in the round. It is housed within a disused 1867 primary school, built in Victorian Gothic style.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aberystwyth Arts Centre</span>

Aberystwyth Arts Centre is an arts centre in Wales, located on Aberystwyth University's Penglais campus. One of the largest in Wales, it comprises a theatre, concert hall, studio and cinema, as well as four gallery spaces and cafés, bars, and shops.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacksons Lane</span>

Jacksons Lane Arts Centre (JLAC) is a multi-arts venue in Highgate, north London, located in a Grade II listed former Wesleyan Methodist church. The building is home to a 170 capacity theatre, a large scale dance and rehearsal studio, a cafe-bar and four other multi-purpose spaces. In 2022 it completed a large-scale £5 million refurbishment & redevelopment of the building with the majority of the funding coming from Arts Council England & Haringey Council. JLAC is now more accessible, has greater facilities, a larger front of house area and two new circus creation spaces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal & Derngate</span> Theatre in Northampton

Royal & Derngate is a theatre complex in the Cultural Quarter of Northampton, England, consisting of the Royal Theatre and Derngate Theatre. The Royal was built by theatre architect Charles J. Phipps and opened in 1884. Ninety-nine years later in 1983, Derngate, designed by RHWL, was built to the rear of the Royal. Whilst the two theatres were physically linked, they did not combine organisations until a formal merger in 1999; they are run by the Northampton Theatres Trust. The Royal Theatre, established as a producing house, has a capacity of 450 seats and since 1976 has been designated a Grade II listed building; Derngate Theatre seats a maximum of 1,200 and is a multi-purpose space in which the auditorium can be configured for a variety of events including theatre, opera, live music, dance, fashion and sports. The Northampton Filmhouse, an independent cinema built to the side of the complex, opened in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MKA: Theatre of New Writing</span> Australian theatre company

MKA: Theatre of New Writing(often shortened to 'MK-Alpha' or 'MKA') is based in Richmond, in the Melbourne City of Yarra. It was established in March, 2010 as 'MKA Richmond', swiftly outgrowing the name to become one of the most celebrated contemporary theatre companies in Australia. A champion for new performance writers, an increasing number of which, in the company's short history, have become established names in the industry. Productions such as The Economist, sex.violence.blood.gore a recurring season of new plays Open Season - and in 2014 the HYPRTXT Festival - and relationships with larger organisations such as Playwriting Australia have confirmed the company's position within the industry. The company's mission includes a focus on international, though in particular Australian and Asian works. From 2014-2016 the company was supported by Creative Victoria through the triennial funding, operational investment scheme.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kingston University</span> Public university in London, England

Kingston University London is a public research university located within the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, in South West London, England. Its roots go back to the Kingston Technical Institute, founded in 1899. It received university status in 1992, before which the institution was known as Kingston Polytechnic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Tetley, Leeds</span>

The Tetley is a contemporary art gallery in Leeds, England, located in the art deco headquarters of the former Tetley's Brewery. The gallery was opened on Friday 28 November 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Factory International</span> Theatre in Manchester, UK

Factory International runs Manchester International Festival and operates Aviva Studios, a cultural space in Manchester, England.

Anne Carroll was a British actress and director. In the 2011 New Year Honours, Carroll received an MBE "for services to community theatre in Barnes", as she had run the youth theatre group, Barnes Theatre Company in Barnes, London for two decades. Carroll was the founder of the OSO Arts Centre arts venue in Barnes.

References

  1. "OSO Arts Centre". ArtsRichmond.
  2. 1 2 "OSO Community Arts Centre". VisitRichmond.
  3. "The Old Sorting Office". Barnes Village.
  4. "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 1". cinemareview.com. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  5. tait, simon. "Congratulations…". artsindustry.co.uk. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  6. Designers, B3. "OSO Arts Centre Cafe | B3 Designers". www.b3designers.co.uk. Retrieved 21 March 2022.