T H E G R E AT

H U N D R E D

BUT FOR US

NOT FOR ME NOT FOR YOU.

Today, a hundred is taken to be equal to 100. However, before the 18th century, it could mean other values, depending on the objects being counted. The value of 100 was referred to as a small hundred, while a Great Hundred referred to the value of 120. It is an important number for Battersea Arts Centre.

Built in 1893, Battersea’s former Town Hall celebrates its 120th birthday this year.

Thanks to its supporters, Battersea Arts Centre has secured the building for another 120 years.

So THE GREAT HUNDRED are a group of the 120 most radical and exciting figures across the building’s 120 year history, from John Burns to Jude Kelly and from Charlotte Despard to Kate Tempest.

120

INTRODUCTION.

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120

THE GREAT

HUNDRED

CLUB.

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We are inviting a new group of 120 people to help secure Battersea Arts Centre for the next 120 years. The GREAT HUNDRED CLUB is made of up members who pledge their support to our building restoration project, which will keep the old Town Hall robust for many generations to come. You’ll see their names printed alongside Great Hundred Figures in this book. Collectively The GREAT HUNDRED CLUB members will contribute £360,000 over the next three years. Members are invited to intimate conversations with some of theatre and film’s biggest names, as well as a grand re-opening party in 2016.

You’ll find more information about the perks of joining The Great Hundred Club at the end of this book...

ARCHITECTURAL

Although architecture is an art form in itself, we’re paying particular tribute to all of the architects for this magnificent building. The original Town Hall was built in such a way that it was future proofed as more aspects of the building were constructed as the population grew. We aim to continue that growth in the 21st century as we move in to the west attic.

CHAPTERS.

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As The Great Hundred grows we are paying tribute to individuals who have contributed to the life of the Town Hall over 120 years. Most of these contributions can be described as artistic, political, architectural or social. Of course, many of The Great Hundred have contributed to more than one of these categories. But we have had a go at describing where we think each person’s biggest contribution has been made. Do you think we got it right?

ARTISTIC

For 120 years, Battersea’s Town Hall has held concerts, bazaars, shows, weddings and an array of other community events. Creativity has been at the heart of the building’s long life and since 1973 the building has hosted a remarkable array of talent as a dedicated space for visionary artists.

POLITICAL

Battersea’s former Town Hall has often been described as a “hive of radical activity” inspired by the bee encrusted mosaics and inventive political thinkers that have occupied the building over twelve decades. We define political contribution as someone who has held office (whether as an MP or Councillor) and had a strong relationship with the Town Hall.

SOCIAL

As a Town Hall or as an Arts Centre, the building has been a place where people meet to re-imagine the future. So we have created a category for members of the community who have made significant impact either by campaigning, volunteering or contributing in the areas of philanthropy, social change or innovation.

THE GREAT HUNDRED

ARCHITECTURE.

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ROBERT HOPE-JONES Robert Hope-Jones represents innovative design. He designed our stunning Grand Hall organ, which was added to the building in 1901, before joining The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company. Battersea Town Hall’s organ is the largest remaining Hope-Jones designed organ in the UK.

JESSE RUST Jesse Rust designed our iconic mosaic bees. There is much debate about why bees were chosen for the final design: they may be a reference to the lavender fields that Lavender Hill takes its name from, to the double Bs of Battersea Borough, or to the industriousness of the workers who built and served in the Town Hall.

PAIRED WITH Paul Cutts

& Anupam Ganguli

EDWARD WOOD In March 1888 a reformed Battersea Vestry set about furnishing the parish with accommodation and facilities suitable to its new status. Latchmere Baths and the Central Library were both open by the spring of 1890, while E. W. Mountford’s magnificent building on Lavender Hill, opened in 1893. The foundation stones, either side of Battersea Town Hall’s main staircase, were laid on 7 November 1892 by Edward Wood. Wood was chairman of the parochial offices committee.

E.W. MOUNTFORD E.W. Mountford designed the original building in 1891, and it was completed in 1893. Mountford also designed the Old Bailey and Battersea Library on Lavender Hill.

WILLIAM CALDER MARSHALL The Octagonal Hall is home to William Calder Marshall’s Zephyr and Aurora and Dancing Girl Reposing. Battersea Town Hall was home to a third Calder Marshall, Eurydice, which appears to have been lost after it was relocated to Wandsworth Town Hall.

STEVE TOMPKINS Steve Tompkins of Haworth Tompkins Architects has led on Battersea Arts Centre’s capital project since 2007. His inspirational vision for the building and collaborative approach to Playgrounding - scratching architectural ideas with artists and audiences - has transformed Battersea Arts Centre’s approach to developing the Town Hall.

GREG PIGGOTGreg Piggot was Production Manager at Battersea Arts Centre for seven years until 2007. His final project at Battersea Arts Centre was Punchdrunk’s The Masque of the Red Death. Greg died, following illness, on the canal boat where he lived in north London in 2011 at the age of 48. He was commended for bravery, as a young firefighter, for his involvement in battling the King’s Cross fire in 1987. He is remembered with great affection by a number of current staff and artists.

THE GREAT HUNDRED

ARTISTIC.

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PAUL BARRITT & SUZANNE ANDRADE Founded by performance poet Suzanne Andrade and animator Paul Barritt, 1927 began life on the outskirts of the cabaret scene. Their hit shows Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea and The Animals and Children Took to the Streets started life as scratches at Battersea Arts Centre and have toured widely from New York to Sri Lanka with the latter enjoying two runs at the National Theatre.

PAIRED WITH

Dr Sarah Burnett

TOBY JONES Toby Jones created shows at Battersea Arts Centre in the 1990s including Wanted Man and Missing Reel. Toby went on to play Truman Capote in the biopic Infamous (2006). Since then, his films have included Frost/Nixon (2008), Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011), Berberian Sound Studio (2012) and he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for his role as Alfred Hitchcock in The Girl (2012).

PAIRED WITH

Jo Moore

NIC GREEN Performance artist Nic Green was part of the first Graduates Festival at Battersea Arts Centre in 2005. She has since created several works with us including the award-winning Trilogy.

ANDY FIELD & DEBORAH PEARSON Andy Field was working at Battersea Arts Centre when he joined Deborah Pearson who had previously set up Forest Fringe. Together Andy and Debbie then went on to change attitudes to the Edinburgh Fringe with Forest Fringe: providing a personal and creative space for artists and audiences in the midst of an increasingly corporate festival environment.

JOHN BETJEMAN Poet Laureate John Betjeman lent his support to Battersea Town Hall when it was facing demolition in 1966-7. He described the building as “what a Town Hall ought to be. It lifts you up. It has scale and it is irreplaceable.” This campaign resulted in the building becoming listed in 1970.

PAIRED WITH Timothy West &

Prunella Scales

SHLOMO Internationally acclaimed human beatboxer, Guinness World Record holder and World Loopstation Champion, Shlomo has toured the world and collaborated with artists from Björk to Damon Albarn. Together, Battersea Arts Centre and Shlomo set up the hugely successful Beatbox Academy which works with young people to develop a range of musical and vocal skills using beatboxing.

STELLA DUFFY Award-winning writer and performer, Stella Duffy, has developed and shown work at Battersea Arts Centre including Breaststrokes, a show about her struggle with breast cancer. in 2005.

PAIRED WITH Jo Treves

CONRAD MURRAY Conrad Murray took part in Battersea Arts Centre’s youth programme aged 16. He went on to develop his own theatre company, Theatre de C, who have presented work at Battersea Arts Centre. Conrad is a regular facilitator for Homegrown and Beatbox Academy inspiring the next generation of theatremakers.

PLUTO THE CAT Pluto the cat came from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home to star in The Masque of the Red Death in 2007. Since then he’s become part of the Battersea Arts Centre family and is regularly found strutting about like he owns the Town Hall.

PAIRED WITH Fezzan Ahmed

KAZUKO HOHKI Kazuko Hohki has been working at Battersea Arts Centre for 20 years. Her work here has ranged from developing shows that have toured worldwide including The Great Escape to designing one of our artist bedrooms. It was Kazuko who coined the term ‘scratch’ to describe a work in progress show.

JOHN HEGLEYJohn has been a regular performer in the Town Hall over the last 15 years. The old bar (previously in the Committee Room) was John’s “favourite south-London boozer”.

ADRIAN HOWELLS Internationally renowned performance artist Adrian Howells specialised in creating intimate work, most famously bathing audience members at Battersea Arts Centre, in the Total Theatre Award winning Footwashing for the Sole.

MITCHELL & WEBB Mitchell & Webb performed new ideas for theatre at Battersea Arts Centre in the old Studio 1, currently The Bees Knees. They are best known for starring in the Channel 4 sitcom Peep Show and their award-winning sketch show That Mitchell and Webb Look. The latter won the BAFTA for “Best Comedy Programme” in 2007.

TOM MORRIS Tom Morris was Artistic Director of Battersea Arts Centre from 1995-2004. He revolutionised the programme, oversaw a radical management restructure and led the organisation from the verge of bankruptcy to a more stable position. He founded Battersea Arts Centre Opera, the festival which launched Jerry Springer: The Opera and the hugely successful contemporary opera company Tête à Tête.

DAVID WALLIAMS & MATT LUCAS These artists, perhaps best known for their TV programme Little Britain, tested out new ideas at Battersea Arts Centre as part of a series of comedy festivals at Battersea Arts Centre in the 1990s.

WILL ADAMSDALE Will Adamsdale was part of Battersea Arts Centre’s Supported Artist Scheme. An idea he had for a scratch night at Battersea Arts Centre became the hugely successful Jackson’s Way which won the Perrier comedy award in 2004.

GERALDINE COLLINGE Geraldine Collinge worked as the Programme Manager at BAC between 1991 and 1998, programming festivals like the British Festival of Visual Theatre. Geraldine went on to lead the expansion of Apples and Snakes into a national network for performance poetry and now works as Director of Events and Exhibitions at the RSC.

FELIX BARRETT & MAXINE DOYLE Felix and Maxine brought Punchdrunk to Battersea Arts Centre as Associate Artists and opened The Masque of the Red Death in 2007. The run sold out for seven months, welcomed nearly 50,000 audience into the building and was critically acclaimed, inspiring a whole generation of artists and theatregoers. The building still bears remnants of the production, including our beloved theatre cat Pluto.

PAIRED WITH Michael Day

STEWART LEE & RICHARD THOMAS Stewart Lee and Richard Thomas created Jerry Springer the Opera at Battersea Arts Centre in 2001 working with previous Artistic Director, Tom Morris. It sparked huge controversy, transferred to Nicholas Hytner’s opening season at The National Theatre and ran in the West End for seven months. A version was broadcast on BBC2 with an audience of millions.

PAIRED WITH Kate Tyndall &

Steve Tompkins

TASSOS STEVENS Tassos represents Battersea Arts Centre’s spirit of adventure. He won the inaugural JMK Award and went on to attend the NT Studio Young Directors’ Programme before running the Lion & Unicorn Pub Theatre and co-founding agents of play, Coney. Coney were supported artists at BAC, their production A Small Town Anywhere, which was developed at Battersea Arts Centre, has gone on to tour the UK.

PAIRED WITH

Sam Andreadis

LOUISE BLACKWELL & KATE MCGRATH Louise and Kate represent Battersea Arts Centre’s place as a home for producers. They were producers at BAC until 2004 and went on to set up Fuel Theatre which produces work with adventurous artists that is presented across the UK and internationally.

ADAM BOHMAN Adam Bohman is a legendary experimental jazz musician and the Bohman Brothers came to Battersea Arts Centre in search of a home. For 3 years the Bohman brothers ran the New Year New Sounds Festival bringing together musicians from all over Europe, to Battersea Arts Centre.

PAIRED WITH

Simon Rew &

John Nickson

KATE TEMPEST Kate Tempest represents the spirit of discovery. She is a spoken word artist who started out when she was 16, rapping at strangers on night buses, and went on to co-produce Brand New Ancients with Battersea Arts Centre which premiered in 2012. The work won the Ted Hughes Award for New Work in Poetry.

PAIRED WITH Sarah Hall

NICHOLAS RAWLING Nicholas Rawling is Artistic Director of The Paper Cinema who have developed work at Battersea Arts Centre since 2006. Their most recent show, Odyssey, toured the UK. The Paper Cinema, with their fusion of live animation and music, represent generations of interdisciplinary work.

JIM MARCOVITCH Jim Marcovitch was a musician and theatre maker who founded the Klezmer band She’koyokh. He died in 2008, aged 34, and in his honour BAC created the Jim Marcovitch Award for Theatre and Music, which was awarded each year until the final award in 2013. Jim’s final performance was in the Recreation Room at Battersea Arts Centre.

LITTLE BULB

Little Bulb represent generations of emerging artists who have made work at Battersea Arts Centre. Their version of Orpheus, which started life as a scratch at BAC, took over the Grand Hall in spring 2013.

PAIRED WITH

Jonathan Wakeham,

Aliceson Robinson

& Sandra Ng

RACHEL CHAVKIN, THE TEAMBattersea Arts Centre first spotted the TEAM at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2005 and they went on to develop two of their hugely successful shows Architecting and Particularly in the Heartland with us. They are four-time winners of the Scotsman Fringe First Award and were ranked in Time Out New York’s 2007 top ten and Portugal’s Público top ten in 2009.

PAIRED WITH

Adam Kenwright

EMMA RICE & MIKE SHEPHERDEmma & Mike have brought their company Kneehigh to Battersea Arts Centre on a number of occasions over the last 10 years with The Red Shoes, Don John and Midnight’s Pumpkin. And co-produced The Wooden Frock and Rapunzel with Battersea Arts Centre. The company performs its work all over the world and represents the UK’s most exciting theatre ensemble.

ALEXANDER DEVRIENDT Ontroerend Goed represent the international artists, ideas, and audiences of Battersea Arts Centre. They are a theatre performance group that create intimate, individual performances as well as large-scale theatre shows.

SIMON MCBURNEYUnder Tom Morris’ direction, Battersea Arts Centre pioneered adventurous seasonal programming and invented the ‘scratch’ programme. This process contributed to the development of Complicite’s Mnemonic, directed by Simon McBurney. McBurney is a founder and artistic director of the UK-based theatre company Complicite, which performs throughout the world.

AMIT LAHAVGecko Theatre Company were part of Battersea Arts Centre’s Supported Artists Scheme where they developed their hit shows Taylor’s Dummies and The Race. Gecko’s work has since toured to 20 countries and been seen by over 50,000 spectators.

LUNDAHL & SEITLSwedish duo Lundahl and Seitl have been making immersive experiences at Battersea Arts Centre since 2004. Their curatorial experiment Rotating in a Room of Images became an artwork in itself and their work has been widely shown including at the Whitechapel Gallery and Tate Britain.

GERALDINE PILGRIMGeraldine Pilgrim creates theatre performances, site-specific events and installations in unusual buildings and locations where the architecture of the site is used as the narrative. Handbag, which was developed for BAC’s Grand Hall, has toured the UK. Geraldine designed the furniture for our new look foyer.

TIM CROUCH Tim Crouch is one of the UK’s most eminent theatre writers and performers. His work My Arm and his award-winning reimagining’s of Shakespeare plays for children and young people were presented at Battersea Arts Centre.

PENNY FRANCIS The creator of the Puppet Centre who helped to negotiate the deal with the council that got the puppets into the Town hall. Penny ran the puppet centre for from its inception, for many years since and remains closely involved ever since.

BRIAN HARRIS Community Arts Officer for Wandsworth Council from 1973 to 1976. Brian set up the arts centre for the council and then ran it thereafter. On the closure of the arts centre, by the council, was Assistant Director of Greater London Arts, with responsibility for all London Arts Centres’ funding. As such played a major role in the negotiations to reopen the centre under an independent company and thereafter was GLA’s representative on the board until 1984.

WILLIAM DAVIES William Davies played the organ at its inauguration in Battersea’s Town Hall on 25th June 1901. Davies was a composer, organist and pianist. He played the organ in cinemas, composed for the BBC Light Orchestra and wrote the scores for film and television.

JUDE KELLYJude Kelly was appointed as the first Artistic Director of an independent Battersea Arts Centre in 1980. She pioneered an approach of putting the community at the heart of the building whilst pushing artistic excellence with a mission of “new ideas for new audiences”.

THE GREAT HUNDRED

POLITICAL.

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JOHN ARCHERJohn Archer was elected as Battersea’s Mayor in 1913 and was the first black Mayor of a London borough. In his acceptance speech he congratuated his electorate “You have shown that you have no racial prejudice, but recognise a man for what you think he has done.”

PAIRED WITH Charles Bland

SHAPURJI SAKLATVALAShapurji Saklatvala was one of the first MPs of Indian descent. He was a radical thinker and one of the first members of the Communist Party to serve as a Member of Parliament.

PAIRED WITH John Newbigin

LILY HARRISON, MBELily Harrison MBE was Lady Mayor of Battersea in Coronation year. She knew the famous feminist Caroline Ganley and she provided a great service to Battersea Town Hall over many years and continues to live in Battersea.

RICHARD BELLThe railway was the main source

of industry in the late 1800’s. Clapham Junction train station, at the foot of Lavender Hill, brought development to the surrounding area and between 1840 and 1910

the population rose from 6000 to 168,000. Richard Bell, MP and

leader of the TUC, spoke at a railway unions meeting in the

Grand Hall.

SIR EDWARD LISTER Sir Edward Lister served as leader of Wandsworth Council from 1992 to 2011 and was the longest serving council leader in the country. Sir Edward was leader of the Council when a 125 year lease was signed with a rent free period of twenty years in order to give Battersea Arts Centre the opportunity to develop and restore the building.

PAIRED WITH

The Three Muses

CAROLINE GANLEY Caroline Ganley founded what was to become the Women’s Labour Movement and was one of the first women to become a magistrate in London. She was elected as MP of Battersea in 1945.

ANTHONY GREENWOOD In 1967, there was a proposal to demolish the Town Hall to make way for a recreation centre. Local residents and famous faces lent their support to the campaign to save the building and it was Minister for Housing, Anthony Greenwood, who recommended that Battersea Town Hall should be listed as a building of special architectural and historic interest. He asked the Council to reconsider their proposals, which they did, providing that a use for the building was found.

PAIRED WITH Jane Lindsay Mactaggart

PAIRED WITH Jane Lindsay Mactaggart

TOM MANN Tom Mann was part of the Social Democratic Federation, and was among John Burns’ contemporaries at the Town Hall. He led a campaign for the 8-hour working day and better conditions for workers.

MARTIN LINTON Martin Linton was a Wandsworth councillor for eleven years and MP for Battersea from 1997 to 2010. He campaigned to save Battersea Arts Centre in 2007. He was part of a council delegation that came to unlock the building in 1974 after it had been effectively mothballed for several years, an act which began the story of the arts centre which enhances the experience for hundreds of thousands of users.

JOHN BURNSJohn Burns was Battersea’s MP from 1892 to 1914. He was the first working class member of the cabinet and a prominent equal rights activist, socialist, and trade-unionist.

PAIRED WITH Fred Ponsonby

NICK STARR Nick Starr is Executive Director of the National Theatre and was Chair of Battersea Arts Centre’s board between 2002 and 2009. Nick was an enormously influential figure in terms of creating an agreement with Wandsworth Borough Council for a 125 year lease, supporting The Masque of the Red Death and beginning the current Capital project.

C.M.W.S FREEMANHidden around the building, there are several plaques and signs ‘by order of the Town Clerk’. A long-serving town-clerk in the mid 19th Century, C.M.W.S Freeman, lent his name to many of these signs. This ever present character is part of the everyday fabric of this building.

PAIRED W

ITH

Sally O

’Neill

THE GREAT HUNDRED

SOCIAL.

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D.H. LAWRENCE On 12th December 1915, D.H. Lawrence joined the queue to attest for a passport at Battersea Town Hall. He wrote “But I hated it so much, after nearly two hours, that I came away. And yet, waiting there in the queue, I felt the men were very decent, and that the slumbering lion was going to wake up in them... against the great lie of this life… In the long run, I have the victory: for all those men in the queue, for all those spectral, hazy, sunny towers hovering beyond the river, for the world that is to be.”

PAIRED WITH Francesco & Emanule

Marasco-Rinieri

DAME VIVIENNE WESTWOOD Dame Vivienne Westwood is a Battersea resident and long-standing supporter of Battersea Arts Centre. She officially became our patron in 2009 and honourary patron in 2013.

PAIRED WITH Victoria Farrar

CHARLOTTE DESPARD Charlotte Despard was a prominent suffragist, a member of the Battersea Labour Party and a founder of the Women’s Freedom League.

PAIRED WITH

Battersea Labour Party

Women

SHONAGH MANSON Battersea Arts Centre offered Shonagh her first role in the arts as Development Officer, and Shonagh made a leading contribution to the fundraising structure for the organisation. Through her Directorship at the Jerwood, Shonagh has continued to support Battersea Arts Centre over the last 8 years.

GINNY BUCKLEY, ELIZABETH GRIFFITH & CHRIS CABOTGinny brought Elizabeth and Chris to Battersea Arts Centre in 2000 to see a show called ‘Ladies and Gentleman where am I?’ by Cartoon de Salvo. Ginny was touring potential supporters to more leftfield theatrical destinations around London. In January 2007, Chris heard Martin Linton MP ask Tony Blair PM if Battersea Arts Centre should be saved on PMs Questions. Chris, Elizabeth and Ginny fondly remembered their visit to Battersea Arts Centre in 2000 and got in touch. Since 2007 Elizabeth and her husband Reade, Chris and his wife Alison, Ginny and their friends became leading supporters of the organisation, during an exciting time of growth and change, during which Battersea Arts Centre co-produced The Masque of the Red Death. Elizabeth Griffith has since become a trustee of Battersea Arts Centre and Chris Cabot a member of the Development Committee, steering the organisation’s fundraising strategy.

FIONA MACTAGGART Fiona Mactaggart was a councillor and Leader of the Labour Group on Wandsworth Council from 1988 to 1990. Fiona became a trustee of Battersea Arts Centre in 2011 and has been a driving force in the progression of its fundraising as chair of the Development Council from 2007 to 2012 and of the Development Committee from 2013.

PAIRED WITH

Sandy Mactaggart

TIMOTHY WEST & PRUNELLA SCALESTimothy and Prunella have been long standing supporters of Battersea Arts Centre since the early days of the organisation and have been particularly vocal supporters during challenging times. They represent hundreds of local supporters who have championed to keep the organisation open to the public.

PAIRED WITH

Morgan-Locke and

Child & Child

EDWARD DOBSON As the Town Hall’s Entertainments Officer in the 1960s and 1970s, Edward Dobson brought Music Hall and a variety of performers to the building. Edward’s son, Graham, kindly donated his father’s scrapbooks, which document every performance that took place here during his tenure, to Battersea Arts Centre’s archive.

CORIN REDGRAVECorin Redgrave played Macbeth at Battersea Arts Centre in 2000. Corin, who passed away in 2010, was a long term supporter of the organisation, a Battersea resident, and a lifelong activist in left-wing politics. Alongside his elder sister Vanessa, he was a prominent member of the Workers’ Revolutionary Party and wrote articles for the official journal of the Marxist Party.

PAIRED WITH

Hunter Davies

Jones Moore

LAWRIE INKSTERLawrence ‘Lawrie’ Inkster was born at Battersea Library - another Mountford designed building - in 1891. He served in the newly formed Battersea Battalion in the First World War, the recruitment drive for which centred around Battersea Town Hall, and his bravery was rewarded with the Military Cross. Inkster was also an arts lover and singer, and was a key player in the Battalion’s theatre and concert group.

ELSIE YOUNG During the Second World War, Elsie Young and her friends in Air Raid Precautions were based in the Lower Hall. They directed emergency services to bomb sites in Battersea whilst bombs fell on Lavender Hill outside.

PAIRED WITH Jenny Sheridan

BERTRAND RUSSELL Part of Battersea Town Hall’s long association with radical thinkers, Bertrand Russell gave a speech here entitled ‘Why I Am Not a Christian’.

PAIRED WITH

Craig Mawdsley

PETE & JOAN BROOKES Pete and Joan Brookes represent the extraordinary contribution that local residents have made to the Town Hall’s life since 1893. They have volunteered at BAC since 2007 and are here most evenings during our theatre seasons. Pete and Joan have won Volunteer Awards from the Mayor’s office and from Wandsworth Borough Council.

CATHERINE LARGECatherine Large was a member of staff at Battersea Arts Centre from 2002 and was the organisation’s first dedicated fundraiser. She established the basis for the organisation’s fundraising successes over the last ten years. She is now Co-Director of CCSkills.

PAUL ROBESONPaul Leroy Robeson (April 9, 1898 – January 23, 1976) was an African-American singer and actor involved with the Civil Rights Movement. Whilst living in London Robeson’s political views were strongly influenced by African students, including Kwame Nkrumah and Jomo Kenyatta, future Presidents of independent Ghana and Kenya, who were organising for political independence from colonialism. Robeson attended the International Student Peace Conference in Paris on 20th April 1949, and, on returning to London performed and spoke about the conference to a sell out crowd at a communist meeting at Battersea Town Hall.

GEORGE NEIGHBOUR (Joseph) George Neighbour represents the brave spirit of so many individuals who are part of the Town Hall’s history. He died in a fire at the Arding and Hobbs building on Lavender Hill in 1909, saving the lives of two women. A plaque was erected in his honour at the Town Hall and sits in the Grand Hall Box Office. In 2012 The Good Neighbour, a show about his life, was made at Battersea Arts Centre.

MARY WOLF Was Wandsworth Council’s first Arts Officer in 1972. Mary was in this post in the lead up to the opening of the original community arts centre in 1974, and was there during the closure and the establishing of the Battersea Arts Centre as a new company, in which she played a significant role.

EMMELINE PANKHURST There were a number of meetings at the Town Hall, presided by Emmeline Pankhurst. Borough Council minutes show regular meetings of both the Women’s Freedom League and the WSPU, the Pankhursts’ original Suffragette group.

PAIRED WITH

Rebecca & Patrick Dunne

ARTISTIC

Improbable Theatre Ridiculusmus

Tom Cameron + Tom Bowtell

POLITICAL

Joan O’Pray Marie Carmichael Stopes

SOCIAL

Brian BarnesSean Creighton

Elizabeth Braund

NOMINATE A FIGURE

You can suggest names for THE GREAT HUNDRED in the following ways:

#GreatHundred

TheGreatHundred@bac.org.uk

020 7326 8245

LATEST NOMINATIONS

THE GREAT

HUNDRED

PERKS

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THE GREAT HUNDRED CONVERSATIONS

Between January 2014 – January 2016, we will host a series of 12 intimate conversations for THE GREAT HUNDRED CLUB members – these will be recorded and uploaded as podcasts.

Chaired by Patron Toby Jones, Tim Crouch, Jude Kelly, Tom Morris and Erica Whyman, the format of these conversations will be innovative, open and constantly evolving. They will ask guest speakers: What will ‘the future of theatre’ be? Guests speakers will include an array of artist Alumni from Battersea Arts Centres impressive roster, as well as cultural, academic and public life leaders. Rufus Norris, Vicky Featherstone, Peter Bazalgette, and Stella Duffy will be among them.

THE GREAT HUNDRED CLUB PARTY

In 2016 the building will re-open after its £13.3 million redevelopment project. Members of the GREAT HUNDRED CLUB will be invited to the party of a lifetime: A grand reopening bash like only Battersea Arts Centre can do!

THE GREAT BENEFITS

+ 10% discount on tickets for you & 4 guests thereafter+ 10% discount on all food and drink at Scratch Bar + Priority booking and E-news

To join THE GREAT HUNDRED CLUB complete the following steps:

Choose The Great Hundred Figure that you would like to put your name to.

Complete the inserted payment form with your desired method of payment: Direct Debit, Card payment, or Cheque.

Hand your completed form to a member of BAC staff.

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Any questions? Email thegreathundred@bac.org.uk or

ring Anne on 020 7326 8245.

HOW TO JOIN.