ThisEgg to present pop-up performances in empty Soho shop

Theatre company ThisEgg, responsible for hit shows including dressed. and Me and My Bee, will present performances from an empty shop in Soho at the end of August.

The shows will take place at The Koppel Project on Poland Street, a building that is due to be torn down to make way for a new luxury hotel.

ThisEgg's Josie Dale-Jones said: "London is a city full of art that doesn't always look after it's artists. A building that is home to over 70 designers, painters, tailors, sculptors – you name it – being asked to leave in the midst of a pandemic is so messy and so layered; it is a perfect symbol for capitalism, and how we treat people. Spaces are always changing, and who they belong to is
changing even more rapidly since the outbreak of Covid-19. As we move into the ‘new normal',
we're wondering what the landscape of the country will look like – who will have ‘lost' and who will
have ‘won'."

Co-creator Philippa Hogg said: "Gentrification in our communities was already rife. But the impact of Covid-19 is speeding up this process and our makers, creatives and innovators are being pushed out.The city's inhabitants are crying out for reconnection and community more than ever. So what happens, in the face of demolition, if we dismantle the system a bit? Challenge the idea of the ‘traditional theatre space', by taking this soon-to-be-forgotten ‘empty space' in our hands and fill it with art that celebrates connection, togetherness and creativity."

The shows will feature Dale-Jones, Hogg, Olivia Norris, Kaajel Patel, Hannah Ledwidge and Nobahar Mahdavi with additional music from Carmel Smickersgill. It has costumes by Lydia Higginson and photos and film by Camilla Greenwell and lighting by Lucy Adams.

A DISMANTLE installation, created by Camilla Clarke, will run from 18 to 21 August, with pop-up performances from midday to 10pm on 22 August.

Performances will use social distancing, and audiences are encouraged to stay safe and avoid public transport if possible when heading to Soho. The show will be live streamed to ThisEgg's Facebook and Instagram pages.