Omnibus Theatre on Clapham Common is an historical place packed with unique stories.
Jenny Conlon meets artistic director, Marie McCarthy
Clapham Common never ceases to amaze me with its abundance of culture and its wealth of literary and artistic talent. And once you start to delve into its history, it becomes one of the most intriguing areas in south west London. Omnibus Theatre, which overlooks the Common, is one of those intriguing places. In the theatre café I met artistic director, Marie McCarthy, who explained what the building was before. “It was a library for 125 years
and there was a campaign to save it from developers, which was successful. We opened in 2013 with a production of Woyzeck by Georg Büchner, which is a unique and timeless masterpiece, supported by the Arts Council of
England, that received critical acclaim.”
When talking about the history of the building Marie recalled “When I got here, I asked people what their memories of the place were and they told me how they learned to read here or bunked off school or they dreamed
about the job they would do. That’s stayed with me because I think that’s in the bones of the building, so our job is to take that and put it on its feet in the form of theatre and that’s in the heart of the programme. It’s an amazing place to work because it’s always filled with activity and there’s always something being made somewhere. I think we are the best eco theatre in London and what I love about that is that everything has a value. The art on the walls is a new venture and is a collection from local artists. It’s lovely as it brings in a whole new demographic to the theatre”.
“When I got here, I asked people what their memories of the place were and they told me how they learned to read here or bunked off school or they dreamed about the job they would do. That’s stayed with me because I think that’s in the bones of the building”
The theatre is completely unfunded, relying solely on donations, box office and membership sales. Omnibus
recently won the prestigious Peter Brook/Royal Court Theatre Support Awards, which is a testament to the passionate work of Marie and her staff. “It has been a wonderful boost for everyone and a real stamp of the approval for the direction we’re taking. It’s the first time it’s been awarded to support. We have spent the last three years building the infrastructure and developing the audience and the programme
