SPID Theatre: Member Spotlight | April 2022

Watch the video below or read the text transcript to find out more about SPID Theatre and what they do to support children and young people.

NIAMH: So when you're ready, do you mind introducing yourselves please?

KAI: My name is Kai. Kai Gama. I'm the Outreach Producer at SPID, and I've been at SPID now for just over a year. Yeah, actually coming up to a year full time but freelanced a bit before that.

OLIVIA: And I'm Olivia Polglase. I'm the Learning, Marketing and Outreach Manager here at SPID. And I've been here for just over six years.

ISAAC: And I'm Isaac. I'm the Youth, Outreach and Marketing Assistant. And I've been here about six months now.

Who are SPID Theatre?

OLIVIA: So SPID Theatre is a local youth, arts and community company. We run free arts workshops for local young people and community members. And SPID stands for social, progressive, interconnected, and diverse. So that's kind of the values behind our work and what we like to create. And our work always advocates for those living in social housing and those who've been victims of housing injustice.

So we like to bring awareness and bring voice to those who live in those situations.

How do SPID support children and young people?

OLIVIA: But I think we provide an opportunity for young people to just have fun, kind of help build their confidence, get together with some of their peers, work on team building.

And that just varies across our different projects. Also, I think one thing, especially with our Estate Endz Project, it encourages local young people to learn a bit more about their local area and their local heritage, looking at the particular estates we pick out and look at often with that project, they do a bit of research.

They learn about the architect and why they made those choices and why they made it and get to speak to local residents. And so that kind of all informs what they create. And so I think it's definitely a learning process for them as well.

What are you most looking forward to doing with SPID this year?

KAI: We are working on an Estate Endz Project at the moment with a group. And at the end of that project, we're going to be making a short film, which is kind of like a half documentary, half kind of drama film.

And we're looking at, how exactly, how would you describe the project?

ISAAC: Yeah, the theme is like stories, we save. So it's about kind of memories, reminiscences of stories in the area that for whatever reason, we feel like there's a kind of sense of, I don't know, not urgency, but an imperative to try and make sure that these stories get kind of pulled together in a film.

And that's quite broad, isn't it? We're looking at the graffiti wall at Trellick, Kensall House. We're working with some individuals who are living with dementia as well as social housing residents, broadly. Some really strong themes.

So I'm expecting it to be an amazing film. And we've got a really, really great group of young people, really talented, really great actors into like, shooting films, acting in films, research, social housing. Yeah, that's going to be good.

KAI: And we're going to be doing screening for that, as well.

So what is your favourite thing to do in RBKC?

KAI: I would say I visited Metronome Steel Band, and when they practice on a Sunday, they've got the whole community, the whole spread. You've got kids, you've got their parents, you've got grandparents, and the music that they make, it just goes right through you! That is just an amazing experience. At Carnival, it's even bigger and there's millions of people there, and it's grand. But in that practice space is just magical.

ISAAC: Yeah. You feel all that community right there, everyone's there.

It's like a massage of vibrations going through you. Incredible. That's my favourite thing to do.

NIAMH: It's so intimate, isn't it?

KAI: Yeah, absolutely. Eversley and the Metronome Sound.

ISAAC: Yeah, big up those guys.

What is one thing you’ve learnt whilst working with SPID?

ISAAC: Community, art and theatre is complicated. Like, great. Like, so powerfully moving, and just feels like that's where all that theatre performance and art starts at that level. It's being complicated is what makes it so good, because you have to think so carefully about how you make things and what you're addressing and who you're speaking to and how you're engaging people and making sure that the community you work with are always at the front of that, and they're always the thing that you're passionate about and that you're supporting and, like, championing.

You've got to think so hard about it, but that's what makes it so great. I think that's one thing that SPID has taught me.

NIAMH: Amazing.

What is one thing you couldn’t live without?

KAI: I would say hats, but you don't wear hats all the time. Olivia has loads of different hats And it's just like sometimes you look out for them.

ISAAC: That's a good shout! Coming in she'll be like, "I brought this hat today."

OLIVIA: That’s a great one! I mean I never would’ve thought that that’s something I couldn’t live without but I do love a good hat. And my Mum’s always telling me, “oh, you can pull off a hat!”

ISAAC: What would we think Kai couldn't live without?

KAI: It’s pretty obvious. It's really obvious.

OLIVIA: Cranberry juice?

KAI: Hummus!

ISAAC & OLIVIA: Hummus!

KAI: I buy three tubs of hummus every week, so I'm pretty confident.

OLIVIA: There are several in there.

ISAAC: A couple are half-spilt.

KAI: And for Isaac… I don't want to do a boring one. When I think of Isaac though, I do think of those headphones. I don't think I've ever seen you without those.

ISAAC: You know what? That's actually a really good one because I really can't live without headphones. One month I was really broke and I was like, oh, God, I'd have run out of money, and I was like, I think I'm just going to have to dip into my credit card to buy some new headphones. It's just nothing like sitting on a tube in silence or cycling in silence. So, yeah, that's quite good.

How do people find out more and get involved?

ISAAC: So there's loads that you can get in touch with us loads away. So you can email us. And the best email to reach us on is Youth at SPID SPIDtheatre is S.P.I.D. Theatre.com, Youth@spitheatre.com

You can find us on social media. Like all of our social media, handles are basically @SPIDTheatre It's pretty straightforward.

You also reach us by mobile. We've got SPID mobile. But I can't remember that off the top of my head.

OLIVIA: 07903861674.

ISAAC: Yeah. So any of those ways you want to get in touch with us, you just want to have a chat. If you want to find out more about what we do, just drop us a line and we're good we have the chat to, so get in touch!

SPID Theatre:
www.spidtheatre.com
youth@spidtheatre.com
Instagram: @SPIDTheatre
Phone: 07903861674