Our Patch OCTOBER 2014
H
ard hat. Tick. Day-glo vest.
Safety glasses. Steel-toe
boots. Gloves. Tick. Tick.
Tick. Tick. Tick. The Lyric’s
executive director Jessica
Hepburn rattles through
this routine like a veteran builder. And
when she’s suited and booted, she steps
into the maelstrom of the theatre’s
ambitious expansion with a small army
of contractors trailing behind, hanging
on her every word.
For Hepburn, this is the final stage of
an ambitious nine-year, £16m project
to revolutionise the Hammersmith
theatre’s role in the community. The
scheme is like an oyster – the jewel
in the middle is the Frank Matchamdesigned theatre of 1895 that is
untouched by the work. While the shell
is being radically transformed into a
21st century hub revolving around the
Reuben Foundation Wing, a two-storey
extension which allows the theatre to
expand its work with young people and
provide more community facilities.
“This is a difficult project,” she
admits. “No one denies that. But it
helps that everyone is now seeing this
beautiful building emerge...”
As she surveys the progress – the first
major works to be done in 30 years at
the Lyric – she points out with pride
the new drama and TV studios, the new
cinema, the rooms that will house a
new recording studio and other creative
facilities. And then there are the offices
for the local community and cultural
groups, which includes space for Action
on Disability (formerly Hafad) which is
relocating from its Fulham base.
It won’t officially re-open until next
spring, but Jess is stoical about her plan
to put on performances this winter to
offer the Lyric’s much-loved panto – it’s
Dick Whittington and His Cat this time –
and the popular rendition of Raymond
This is a difficult project.
But it helps that everyone
is now seeing this
beautiful building emerge
Briggs’ Father Christmas.
“It was really important for us
to stay on site and keep as much
of the building open and running
as possible,” she says. “We are just
sharing it with the builders. We didn’t
have enough money to decamp. But
more importantly, we wanted to stay
10/11
Jessica Hepburn leads the
build on site. Below, what
the new Lyric will look like
connected to the community. The show
must go on.”
Funding for the impressive scheme
has come from public donations, the
Arts Council, government sources
as well as Hammersmith & Fulham
Council, while London Mayor Boris
Johnson has also given his support.
“I’m a passionate believer that
Hammersmith will get a big boost from
our new building,” she says.
“Regeneration comes not only from
new buildings, offices and shops, but
also from the cultural side. We share
that mission with Riverside Studios
– the area feels very different with both
of us out of action at the moment.”
When asked about the complexities
of the build, Hepburn offers a laugh
– mixed with a hint of a grimace. “I run
a theatre! So when things go wrong, I’m
quick to point that I’m not a builder.
And what we are doing is tricky.
“It’s a massive structure being created
on top of an existing building, with a
large shopping centre open every day
below us! Initially, we didn’t own all of
the land. So negotiating with a landlord
who already had massive ambitions
for the area was not easy, especially as
those ambitions weren’t necessarily
cultural. They needed a little bit of
persuading.”
Whatever the headache and
heartache, the project could strengthen
the Lyric’s position at the centre of a
new cultural hub for west London.
And for the ever-confident, Londonborn Jess who first visited the Lyric as
a child, she is clearly thrilled with the
prospect of leading the theatre boldly
into the future.
“I’m trying to build while preserving
our knowledge of the community and
the DNA of the Lyric and what makes
it a special place. But I’m not doing it
alone. I’ve got people around me that
also love and understand this place.”