Great Reckonings in Little Rooms a Study Into Rehearsal Space in London in Spring 2013
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Great Reckonings in Little Rooms A study into rehearsal space in London in spring 2013 Tom Mansfield ABSTRACT This report was commissioned by Rob Swain at the Centre for Contemporary Theatre at Birkbeck at the University of London. It aims to present a comprehensive overview of the conditions, dimensions and pricing of theatre rehearsal rooms available in the city. The report comprises two parts – this narrative report and a companion Excel spreadsheet, which contains all the data gathered during the project. Table of Contents Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 2 Methodology ....................................................................................................................... 3 Headline Statistics ............................................................................................................ 5 Subsidised and In-Kind Spaces ..................................................................................... 6 How to use the spreadsheet and lists ......................................................................... 6 Other resources ................................................................................................................. 7 List of spaces in order of cost per hour ...................................................................... 8 List of spaces in order of cost per day ...................................................................... 16 List of spaces in order of cost per week ................................................................... 24 List of spaces in order of cost per square meter per hour ................................ 32 List of spaces in order of cost per square meter per day ................................... 40 List of venues in order of cost per square meter per week .............................. 48 List of venues in descending order of size (pricing included) ......................... 56 Great Reckonings In Little Rooms: A study into rehearsal space in London in 2013 Page 1 Introduction For directors, actors and other creative personnel, a good space is a vital element of the rehearsal process. One of the key aims of any director is to establish a safe, supportive space in which the creative forces of the ensemble can easily be released. For producers, finding a rehearsal room in which this can happen without breaking the budget is a tough task. Particularly when working at a fringe or small-scale level, there is often a choice to make between rehearsing in a pleasant environment and being able to pay the actors their expenses, never mind a proper salary. This is not surprising, since rents for all properties in London are notoriously high. Yet, in researching over 300 rehearsal spaces, it has been possible to find many spaces that provide pleasant working conditions without being prohibitively expensive. This report aims to give an overview of the conditions, size and pricing of rehearsal rooms in London in spring 2013. It comprises two parts, this narrative report document and an Excel spreadsheet which contains all the data gathered, ordered in a variety of ways. While I have endeavoured to make this report as comprehensive as possible, there are many spaces not included on here. There are spaces listed, both in Contacts and online, which do not have websites and/or have not returned phone calls asking for more information. There are other spaces that don’t go to the trouble of advertising, but regularly hire out spaces for theatre rehearsals. And still more spaces throughout London might well be available for hire if asked. The venues included in this report all have some form of online presence. While many such as the Jerwood Space or the many dance studios, are purpose-built or – refurbished rehearsal spaces, many others are charities that have substantial space that is not used all the time. It is therefore reasonable to hypothesise that, when planning a production, local church halls, community centres, youth clubs and even schools will be well worth asking about hire as rehearsal space. The figures for similar venues in this report could be useful as a guide in negotiating hire rates. It is worth bearing in mind that many venues included here have different rates for arts purposes, activities by registered charities and commercial purposes. Where different rates have been offered, I have listed the rate for arts organisations that are not registered charities. Commercial rates – for example for shooting film or photography – are likely to be much higher than the rates listed here. On the other hand, if you are working with a company that is also a charity, discounts may well be available. Many organisations on the list are charities themselves and have policies Great Reckonings In Little Rooms: A study into rehearsal space in London in 2013 Page 2 of helping other charitable organisations. VAT may also have an impact on the price. Where possible I have noted the spaces which will charge VAT on top of the listed price, but I strongly advise double-checking with the venue before writing a budget. It is also important to bear in mind that this report is a snapshot of rehearsal space in London in spring 2013. Like everything else in London, rehearsal space is a dynamic market and prices will be subject to change with time. However, even as time moves forward and prices inflate, this report will hopefully be useful in giving a sense of the spaces and facilities available, as well as remaining as a guide to costs. Methodology The research for this project was carried out between Monday 29th April and Wednesday 8th May 2013. Information on rehearsal spaces was gathered through Contacts, the industry bible produced by The Spotlight; through the Genesis Director’s Program website at the Young Vic, of which I am a member; through www.rehearsalspaceslondon.com and www.rehearsalstudioslondon.net. Other websites were also identified but pressure of time has meant that not every single space has been listed here. All the information was entered into the attached Excel spreadsheet. For each organisation providing rehearsal space, I have gathered the following information: • Name; • Address; • Telephone number; • Email address; • Website; • Hours of operation. I then gathered information on each of the individual spaces at each rehearsal venue, through a combination of researching the organisation’s website, email and telephone contact with them. This information included: • Dimensions of the floor space; • Whether there is wi-fi access; • Whether there is access to TV or video projection; • Whether there is a sound system; • Whether there is a lighting rig; Great Reckonings In Little Rooms: A study into rehearsal space in London in 2013 Page 3 • Whether there is a sprung floor for physical work; • Whether there is a piano; • Pricing. Pricing presented something of a challenge since there is no standard approach to venues’ pricing policies. Some charge by the hour, some by the day, some by the week. While many, particularly the more ‘professional’ organisations like Shoreditch Town Hall or the Jerwood Space, offer a number of different prices depending on the length of time the space will be used for, others simply offer a single price. In order to make comparison easier, I have provided hourly, daily and weekly prices for each space in the study. Where a price has not been provided, I have calculated it based on the information given. Example #1 Hourly Daily Weekly Venue A £15.00 £100.00 £500.00 Venue B £8.00 £64.00 £320.00 Venue C £111.88 £895.00 £4,475.00 In example #1 above, Venue A provided prices for the hourly, daily and weekly price brackets. Venue B only provided an hourly rate. A daily rate was calculated by multiplying the hourly figure by 8. The weekly rate was calculated by multiplying the daily figure by 5. Venue C only provided a daily rate. An hourly rate was calculated by dividing the daily figure by 8, and the weekly rate calculated in the same way as for Venue B. Each price bracket was then divided by the area of the space to give a price per square meter per hour, per day and per week. Given the wide variance in simple price between venues, these figures may be a useful guide to the cost that should be expected in each space. Finally, I have produced figures detailing the difference between each cost (both flat cost and per square meter for hourly, daily and weekly hires) and the average cost in each bracket. All the data gathered can be found in the ‘Main Sheet’ tab of the Excel spreadsheet. Great Reckonings In Little Rooms: A study into rehearsal space in London in 2013 Page 4 Headline Statistics Of the 313 spaces listed in the survey, the averages for the basic price break down as follows: Cost No. > avg No < avg Average cost per hour £29.47 120 192 Average cost per day £224.69 111 200 Average cost per week £1,085.80 117 193 In each bracket, substantially more spaces are cheaper than the average price. This suggests that a small number of spaces are substantially higher than the average. The same effect is notable when considering the prices per square meter: Cost No. > avg No < avg Average hourly cost per square meter £0.45 109 192 Average daily cost per square meter £3.34 115 186 Average weekly cost per square meter £16.16 110 190 This effect can easily be seen in the raw data by looking at spaces such as Alford House, Rochelle School, or Studio A at 3 Mills Studios, which have a difference from the average of more than £2,000. With these spaces removed, the averages become noticeably lower: Cost No. > avg No < avg Average cost per hour £27.17 139 163 Average cost per day £205.63 120 182 Average cost per week £993.14 148 154 Cost No. > avg No < avg Average hourly cost per square meter £0.44 111 182 Average daily cost per square meter £3.23 109 184 Average weekly cost per square meter £15.73 107 185 These averages seem to be a solid baseline from which to work in planning. However, a cost of just under £1,000 per week is likely to be prohibitive for emerging companies. Fortunately, many spaces cost substantially less than this.