VOCAL POINT
THEatre for all
The Story so far
We began in Glasgow in 2013, staging our inaugural show and volunteering at the Glasgow City Mission soup kitchen. By mid-2014 we had developed and staged three shows in the space of two years, and that summer we ran the Mission's weekly theatre group. We are indebted to those we worked with at the soup kitchen. In our short time volunteering there, we learned that every project Vocal Point conceives must be accessible to all, no matter their standing or circumstance.
Upon relocating to London in 2015, we began volunteering at Waterloo Foodbank and 240 Project, a community centre for London's homeless and vulnerable. We established a weekly drama group at 240, the beginning of a long and fruitful partnership that continues to this day. We’ve expanded our weekly activities there to include a reading group, creative writing class and an art exploration club. Since 2017 we have had a partnership with St Mungo’s, holding a weekly drama group at their Southwark Recovery College and working at a number of their sites. In 2018, having been trained by The Reader, we began a weekly reading group for elders at Miranda House, Holland Park.
Vocal Point’s productions are developed to ensure they can be staged in any location. We create and perform in all types of spaces, but are particularly interested in working in non-traditional theatre spaces. Our shows tour community hubs, homeless centres, hostels and other spaces accessible to the marginalised, as well as auditoriums for the general public. When we do stage public performances, we always provide free tickets for attendees of centres and organisations we work with. Where we can, we give them a proper night out, providing a meal at a restaurant before the show.
This is what we believe in: everyone should be able to experience and enjoy art and culture, whatever their circumstance, whatever their income, and whatever their history.
The Team
ABRAHAM
Abraham is a playwright, screenwriter and director from London. An alumni of the Royal Court Young Writer’s Programme, his theatre work outside of the company has been performed at the Arcola Theatre, Battersea Arts Centre, RADA Studios, the Edmund Kean Theatre (London), the Cottiers and Gilmorehill Theatres (Glasgow) and Summerhall (Edinburgh). He has also written for and directed in Virtual Reality. In 2016, his VR drama Ctrl was featured at Toronto International Film Festival, Raindance Film Festival, and London Screenwriter's Festival, where he was a guest speaker. Ctrl was nominated for a Wired Innovation Award and a Proto Award. He leads drama workshops and reading groups, and designed and delivered two Undergraduate level courses on contemporary London theatre in 2020. Away from theatre, he has been part of Honest Jon's Records for 11 years, and runs music events, DJs and plays the trumpet.
Sophia
Sophia is a London-based performer and producer from the Forest of Dean. Her theatre credits beyond Vocal Point include Theatre Revolution's Viota (Tron Theatre, Glasgow 2013) and Motherland by Nic Green (The Arches, Behaviour Festival 2012). She has produced and managed interdisciplinary arts and entertainment festivals and events to include one of the 3 official entertainment stages for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games (The Brunswick Stage) and The Night Fair (SWG3, The Glue Factory, Glasgow 2014), as well as managing the launch of Breaking Bad-inspired pop-up ABQ (London, 2015). Sophia was a producer at Southbank Centre for 5 years and is currently working with Punchdrunk, having helped deliver their 2020 project The Third Day.
SIMON
Simon is a London-based writer, performer and teacher. His work away from Vocal Point has been performed at the Lyric Hammersmith, Hackney Empire, The Place, Somerset House, Half Moon Theatre, Southbank Centre, and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. He runs a creative writing groups for the homeless, socially excluded and vulnerable, and facilitates two reading groups for The Reader, combatting loneliness and social isolation through literature. The Right Kind of Violence (2017) and Snap (2015) were both longlisted for The Bruntwood Prize, the former was also shortlisted by the BBC Writersroom (2018). In 2017 he was a finalist for the Galtelli Literary Prize for We Only Notice When It's Gone.
partners And collaborators
St mungos, glasgow city mission, gilmorehill theatre glasgow, 240 project, candid arts trust, Miranda house, cardboard citizens, totally thames festival, gazarte athens, st leonards church, brunel tunnel museum, CIEE global institute London,
pennyworth productions, breaking fourth, theatre of debate, St George the Martyr Church, waterloo foodbank, sapphire independent housing, cottiers theatre glasgow, acorn house, bethany house, conway house, latymer christian centre
SUPPOrters
The body of Vocal Point's work would not have been possible without the support of many generous individuals.
For their time, expertise and graft we would like to thank:
Robert Scobie, Jasmin Singh, James Oglethorpe, Victoria Harris, Greig Dickson, Aline David, Neil Murray, Sophia Akrofi, Ellie Youngman, Maxine Latinis, Taga Obano-Cox, Kremena Dimitrova, Rachel Clare, Ben Parish, Ellie Softley, Jack Webber,
Natasha Palamartschuk, Pawel Grzyb, Al Marshall, Sarah Borzillo, Slouch, Anna Sherbany, Mathew Foster.
For their financial support we would like to thank:
Arts Council England, Abigail Lawrie, Alessandra, Archie Pearch, Bel & Nev, Caine Marshall, Calum Lindsay, Charlie Whelton, Chris Huxley, Chris Teano, Daniel Kaplan, David Kaskel, David, Deborah Edwards, Edmee Sierts, Elizabeth Mary Ward, Elizabeth Waterhouse, Ella Loudon, Ellie, Eloise King, Fraser Reza Beyad, Gabriela Enis, Giles Fraser, Harriet Bolwell, Harriet Simms, Henrietta Park, Henry Langford, Jessica Cusack, Joan Withington, Kaison Williams, Katerina Pavlakis, Lara Taylor, Lény Richard, Liz Porter, Lucy Rose, Mal Clare, Mario Ruiz, Max Brown, Melina Theocharidou, Natalia Lucas, Nick Burge, Nicky Childs, Norman Dunsmore, Olivia Leat, Paul MacKay, Pete Short, Philip Watson, Rachel Clare, Rafaella Ricardo, Robin Patterson, Ros Fry, Rupert J West, Sara Thomas, Sarah, Sharon Coussins, Sophia Wyatt, Sultan, Susan Haug, Susie Lawrence, The Elfenworks Foundation, Yaz Arif.