Showcasing ‘the Elephant’s’ unheralded cultural scene

Creative Elephant, staged across five summer days, highlighted the lively arts and cultural scene in Elephant and Castle, supported by London College of Communication.

In the early 20th century, Elephant and Castle was known as ‘the Piccadilly of South London’ – an area to which people would flock to shop and be entertained. It further bustled with activity with the opening of the Bakerloo line, making it a major transport hub.

As time went by, however, ‘the Elephant’ became a less desirable part of town, and one with which the word ‘culture’ was rarely associated, despite the area’s thriving, if low-key, arts scene.

As Elephant and Castle undergoes another period of change and transformation, the summer of 2019 saw several creative organisations come together, along with London College of Communication, to showcase SE1’s rich but perhaps under-appreciated cultural dynamic.

From June 19-23, more than 4,000 people enjoyed a range of shows and performances staged by 13 creative local institutions. One venue was the Blue Elephant Theatre, where audiences enjoyed Ironing Out, a production exploring the complexities of being a young migrant in a big city.

The show was performed as part of Refugee Week by Alleyway Radical Theatre, a collective of artists from all around the world. It was 2014 when Alleyway Radical Theatre formed, creating, rehearsing, and performing in the various old buildings of South London. They were busy putting on screenings, benefit parties, or campaigns against gentrification in the area. Many of their old rehearsal spots have since been demolished, illustrating an interesting comparison between real life and Ironing Out.

The play centres itself in an ironing shop, a neutral location where people from all walks of life come together and interact by reminiscing, dreaming, searching, or ironing a shirt, all without fear of judgement or solitude.

Cast member Sara El Sheekh said: “Ironing Out is a play about exile and community; it draws on the experiences of the cast, who are migrants, refugees, or Londoners who have felt the brunt of austerity and gentrification. We chose to set the play in Elephant and Castle because many of the cast members have lived there or in surrounding areas and we felt that it was representative of the London we wished to portray.”

This idea of community radiates throughout Elephant and Castle – it’s a mentality so many local residents share, and Alleyway Radical Theatre wove this sentiment in their production. This sense of togetherness also holds true of the Blue Elephant Theatre, which Sara describes as “a local theatre with community at its heart”

She added: “Since our early days, we [Alleyway Radical Theatre] have had a good relationship with the Blue Elephant Theatre; they have been very supportive of us as an emerging company.”

It meant a lot to Sara and the rest of the cast that the theatre wanted to give them the platform to showcase Ironing Out, giving the group an opportunity to reach out to new audiences as part of the Creative Elephant programme.

Niamh de Valera, executive director and co-artistic director for Blue Elephant Theatre, said it is “always keen to make more connections in our local area”.

She added: “It’s really flattering to be thought of as an integral part of the creative community. So often you’re working alone, late at night, wondering if you’ll ever get all the work done and if anyone will care if you do, so being seen like that helps to keep us motivated.”

Niamh added that the enthusiasm of LCC’s cultural and communities partnerships manager Gill Henderson and her team played a key role in making Creative Elephant happen. “Gill is so passionate and keen to reach out. People like that are brilliant to work with,” she said.

Creative Elephant shone a well-deserved spotlight on these creative organisations, and delivered an initiative that underlined their place in the local community. When asked to describe Elephant and Castle in ten words or less, Sara and Niamh both used “supportive.” Other words included eclectic, diverse, surprising and resilient.

Elephant and Castle is host to so many forms of art, entertainment, education, food and culture that its lack of appeal in the eyes of many Londoners is certainly unfair. Creative Elephant gave the area a chance to collectively challenge any negative perceptions.

In the eyes of many of its residents, Elephant and Castle is what London is all about. It’s a place where diverse groups come together and share common causes; putting on parties, events, plays, exhibitions, and so much more in a host of community spaces.

In some ways, this made it easy for Creative Elephant to showcase what Elephant and Castle has to offer. It was all already there – and it’s amazing – it just needed someone to shine a light on it.

Photos from Ironing Out courtesy of Nadia Oshitudo.