about us
Hello!
I’m Ross, the Creative Director of Spun Glass Theatre, who currently manage the beautiful Stade Hall space in the Old Town of Hastings.
We get asked lots of questions about who we are and what we’re doing here (existential, much?), so thought we’d let you know a bit about ourselves.
Are you ready?
Then let’s go!
what is stade hall?
Stade Hall is a building just off the Hastings coastline, nestled between the RNLI and the Old Town, just a stone’s throw from our historic fishing fleet. It was opened in 2012 as part of wider development of the Stade area and consists of a large hall (8m x 14m, don’t you know!), an office (less big), and a teaching kitchen, the Classroom on the Coast. Plus there’s toilets and storage areas, natch.
We are the third managers of the building, after Hastings Borough Council and East Sussex College, both of whom we thank for their diligence and care when looking after the space. We know many, many people in Hastings and beyond have enjoyed hundreds of activities in the building over the past twelve years, and hope that many, many more will in the future, too. We like to think that we’re mere custodians of this space, and will ensure it remains a valuable community asset for years to come.
who are spun glass?
Spun Glass Theatre is an award-winning theatre production company based in Hastings, East Sussex. A Spun Glass Theatre project often takes shape as performance but can also include workshops, interactive experiences such as treasure hunts, home art packs, escape rooms or audio based story adventures, in addition to creative acts in and for the community. At all times we are interested in placing our audiences as co-creators in the act of make-believe and inspired by the impact this can have on little ones’ hearts and minds. We are ambitious about creating space for this activity to occur in the best possible way and this is what led us to Stade Hall.
A few years ago, we opened our Mini Playhouse space on the seafront in Hastings, designed specifically for early years audiences and their families. Mini Playhouse is a creative hub that brings babies, toddlers, children, siblings and parents together, while immersing them in the magic of live performance, art and culture.
We believe that, in order for our whole community to enjoy the physical and mental well being which culture can offer, we have to engage with audiences from the start of life and ensure Spun Glass are at the forefront of creating meaningful creative experiences for families and children in Hastings. In early 2024, we were granted charitable status, which enables us to raise more funding to continue this work of sharing excellent, transformative theatre and cultural activity with our audiences. This also ensures we are accountable to our trustees and the Charities Commission, and means we have certain responsibilities within this.
Currently, Spun Glass Theatre is run on a day-to-day basis out of the office in Stade Hall by the two of us (Ross and Dan, remember), two local theatre directors who share a passion for community-based theatre and performance (we like to think of ourselves as the Ant & Dec of the Hastings theatre scene, and just like their hit single, we’re most certainly ready to rumble). We are supported by other artists and members of staff and our various partners across the town and wider region.
You can donate to Spun Glass Theatre by clicking here.
our vision for stade hall
We firmly believe that Stade Hall has great potential to contribute significantly to the cultural life of our town. Since we got the keys in January 2024, we’ve set about reclaiming the original intention for the hall as a vibrant community space, whilst understanding and respecting the significance of Stade Hall’s prominent location in the heart of the Old Town and its strong links with the fishing fleet community.
Hastings deserves a welcoming and well-run venue to celebrate the life of the town and its history. Our mission has been to open the doors as often as possible and to ensure that Hastonians from all walks of life see Stade Hall as a place where they can stage events, celebrate life changing moments and come together as a community.
As soon as we took over management of the space and had brought down the hire prices, we set about programming a season of performance in summer 2024, which we titled Sail Away. We wanted to show that we were open for business, and learn how audiences interacted with the space when shows were on.
Other events held in the hall have included musical gigs, dance classes, theatre rehearsals, art exhibitions, cookery classes, historical lectures, family gatherings, fitness groups and craft fairs. Many people have said how glad they are that Stade Hall is in regular use again, and we have received plenty of positive feedback about our new, fair hire prices; many have commented on our “helpful and organised” process which, according to one hirer, is ensuring the hall “is now being managed to ensure it is of maximum benefit to all in Hastings”. Event managers are also excited by the Classroom on the Coast space, which as well as being used regularly by Karmabank has now been used for food stalls & demonstrations, food hygiene courses and sourdough workshops. We intend to build on this offer by reaching other local food organisations and building a food offering into cultural activity when relevant.
Now that we’ve started to invite audiences in to see brand-new pieces of theatre, we’re setting about making the space even more multi-purpose – it’s currently a great hall for markets and parties, but maybe less good as a venue for shows! Watch this space.