Hackney Showroom

Manifesto

Hackney Showroom is an award-winning theatre company and grassroots community centre.

RIGOUR. Every show, every project design, every artist we support is met with a process that is thoughtful, considered and sharp. We embrace risk, innovate with new forms of theatre & new ways of working, rooted in methodology, industry best practice and decades of experience. We insist on bringing excellence to everything.

GENEROSITY & CARE. We lead with love, empathy and solidarity — towards the artists, workers and communities we support.

ANTIFASCIST, ANTICAPITALIST & FUTURE-FACING. We address injustice in a way that’s frontfooted, meaningful and non-tokenistic.

ACCESSORISE. The projects we deliver and spaces that we inhabit should look and feel gorge and cared for.

IT’S ONLY THEATRE, BABE. Irreverence is a necessity.

BREAK BREAD. Long may we eat, drink and dance together.

About

“Hackney Showroom delivers spellbinding theatre alongside enriching community building, culminating in a unique excellence that is hard to match” — Gay Times

Born out of a desire to do things differently, in 2015 Sam Curtis Lindsay and Nina Lyndon founded Hackney Showroom — an independent, artist-led theatre company. We collaborate with innovative theatre artists, many with lived experience of injustice. Our rigorous approach to supporting each artists’ unique practice paves the way for us to make astonishing and memorable new shows that change the landscape of tomorrow’s theatre. With a refreshing invitation to local, national and international audiences, we engage a myriad of communities in nourishing cultural experiences that address the problems and possibilities of our times.

Hackney Showroom is a warm embrace and a force for change for artists and communities. Our venue is our development space for theatre projects and offers a year-round cultural programme for our neighbourhood, creating the best conditions for artists and locals to flourish.

As an artist-led company, our artistic team collaborates with lead artists to co-create our theatre projects. Hackney Showroom has spent the last 10 years identifying artists, commissioning them, developing their craft and seeing work through to production and future opportunities.

What Makes a Hackney Showroom Show?

STORY. A Hackney Showroom show is narrative-led. The form might be innovative, but there’s a story at its heart with a beginning, middle and end.

LIVENESS. We know we’re in a theatre and you’re with us so there’s no realism/new writing/naturalism. As storytellers, our performers are knowing players, darting across the fourth wall and back. We’re in community for this night and what we do together is a shared experience.

INNOVATION. We like to make shows that cross genres and innovate the form.

NICHE/MASS APPEAL. We take niche subjects and ideas and give them mass appeal. We’re after your heart and soul, not your intellect. The litmus test: For every show we make, we ask: would Sam’s mum like this?

TAKING A STAND. We want to fire up audiences about what matters to you. The show may be irreverent, but you’ll leave hungry for change.

Iestyn Thomas
Communications Producer
communications@hackneyshowroom.com

Chloe Booth
Development Associate
development@hackneyshowroom.com

Remi Bevis
Community Support Worker
remi@hackneyshowroom.com

Grace Borchers
Assistant Producer
grace@hackneyshowroom.com

Sam Curtis Lindsay
Co-Artistic Director
sam@hackneyshowroom.com

Nina Lyndon
Co-Artistic Director
nina@hackneyshowroom.com

Jo McInnes
Associate Director
jo@hackneyshowroom.com

Ruan Murphy
Engagement Producer
ruan@hackneyshowroom.com

Molly Sharpe
Senior Producer
molly@hackneyshowroom.com

Dorothy Francis
Cleaner

Remi Bevis
Menekse Saitoglu
Duty Managers

Rukhsana Akram
Zahra Amari
Yildiz Geneci
Menekse Saitoglu
Project Workers

Patrons

Jayde Adams | Jessica Gunning | Jo Martin

Trustees

2026/7 Artists

The Legends of Them by Sutara Gayle AKA Lorna Gee Current Shows

The Legends of Them

By Sutara Gayle AKA Lorna Gee

Directed by Jo McInnes

A Hackney Showroom Production in association with Brixton House & Royal Court Theatre.

WINNER Off West End Award, Best Performance Piece


2023	Brixton House
2024	Royal Court, Jerwood Theatre Downstairs
2025	Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, presented by HERE + NOW
2025	UK Tour: Birmingham Rep, Bristol Old Vic, Brighton Dome, HOME Manchester, Leeds Playhouse, Belgrade Coventry
2027	Coming Soon

“For the first time in my life, everything was silent”

A memory: reggae pioneer Sutara Gayle AKA Lorna Gee hears her radio debut from Holloway Prison. Another: she’s engulfed in the Brixton uprising sparked by the police shooting of her sister. And now she is here, at a silent retreat, seeking spiritual guidance from her brother Mooji and ancestor Nanny of the Maroons, and a moment of transcendence. Powered by high-octane musical numbers and a virtuoso performance, The Legends of Them is a breath-taking, roof-raising chronicle of Sutara’s singular, extraordinary life – and of the legends that have guided her.

“audible gasps are heard throughout the audience… an incredibly monumental moment” WhatsOnStage

★★★★★ The Stage

★★★★ Time Out

★★★★★ Afridiziak

★★★★ Financial Times

Cast & Credits

Sutara Gayle Writer & Performer
Jo McInnes Director & Co-Creator
Nina Lyndon Dramaturg & Co-Creator
Christella Litras Composer & Musical Director
Elena Peña Sound Designer
Joshie Harriette Lighting Designer
Daniel Batters Video Designer
Melissa Simon-Hartman Costume Designer
Martina Laird Associate Director
Sam Curtis Lindsay Associate Director
Toby Smith (The Production Family) Production Manager
Sunita Hinduja Company Stage Manager
Stuart Duncan Technical Stage Manager
Sarah Victoria Sound System Designer & Sound Associate
Zoé Ritchie Lighting Associate & Relighter
Jyoti Graziano Artwork Photography

With thanks to Reuben Bojang, Phyllys Egharevba, Tyler Forward, Tony Gayle, Gino Ricardo Green & Stuart Heyes.

Supported by Arts Council England & Maria Björnson Memorial Fund Developed with support from the National Theatre Generate Programme

Running Time: 70 minutes
Age Guidance: 14+

The Legends of Them credit Harry Elletson

Extras

Our accompaniments to The Legends of Them include a touring exhibition and late gig series, FEMALE PIONEERS OF REGGAE

Doughnut & Mouth by Sam Curtis Lindsay & Nina Lyndon Current Shows

Doughnut & Mouth

By Sam Curtis Lindsay & Nina Lyndon

Doughnut and Mouth are a very unlikely duo from the Council, on a mission to enforce new safety rules after a spate of serious incidents. Doughnut is a tragic misanthrope who feels like something is missing. They follow the rules out of exhaustion. Mouth is a cheeky lush, always thirsty, talks a mile a minute and doesn’t always follow the rules. All seems to be going well until they get invited to an event they really shouldn’t attend, which leads them to question authority, rip up the rule book and party like there’s no tomorrow.

Doughnut & Mouth is currently in development for touring in 2026.

Presented on our spectacular new touring stage on wheels, the Bobby Dazzler, DOUGHNUT & MOUTH is an irreverent, family-friendly show about how safety is used as a smokescreen to suppress those who pose a perceived threat to authority.
The show is approx 20 mins with a dance party for all afterwards.

View the TOUR PACK
Written by Sam Curtis Lindsay & Nina Lyndon
Costumes by Allen & Adcock
Movement by Sarah Blanc
Stage Management by Aïsha Kent

Burgerz by Travis Alabanza Past Shows

Burgerz

By Travis Alabanza

Between 2018–2021 the “absolutely vital” (The Stage) worldwide sellout sensation toured the UK, Europe, USA and Brazil. In January 2026 we returned and toured Australia, marking 10 years since that burger slid off Travis’s face on London’s Waterloo Bridge and the impetus for Burgerz was set in motion.

“There aren’t enough stars in the universe to put on this review of Burgerz by Travis Alabanza at London’s Southbank” PinkNews
WINNER TOTAL THEATRE AWARD 2019
SHORTLISTED FOR THE CAROL TAMBOR BEST OF EDINBURGH AWARD 2019
“Alabanza takes an act of violence and transforms it into something both beautiful and brutal” Lyn Gardner, Edinburgh Festivals Magazine
“Humane and heart-rending… Alabanza is sassy and witty, feeding off the audience like a seasoned cabaret star” The Guardian

★★★★ The Stage ★★★★ The Guardian ★★★★ Financial Times ★★★★ Across The Arts ★★★★ Arthur’s Seat ★★★★ The List ★★★★★ The Reviews Hub ★★★★★ Edinburgh Festivals Magazine ★★★★★ LGBTQ Arts Review ★★★★★ British Theatre ★★★★★ LondonTheatre ★★★★★ Somewhere EDI

Hurled words. Thrown objects. Dodged Burgers.
After someone threw a burger at them and shouted a transphobic slur, performance artist Travis Alabanza became obsessed with burgers. How they are made, how they feel, and smell. How they travel through the air. How the mayonnaise feels on your skin. This show is the climax of their obsession – exploring how trans bodies survive and how, by them reclaiming an act of violence, we can address our own complicity.
One of the UK’s most prominent and celebrated trans voices, Alabanza presents a performance that remains timely, unsettling and powerful.

Written & Performed by Travis Alabanza
Directed by Sam Curtis Lindsay
Designer Soutra Gilmour
Associate Designer Isabella Van Braeckel
Lighting Design Lee Curran & Lauren Woodhead
Sound Design XANA
Movement Nando Messias
Dramaturg Nina Lyndon
Running time approx 1hr | Suitable for ages 14+

Tranz Talkz

Alongside Burgerz in 2018 we delivered Tranz Talkz – a series of community meals with trans and gender non conforming people in 6 cities across the UK, exploring how they encounter the world outside their front door. These conversations were recorded and are archived at Bishopsgate Institute.

Burgerz was developed in Association with Ovalhouse & Marlborough Theatre and supported by Arts Council England, Heritage Lottery Fund & Bishopsgate Institute. Burgerz at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe was part of the British Council Edinburgh Showcase 2019.

Tomorrow is Already Dead by Ms Sharon Le Grand Past Shows

Tomorrow is Already Dead

By Ms Sharon Le Grand

“Welcome to the Dusty Tuna, the only club in London where you can get piss as a mixer!”
What happens when an international man of mystery meets a straightforward regional woman? Meet Jimmy Pond. He’s been tasked with his deadliest mission to date – assassinating the indestructible nightlife oligarch Ms Sharon Le Grand. But will Pond succeed where all men have failed before?
Be thrust into a musical, bombastic, subversive world of hedonism, anarchy and androgyny as Hackney Showroom proudly present the loudmouth Liverpudlian’s debut piece of theatre, Tomorrow Is Already Dead.

Tomorrow Is Already Dead played at Soho Theatre, June 2023.

Written & performed by Ms Sharon Le Grand
Directed by Sam Curtis Lindsay
Musician Nicky Harris
Lighting and Video Design by Daniel Williams
Video Animation and Poster Design by Josh Quinton
Costume Design by Max Allen
Choreography by Jeanie Crystal
Stage Manager – Reuben Bojang
Assistant Director – Martha Barnett
Cast: Iestyn Arwel, Jeanie Crystal & Shane Convery
Running time approx 1hr | Suitable for ages 14+

for all the women who thought they were Mad by Zawe Ashton Past Shows

for all the women who thought they were Mad

By Zawe Ashton

for all the women who thought they were Mad is an urgent piece of theatre examining the myriad of forces that collide and conspire against black women living in contemporary Britain today. We held the world premiere at Stoke Newington Town Hall in autumn 2019. Stoke Newington Town Hall is a beautiful listed 1930s art deco building which we transformed into a pop up theatre for this production.

“it has a force that demands, and commands, our attention.” Metro

Ran from 14 Oct to 9 Nov 2019 at our pop-up theatre residency at Stoke Newington Town Hall.

“stimulating and imaginative” ★★★★ The Observer
“Jo McInnes’ production is enhanced by a set of captivating performances. Jumoké Fashola’s matriarch is charmingly formidable and Rae Ann Quayle’s assured final speech unexpectedly heartbreaking.” ★★★★ The Stage

Written and created by Zawe Ashton
Directed by Jo McInnes
Designed by Natalie Pryce & ULTZ
Associate Director Gail Babb
Lighting Designer Kevin Treacy
Sound Designer Tony Gayle
Composer Dan Batters
Movement Director Leah Muller
Dramaturg Nina Lyndon
Cast: Mina Andala, Jumoké Fashola, Layo-Christina Akinlude, Janet Kumah, Jennifer Dixon, Joy Elias-Rilwan, Michael Fitzgerald.
And introducing: Elena Coleman, Chiamara Nwosu and Rae Ann Quayle.
Please note this show contains distressing scenes.

Gala

As part of the run, we held a special and intimate evening with the cast and company, which consisted of an exclusive pre-show drinks reception with specially selected Borough Wines, whilst local chef & friend of Zawe Ashton, Troy Cundy served gastronomic delights. All proceeds from the evening went towards supporting Hackney Showroom’s work with artists.

Photography by Benji Reid

Supported by Arts Council England, Wellcome Trust & Cockayne Foundation – Grants for the Arts and The London Community Foundation

Frau Welt by Peter Clements & Oliver Dawe Past Shows

Frau Welt

By Peter Clements & Oliver Dawe

In anticipation of her retirement, join the cult of Frau Welt worshippers to experience the egomaniacal Midas touch of this grande dame of the theatre from Weimar Berlin to Broadway stardom, her secret is finally exposed…

Frau Welt was first performed at Hackney Showroom in October 2017 and at the Assembly Rooms for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2018.

Frau Welt is a genre-busting play by Peter Clements and Oliver Dawe about the outsider and the consequences of a life excluded.

REVIEWS — Hackney Showroom 2017
★★★★★ The Ethel Mermaids “Everything about this production is perfection”
★★★★★ The LGBTQ Arts Review “sumptuously funny… unique brand of drag meets theatre”
★★★★★ To Do List “a joy to watch”
★★★★★ QX Magazine “At once darkly funny and touchingly sympathetic… unique!”
★★★★★ Hiskind “a highly effective balance between absurdist cabaret and truthful theatre”
★★★★ Boyz “a piece of truly exceptional theatre”

REVIEWS — Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Assembly Rooms 2018
★★★★★ Broadway Baby “a stunning, genre-busting play”
★★★★ The Scotsman “crafted with obvious skill”
★★★★ The List “dark, funny and completely mesmeric”

Directed by Oliver Dawe
Performed by Peter Clements
Based on an original design by Joanna Scotcher
Costumes by Costume Collective
Lighting Design by Alex Fernandes
Sound Design by Owen Crouch
Movement Director by Jane Gibson
Dramaturgy by Tim Crouch
Special thanks to Paul Stevens for his generous donation to this production.

Female Pioneers of Reggae

Inspired by Sutara Gayle AKA Lorna Gee’s personal archive of photos, this exhibition celebrates the female deejays and singers of reggae, from dancehall to lovers rock. Featuring personal photographic archive and ephemera from contributions from communities across the UK, the exhibition also features rarely displayed photography by Normski, David Ciro, Steve Rapport, Richard Braine and Richard Saunders & Tim Barrow.

Accompanying our show The Legends of Them, the Female Pioneers of Reggae exhibition toured the UK in autumn 2025 and is archived at the Museum of Youth Culture in Camden.

Uncovering hidden histories of women in a male dominated scene, the Female Pioneers of Reggae project unearths and uncovers the stories of the female artists and the women who were part of the scene from the 1980s and 1990s.

Do you have a story to tell? We are still collecting images so grab that shoe box from under your bed and dig out those old photos, flyers and ticket stubs. And as well as archiving images we are also collecting oral stories. From the blues dances and record shops to hanging out with your friends, get in touch, share your stories with us and you can contribute towards this permanent archive: info@museumofyouthculture.com

Tranz Talkz

In response to the lack of public archive present around how queer and trans people navigate public space, Hackney Showroom hosted Travis Alabanza to hold conversations across the UK to discuss and talk with trans people about their experiences navigating outside space. The event was aimed at those who identified as trans and gender non-conforming – or anyone that had experienced harassment based on their trans/queerness.

An intimate dinner table format, where guests can feel safe to speak and share their experiences, or just to listen, conversations were recorded, as part of Hackney Showroom and Travis Alabanza’s ongoing documentation of the trans experience, for archiving and heritage collection purposes, in partnership with Bishopsgate Institute and Hackney Museum, supported by the Heritage Lottery Foundation.

The audio recordings formed part of an exhibition that ran alongside Hackney Showroom’s production of Burgerz in 2018.

Tranz Talkz took place at the following venues: Cambridge Junction; North Wall at the Jericho Tavern, Oxford; Royal Exchange, Manchester; Hackney Showroom, London; Belgrade Theatre, Coventry; The Marlborough Theatre, Brighton.

The 6 Tranz Talkz are archived at the Bishopsgate Institute and you can listen to some of the conversations here:

HS at the Lyric

Hackney Showroom is taking up residence in the Lyric Hammersmith’s Studio Theatre — creating a new home for boundary-pushing theatre and the artists shaping its future.
At a time when the pipeline for new theatre is shrinking and risk-taking is becoming harder to sustain, this partnership offers a different model. For over a decade, Hackney Showroom has backed artists before the wider sector caught up with them, championing work that is formally adventurous, genre-defying and impossible to ignore. From BURGERZ by Travis Alabanza to The Legends of Them by Sutara Gayle AKA Lorna Gee, our track record shows what can happen when artists are given the time, care, resources and rigour to make ambitious work.

Now, that approach comes to the Lyric Studio. Hackney Showroom at the Lyric will be a laboratory for new theatre — bringing Hackney Showroom’s distinctive East London energy to West London, creating a vital space where artists can experiment, develop and take risks and audiences can see groundbreaking work.
This is more than a residency. It is a partnership built around a shared belief investing in the future of theatre. Watch this space for our 2027 shows.

Rehearsal Space

London’s most affordable rehearsal space that’s actually nice!

No pillars, no weird smells, and no interruptions, with the benefit of your very own street entrance.
Our huge 90sqm space, flooded with natural light and 10 minutes walk from a Tube is perfect for projects big or small. We’re wheelchair accessible, next door to a beautiful park (featuring terrapins and fallow deer) and around the corner from some great lunch options.
We’ll get your week off to the best start with your in-room tea, coffee and water station plus we’ll even throw in the good biscuits.
Our rehearsal rate for a room this size within zone 2 is the sector’s cheapest:
£1000 + VAT for a week (Mon–Fri).

Send us an enquiry by filling in the enquiry form and let’s get you booked in.

Event Hire

We are a 5-star rated wheelchair-accessible space available to hire for children’s parties, private events, conferences, away days, workshops, classes, filming and more.

Studio – 25 seated or standing // 15 for classes & workshops. Equipped with a portable PA and projector.

Big Space – 60 seated or standing for parties // 80 seated or standing for ticketed events. Equipped with lighting, sound and projector.

Hackney Showroom is a charity, and by booking with us, you are supporting our work with artists and the local community.

Instant Booking For Private Events

We offer 4 hour slots at weekends for private bookings in our Big Space & Studio. The price includes a Duty Manager, tables & chairs and use of our sound & lighting equipment. Your set-up and pack-down time is included in your 4 hour booking.

Book an instant weekend slot

Enquiry Form

For all other bookings please fill in the enquiry form and we’ll get back to you with availability and pricing.

Fill in the enquiry form

Bobby Dazzler

Honk your horn for Hackney Showroom’s touring stage on wheels… The Bobby Dazzler.

Accessible and visually stunning, The Bobby Dazzler can drive to a number of locations and be placed anywhere with vehicle access – open air, car parks, streets, town squares, green spaces and riverside locations. As a simple plug-in-and-go offer, The Bobby Dazzler is fully self-sufficient with minimal requirements, making it the perfect show-stopper.

Hire Bobby

Got a show you need to get on the road, but no wheels? Or do you need a full programme of dazzling delights for your event? She’ll go, go, go and we’ll keep the prices low, low, low.

The Bobby Dazzler tour pack

Donate

Hackney Showroom is a charity and we rely on the generosity of our communities of artists, locals and audiences to keep our work high quality, radical and accessible to all. Your support helps us champion innovative artists and bring people together through culture.

Every donation, big or small, helps us keep doing what we do. If you’d like to, and you feel able to, you can support us by donating today, using the button below.

Donate

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Supporters

Hackney Showroom supporters help us achieve our mission of artistic excellence, innovation and grassroots engagement. Without them, our work would not be possible, and we would like to thank:

arts council lottery
backstage trust
cockayne london community foundation
hackney
heritage fund
john ellerman foundation
mercers charitable foundation
noel coward foundation
paul hamlyn foundation

Contact

Hackney Showroom
4 Murrain Road
London N4 2BN
020 3095 9747

General Enquiries

hello@hackneyshowroom.com

Venue Hires

hires@hackneyshowroom.com

@hackneyshowroom on INSTAGRAM.

Find Us

Find us on the MAP.

Nearest Tube & Rail

Manor House, 12 minute walk
Finsbury Park, 15 minute walk or 6 minute 106 bus ride
Canonbury, 20 minute walk

Finsbury Park and Canonbury are Category A stations with step-free access to all platforms.

Nearest Bus Stops

Green Lanes, Stop H for Bus 106, 3 minute walk
Green Lanes/Kings Crescent Estate, Stop PJ for Buses 141 & 341, 1 minute walk
Green Lanes/Brownswood Road, Stop PV for Buses 141 & 341, 1 minute walk

Parking

We do not have a car park. Free parking is available on nearby streets after 6.30pm Monday to Saturday, all day Saturday except Match Day (see FIXTURES) and all day Sunday. For the nearest Pay and Display streets, see PARKOPEDIA.

Access

Hackney Showroom is wheelchair accessible with step-free access throughout. We welcome service dogs and emotional support animals.

Toilets

We have 2 gender-neutral toilets. One is wheelchair accessible with baby-changing facilities. Our loos have bins and free period products.

The wheelchair-accessible toilet has an outward-opening door 100cm wide, 4 rails, a full-length lower mirror, a raised toilet seat 48cm high and an 82cm high sink.

Doors

Our doors have overhead soft door closers. Our front doors are 130cm wide, quite heavy and open inwards. Our Big Space and Studio doors are 85cm wide. The spaces are connected by double doors that are 170cm wide.

Kitchen

We have an 85cm high kitchen counter, a small fridge is at ground level. We can provide a wheelchair-accessible tea & coffee station.

Events

We set up a temporary bar for events, with a height of 74cm. Our seats are steel framed wooden chairs.