Battersea Arts Centre

I’ve seen some of the most interesting and creative performances here, so I can say this place definitely worth a visit. The building is quirky but I like it. There are beautiful murals and stained glass everywhere and the people that work there are really nice and friendly. The tickets are reasonably priced as well.

We used the facilities for the babies that was good fun, I was told it was free but had to pay 3 when I got there. The place is great for babies and toddlers though. We went to try the café but they stopped serving food at 3.30 so hopefully next time

Saw Orpheus here, I’ve had lunch here, even just walked in to see what the place is about. What an incredible space. Its large and spacious reaped in elegance and moxie. Nothing says community theatre than this place. its a great place to just hang out in.

I love this place so much I got married in it! An awesome space with an air of faded glamour and rebellion. Quirky and unexpected without trying too hard. The BAC team are lovely and I pretty much couldn’t recommend it more. They put on fun eclectic events and their bar/​restaurant is cool, cosy and good value.

this is a super venue — although, also a super hot venue! i came here to see an edinburgh fringe festival preview show. being a former resident of edinburgh, i’ve attended many fringe festivals over the years, and alex horne who was previewing his upcoming show here is one of my absolute favourites — you should definitely check him out given the chance.
my boyfriend & i had dinner in the café/​bar before seeing the show. it was a great space with a lovely vibe, and well priced food and drink. i wouldn’t have known this was here if it wasn’t for attending the show, but now that i do know, i will definitely be making use of it and coming back when i am next in the area!

This is some kind of gorgeous building putting on excellent events. Keep an eye on it. It’s looOOoovely.

This place has bags of character as it’s so old. It really deserves to be refurbished and better maintained but I suspect, like many other arts centres around the country, it severely lacks funding, which is a shame!

What a beautiful venue! Full of character and atmosphere, a great big old organ and very friendly staff. There’s a cute little bar with a good selection of nibbles and drinks for intervals.
Looking forward to seeing another show here soon!
c*

This place really is special. It looks like an old Church thats been converted into a very special theatre. I respect the theatre companies that use this place, such as Kneehigh. They also have a great café! If you want to go and see something quirky at the theatre and want to get out of the west end… come to BAC.

Seen/​experienced two shows here: Fuel’s «Ring», and Forced Entertainment’s «The Coming Storm». Both were in different parts of the space, and utilized their locations well.
The venue’s easy to get to — just a short walk from Clapham Junction station, or via bus. There is a modest bar/​café downstairs to get a coffee or alcoholic beverage before the show. Limited selection of wine and beer running around £4.5, as well as a few things to eat. (They’ve also been ok with people bringing in outside food from other nearby takeaways, but I don’t know if this is how it always is.)
It’s an odd space but in a cool way: there’s a giant staircase right inside the front doors with cushioned booths to sit on directly on the steps, and a huge mirror on the ceiling of the entry.
The Centre is currently undergoing a renovation, so I’m interested to see what it will evolve into.

This place is a total gem! I wasn’t sure what to expect, but we’d purchased tickets to a comedy night so figured we’d make an evening of it and trek down to Battersea. I loooved the grandness of the front entrance, but rumor has it they’re moving that to a side entrance.
The bar is really cute and well appointed. They only had bottles listed on the menu, but there are taps! Even though the place is under renovation, the building still packs major charm and is architecturally gorgeous. There are tables sprawled throughout the stairways and huge lobby, giving plenty of place to sit and wait for doors to open.
The actual event space we were in was an empty chamber room with folding chairs. The sound was good and, again, it was just an awesomely charming place to see a performance. I would definitely go back here over and over to see anything.

I was there for a charity ceilidh about a week ago and was so surprise how lovely the space was. Definitely interested in seeing what else they have going on at this place.

The BAC is a fascinating old venue that really needs support to keep supporting the local arts scene south of the river.
Battersea isn’t necessarily the first place you think of for cutting edge theatre but alongside comedy this place does deliver in a building reminiscent of an old school.
I went along a few years ago for their Sausage-​fest, a celebration of the place with stand up performances from the likes of Simon Amstel and Mark Thomas supporting the venue and a sausage sizzle at half time.

I was here last Monday for a gaming night. Located a short walk from the station, you’ll find yourself at the BAC. As this was a gaming night, the rooms were buzzing with excitement from the nights festivities. My personal favorite was the game of Werewolf, where I once again succeeded in killing off all the poor town’s people. Of course, the full bar and bottle bar, both located conveniently on the first floor, may have also played a hand in the excitement. But hey, its Monday! I’ll take it where I can get it.

This was possibly one of the strangest nights out of my life. I managed to get tickets to this «dance» through a friend and I have to say, had she not been performing in it I don’t think we would have make the 2 hour trek across the river! But saying that, I’m so glad we did! Wow, what a show and a great space to watch performance in.
As we walked in we were all given masks and a drink and hushed into a large room filled with people wearing masks and lampshades and curtains everywhere. It was all very magically fantastic. The whole performance was song, dance comedy as well as participation. It was such a good use of the space and such a awesome night out! Seriously, if there is something that even slightly takes your fancy here, try it, you never know how good it really can been til you’ve tried it.

Battersea Arts Centre is a bit remote but its programming is visionary. Totally connected with the international theatrical avant garde. Not that they produce shows with dots and loops and video art projections across the backs of naked children, but BAC are known — increasingly so — for connecting London with the theatre forefront that the Barbican misses. And thank goodness. This past fall’s Once And For All We’re Gonna Tell You Who We Are So Shut Up and Listen was an absolute watershed. Sold out, critically stormed, it was honestly one of those theatrical events that galvanizes a generation, and I expect to find uncommon bonds with otherwise foreign strangers for years to come upon its mention.
Their building is likewise brilliant. Opened as Battersea Town Hall in 1893 it has undergone a series of redefinitions before its present tense, an entirely appropriate turn of events. Apparently, during WWI, it was used to house a tribunal for conscientious objectors: can you imagine a better place to build a theatre?!
I apologize for that double ending. I really like this place. I wish I had the guts to haul my velo out to Battersea more often so that I could say that I had exhausted its resources when in fact it’s something I’m holding in patient/​impatient/​slothful reserve.

I love the Battersea Arts Centre, it’s a great place to see some theatre — cool, small, quirky productions in a gorgeous building.
Most, in fact almost all, of BAC’s productions are small and independent but very well executed. The fear is that «independent» means «crap and cheap» but although most of the BAC’s productions *are* lacking in budget, they are super tight, very well produced and extremely diverse. I’ve seen proper plays here and quirky comedies — they’ve got a huge range of shows from month to month.
Before and after any production at the BAC you can share a drink at the BAC bar /​café. It’s a really lovely space and there’s nothing pretentious about this place at all, it really feels quite special.
Please go and support the BAC, places like this need all the support and funding they can get so if you are a fan of the arts, I suggest you check this place out.

The BAC is a wonderful place and a cornerstone for British and international theatre. Set in the old town hall in Battersea, this beautiful building plays host to a fascinating range of performances.
The BAC is often afflicted with the Midas touch in respect to many of its productions, in house or visiting. Physical and visual theatre is a strong genre here and you can catch some excellent international acts like NIE. Puppetry is also a mainstay at the theatre, it even has its own puppetry centre. Blind Summit’s ‘Lowlife’ was a great example of the potential of puppetry as an intense adult media.
Another feather in the BAC’s cap is comedy. The N2O festival occurs biannually, showcasing the best of stand-​up, sketch, and character comedy pre or post Edinburgh festival.
Ticket prices are generally quite reasonable with most shows offering a pay-​what-​you-​can Tuesday performance and the multiple studios allow for numerous events in the same week.
There is a youth theatre, adult classes and workshops run alongside main shows but one of the most interesting elements of the BAC are scratch nights. Scratch nights involve companies experimenting with new work which you are invited to feedback on to help in its development.
The bar café is very trendy with free wireless and fairy lights making it a cool place to work or meet people for drinks. However, as with most theatre bars, the prices are a little higher than average.