Cardboard Citizens homeless theatre group with ambassador Kate Winslet. Pic: Hugh Hill/HMDigiArt
The new premises of the UK’s only homeless people’s professional theatre company have been given the seal of approval by their ambassador Kate Winslet.
Cardboard Citizens, a Tower Hamlets based theatre company that works with people who are homeless or who have direct experience with homelessness, moved into a former art gallery on Greenfield Road, Whitechapel, on October 29.
Visiting on October 8, Winslet said: “Cardboard Citizens is a fantastic charity, whose benefits transcend homelessness, giving homeless people a voice and a sense of belonging. No charity better demonstrates the capacity of theatre to transform lives through personal empowerment and the rebuilding of shattered confidence.”
Titanic star Kate has been an ambassador for Cardboard Citizens since 2008 and hosted a charity dinner in March last year that raised over £130,000 for the new space.
A spokesperson from Cardboard Citizens said: “Every time Kate comes to visit or watch one of our shows there’s a wave of excitement throughout the Company. The young Members of our youth programme ACT NOW were incredibly pleased to meet Kate for the first time last month.”
The actress was ‘impressed’ when she looked around the new site that boasts a purpose-build workshop and rehearsal room.
The relocation is a boost for the theatre company, who perform at hostels around the city and in Europe.
Petia Tzanova marketing manager for Cardboard Citizens, explained that the new premises will save funds in the long run.
She said: “It will be great to have all our work under one roof. Before we had to rent out spaces in London for rehearsals and workshops, which was time consuming and expensive.”
For more information on upcoming performances, visit http://www.cardboardcitizens.
