Primary school kids help build performance space at Brixton House

A performance space has been built by primary school kids to “engage and inspire” their young community.

The children, aged eight to 11, are all from the Brixton area. They set the brief, designed, and built the structure themselves at Brixton House in Coldharbour Lane.

Brixton House is an inclusive theatre space for young people, community members and marginalised artists, writers and performers.

Prior to its move from Oval to Brixton, the theatre commissioned MATT+FIONA to develop an outreach project which would actively engage youth in Brixton, ahead of its arrival in the neighbourhood.

The performance space will stay in the theatre throughout the month of April and will be made available to local youth groups and schools for performances and activities.

The engagement process and initial conception of the design began in 2019, when 20 school children from four primary schools, Christ Church Streatham, Hillmead, Richard Atkins and St John’s Angell Town, determined the brief and began designing the space.

Beset by delays due to the pandemic, the baton was handed on in 2022 to a second cohort of children from the same schools, who have developed the original concepts, working them up to a technical resolution.

The timber and plywood design emerged from this series of workshops.

During the build, the kids learned how to measure, cut timber, and create complex frame structures, working as a team.

Matthew Springett and Fiona MacDonald, co-Founders of MATT+FIONA, said: “Having worked with these four primary schools in Brixton for the last 5 years – before, during and now after the pandemic – we cannot wait for the children to finally see their performance space realised.

Their vision for the space and its contribution to their community has been unwavering throughout. It will be a testament to their perseverance, resilience and creativity, skills we need now more than ever.

Delia Barker, managing director of Brixton House, said: “Everyone involved has stayed committed to supporting young Brixton residents over the lifetime of the project and it’s thrilling to get the build to this point. We are so pleased that they will finally get to see, feel and explore their work.”

Pictured top: Primary school kids and volunteers build the performance space (Picture: Luke O’Donovan)