
Wac Arts Big Give Christmas Challenge
Wac Arts is taking part in the amazing Big Give Christmas Challenge 2020 when all donations will be doubled. From 12pm Tuesday 1st…

Diversity advocate and business leader Justina Cruickshank appointed as new Chair of Wac Arts.
Wac Arts, the performing arts charity that has been empowering young people for over 40 years, is delighted to announce the appointment of…

Interim Learning & Participation Manager / Performing Arts Practitioner (Senior Wac Arts)
(0.4 fixed term until August 2021) We have an exciting opportunity for an experienced participation programme manager and performing arts practitioner, at Wac…

Creative Producer (freelance) Vacancy
40+ days until September 2021, subject to extension We have an exciting opportunity for a Creative Producer, experienced across dance and theatre, to…

Vacancy for an Officer for Buddying, Advocacy & Transitions
Officer for Buddying, Advocacy and Transitions (BAT)(0.8 fixed term to 30 September 2021) We have an exciting opportunity for an experienced administrator and…

Coronavirus in Camden
While rates of coronavirus remain low across Camden, there has been a small increase in cases over the past three weeks. Help keep…

Statement of Intent
For over 40 years Wac Arts has enriched the lives of young people from diverse backgrounds. Our belief in an inclusive society has…

Wac Arts Online programmes
We have launched our new Wac Arts Online programme. Here you’ll find our full programme of free activities which will include everything from…

Ronnie Scotts Charitable Foundation Re-new Wac Arts Funding
We are delighted to announce that the Ronnie Scott’s Charitable Foundation have awarded a grant to support Wac Arts Music Programme for 2020….

Be A Change Maker and Support Wac Arts
Earlier this year, we announced our new project, Inside Out Wac Arts (IOWA) which will make our home more accessible, sustainable and open…

Join the discussion with BBC’s Any Questions? this December
We are excited to announce that the episode of BBC 4’s ‘Any Questions?’ on the 20th of December will now be hosted by…

Wac Arts at CulturED
Image taken by Andrew Bruce for CulturED Wac Arts recently had the privilege of being involved in this year’s…

Wac Arts Receive Donation of Instruments from Ronnie Scott’s Charitable Foundation
On July 20th, Ronnie Scott’s, world famous Jazz Club, celebrated their 60th Anniversary with a big street party, including musical performances, outdoor bars…

Wac Arts opens its doors to the public for Open House London
For the very first time, Wac Arts opened its doors to the public as a site for Open House London on the 21st…

Voices on the Hill – Adult Community Choir
Voices on the Hill Adult Community Choir Monday Evenings from 7pm-9pm Singing a mixture of pop, soul and jazz classics! All ages and…

Interview with Luke
We’re back with another interview from our fantastic Youth Voice group! The group have been working hard over the past few months, contributing…

Inside Out Wac Arts
Under Darius Khwaja’s leadership, we are extremely excited about the next five years and have decided to take a scheduled pause with IOWA…

What’s On at Wac Arts
What’s On at Wac Arts this Autumn/Winter Wac Arts believes in the infinite power of the arts to unleash the extraordinary potential of…

WAWA Highlights Video
At the end of July, we held the We Are Wac Arts (WAWA) Weekender, celebrating 40 years of Wac Arts and 140 years…

Weekend Performing Arts and Media Classes
Wac Arts in the Old Town Hall, Belsize Park has 40 years experience offering inclusive, high quality and exciting performing arts and media…

Come and Explore the Old Town Hall this September
We are delighted to announce that we will be taking part in this year’s Open House London – the world’s largest architecture festival,…

Why We Love Bare Beas
Urban Motivation began in 2012 and is based at Wac Arts which offers young people aged 5-26, inclusive performing arts and media programmes,…

My Wac Arts, by Youth Voice Member Evie
We’re back with another interview from our fantastic Youth Voice group! The group have been working hard over the past few months, contributing…

WAWA Weekender 2019
Last week, we held our annual arts and events festival, the We Are Wac Arts (WAWA) Weekender, celebrating 40 years of Wac Arts…

Why Wac Arts Matters to me an Interview with Emmanuella from Youth Voice
Wac Arts has a fantastic group of young people who work with the organisation as part of the Youth Voice group. The group…

Interview with Ingrid Mackinnon
U3A member Barbara Prynn spends some time with Dance professional Ingrid Mackinnon to explore the themes of Heritage. Ingrid Mackinnon’s movement direction credits…

Our Summer Schools 2019 Programme
[pullquote]“I just wanted to say how much he enjoyed the holiday project. He’s famous for not wanting to try new things and by…

Youth Voice meet Jessica Andrade
Youth Voice group with JessThe Youth Voice group at Wac Arts had the chance to see Wac Arts Alumna…

The Spain Fights for Freedom Exhibition
My name is Elizabeth Hay and I’m a member of Hackney U3A. I’d never been to The Marx Library which has the material…

Two Amazing Women
One of the exciting things about researching is that you stumble across all kinds of amazing stories. When I was trying to find…

Franco and his support and collaboration with Hitler: The side the exhibition did show
The Spanish Republic and its supporters had warned that a world war would be inevitable unless Franco’s rise to power was stopped and…

In the Heights Review
In the Heights Review https://vimeo.com/347274402 Written by Anna Wilson, Marketing Intern In the Heights is a high-energy musical adaptation by Lin Manuel…

Events that took place in Hampstead Town Hall
A selection of posters and leaflets from events that took place in Hampstead Town Hall. With thanks to Janet Potter and U3A London…

The King’s dinner to the poor in celebration of Their Majesties’ coronation, A.D.1902
This is an image of the King’s dinner that took place in the main hall at Hampstead Town Hall.…

Titanic Disaster Fund – Hampstead Town Hall at 8.00pm Saturday May 11th 1912
RMS Titanic was a British passenger liner that sank in the North Atlantic Ocean in 1912. It was struck by an iceberg during…

Memories of War
U3A member and Wac Arts heritage volunteer Barbara Prynn interviewed Judith Ufland on her memories of war in Hampstead and at the Town…

Wac Arts Announces Darius Khwaja as the New Chief Executive
Darius joins Wac Arts at an exciting time of growth as the organisation announces capital development plans and the annual arts and events…

Pablo Picasso and Guernica
If Lorca came to symbolise the poets and writers of Spain who opposed Franco and his intention to censor and destroy, Picasso’s cubist…

Frederic Lorca – A Celebration Of Life
As well as the Spanish Civil War Exhibition, a celebration of the life of Lorca was held at Hampstead Old Town Hall. Federico…

The Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil war took place between 1936 and 1939. In 1936 Spain was ruled by a moderate, liberal government of Republicans, supported…

Join the Wac Arts Running Team
We’re delighted to announce that we’ll be taking part in the 2020 London Landmarks Half Marathon – the only half marathon to go…

Council records reveal 90 years of Town Hall history
This article was written by U3A as part of a Shared Learning Project with Wac Arts. Reading through the records of meetings of…

World War 1 Nurse became Mayor of Hampstead
This article was written by U3A as part of a Shared Learning Project with Wac Arts. A group of nurses in the 1st…

Reina Lawrence: Hampstead’s first woman councillor
Hampstead has produced numerous trail-blazers. One of the most notable was Reina Emily Lawrence. In 1907 Reina became the first woman to win…

WAWA Weekender
[vc_column_text pb_margin_bottom=”no” pb_border_bottom=”no” width=”2/3″ el_position=”first”] Back for a third year, the annual 3 day festival of arts and events at the Old Town…

Belsize Beer Gardens
Wac Arts is opening the first Belsize Beer Gardens, a new pop up onsite at the Old Town Hall. The gardens will be…

LGBT Youth Singing & Songwriting Project
LGBT Youth Singing & Songwriting Project 27th June to 25th July 2019 Thursday evenings from 6:30pm-8:30pm Including a performance at the WAWA Weekender…

Wac Arts Diploma final years students present In The Heights
https://vimeo.com/337269805 Wac Arts presents In The Heights After a hit showcase season in which all of the final year students received offers of…

Emmeline Pankhurst: Political activist and Suffragette
Emmeline Pankhurst founded the Suffragettes in 1903. Her aim was to fight ‘with deeds not words’ for women to be allowed to vote…

The Gay Liberation Front
Hampstead Goes Gay – Hampstead Arts Balls and LGBT Hampstead – In Conversation with Chris Barlow Tuesday 13th November 2018 Between 1947 and…

What our young people think about Wac Arts!
We spoke to some of our young people to find out their connection to Wac Arts and why Wac Arts matters. Take a…

Our Heritage page is now live!
Our Heritage page is now live! Click the link below to explore the history of the Old Town Hall and Wac Arts, including…

What’s On at Wac Arts – Spring-Summer 2019
Wac Arts believes in the infinite power of the arts to unleash the extraordinary potential of young people. Wac Arts offers inclusive performing…

What our families think about Wac Arts!
We spoke to our Junior Wac Arts parents and carers to find out their connection to Wac Arts and why Wac Arts matters….

Notable Events at the Old Town Hall
1878 Victorian Building completed. Called “Hampstead Vestry Hall.”The Old Town Hall has been the locus of a number of…

Tales from the WAWA
From the 16th to the 18th of April Wac Arts Ignite Easter project saw students thinking about the history of the Old Town…

Hampstead Town Hall Marriages
Marie LloydT.S. Elliot One of the most notable early marriages conducted at Hampstead Town hall was that of T.S….

T.S. Eliot vs. Animal Farm
A lot of animals have passed through Hampstead Town Hall over the years – although sadly they’ve not always been alive. In 1972…

David Pitt: Black Parliamentarian and campaigner for racial equality
David Thomas Pitt (1913-1994), later Baron Pitt of Hampstead, was Britain’s longest serving Black Parliamentarian. A doctor by trade, he spent his adult…

A Place of Charitable Aims
Raising money has been high on the agenda for Hampstead Town Hall over the years. In 1881, almost as far back to when…

Hampstead Town Hall in War Time Britain
Hampstead Town Hall played an important part in helping protect civilians in the area during World War 2. Between 1939 and 1945 the…

Una Marson: Jamaican feminist and creative
Una Marson was a Jamaican feminist, activist and writer. She was employed by the BBC in 1932, and became their first black producer….

The Old Town Hall throughout its 140 year history
The Old Town Hall has been the locus of a number of exciting events throughout its 140 year history, from tea dances and…

Why we love Wac Arts
The young people from Wonder Wac Arts (a Disability and Inclusion programme at Wac Arts) spent the afternoon with Dominique, our Digital Content…

Wac Arts at Move It 2019
On March 8th, our young people from the Diploma and Senior Wac Arts programmes had the wonderful opportunity to perform at Move It…

Our March Showcase Season Roundup
March was Showcase Season at Wac Arts, with young people from our programmes having the opportunity to share their work from the past…

Wac Arts runners have raised a fantastic £8,000 so far!
Our amazing team of Wac Arts runners have raised a fantastic £8,000 so far with donations still coming in. Watch their journey and…

Bare Peas – Award winning game available for Camden Youth Organisations to test – for free!
Bare Peas “Healthy is Wealthy” Award winning game is available for Camden Youth Organisations to test – for free! The young people at…

Woman SRSLY – Meet an Artist
Grace Nicol’s choreography ‘I Only Laugh to Keep From Weeping’. Image credit: Woman SRSLY Photo by Henry Gorse Meet an Artist Happy International…

Runner Interview – Rob Black
Rob celebrating after winning a round of ‘Bare Peas’ Less than three weeks till race day! To help with his training, we invited…

Wac Arts Launches Youth Voices Project
We are delighted to be launching our new Youth Voices Project, funded by Arts Council England, forming the beginning of our journey towards…

Can you help Wac Arts explore the rich heritage of the Old Town Hall?
The Old Hampstead Town Hall opened in 1878 and operated as Hampstead Vestry Hall 1878, it was renamed Hampstead Town Hall in 1900,…

Four shows that you shouldn’t miss this spring!
The Wac Arts Diploma in Professional Musical Theatre is an exciting programme that offers not only a traditional, classical and contemporary syllabus but…

Wac Arts Birthday Schedule Spring 2019
Wac Arts Birthday Schedule Spring 2019 Wac Arts believes in the infinite power of the arts to unleash the extraordinary potential of young…

Meet a Tutor: Anoushka Lucas
Anoushka Lucas is a singer, songwriter and composer for theatre. Her music has been championed on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4 &…

Wac Arts explores its heritage
At the start of Wac Art’s 40th Birthday celebration year we were overjoyed to be awarded an £86,400 grant from the Heritage Lottery…
What’s On at Wac Arts – Winter-Spring 2019
Wac Arts believes in the infinite power of the arts to unleash the extraordinary potential of young people. Wac Arts offers inclusive performing…

Runner Interview – Andrew Brandon
Andrew just after he had finished his first practice Half Marathon There are now less than 40 days until the London Landmarks Half…

Drama as a Tool for Development
Drama and physical movement activities can elicit some of the most unexpected and profound outcomes when working with young people with SEN. It…

February Fun Run
We are delighted to be taking part in the London Landmarks Half Marathon once again this year, with a team of fifteen runners…

Runner Interview – Owen Turner
The London Landmarks Half Marathon 2019 is fast approaching, and all our runners are busy training to make sure they’re ready! Team Member…
Looking back to look forward…
Looking back to look forward… It’s a brand new year, so we’ve been looking back at everything that happened here at Wac Arts…

Meet a Tutor: Leon Hazlewood
Leon trained at the London Studio Centre studying Performing Arts. As a professional dancer, singer and actor, Leon’s theatre credits include: Showboat, A…

New Senior Wac Arts Fencing Classes
Welcome back to a new year at Wac Arts! 2019 promises to be an exciting year, with lots of amazing events coming your…

Meet a Tutor: Why Wac Arts Matters
Tommy on stage supporting the young people at the Wac Arts Weekender. Tommy Edwards, graduate from the prestigious Arts University of Bournemouth, is…

Winter Revolution
We were delighted to once again welcome Che Walker and his ‘Revolutionaries’ last Sunday, for a Revolution event packed full of amazing performances,…

Review of our Diploma 3rd year showcase ‘Road’
Wac Arts 3rd year Diploma student’s presentation of ‘Road’ directed by Ben Bennett was a production full of passion and dark, raw emotion….

Targets smashed at the Wac Arts Cabaret
Sunday saw the latest event in our 40th birthday schedule and our 5th annual fundraiser, the Wac Arts Cabaret! The fabulous evening was…

Our Professional Showcases Review
On 29 and 30 November, our 40th birthday celebration continued with amazing performances by our full time professional training students. They performed two…

Wac Arts at the BBC Creative Jam
Wac Arts was honoured to be selected as the featured organisation for the BBC Design and Engineering Creative Jam. Together, BBC and Adobe…

Alum and Tutor Lati Saka Shares her Past, Present, and Future with Wac Arts
[pullquote]“You’d have thought it’s the performance stuff but it’s not… it’s the sense of family. It’s going back to the—I know we’re in…

Thornton’s Budgens Goes Plastic Free
Our neighbour Thornton’s Budgens is the first British grocery store to announce plastic free zones! In only 10 weeks, Thornton’s Budgens has replaced…

Fantastic prizes up for grabs in our Wac Arts Birthday Raffle!
The perfect chance to win an amazing treat for you or your friends and family! Prizes include: Two premium Manchester United Football Match…

Wac Arts at the Jack Petchey Foundation Awards
Monday 29th October saw a number of Wac Arts students from across programmes joining the Jack Petchey Foundation for the celebratory award event…

Diploma Showcase Tickets Available Now
Get your tickets now to support our full-time students Tickets for our Diploma programme’s end of term performance at the Arts and Media…

Alum Kandace pops in to wish Wac Arts a Happy Birthday!
Kandace Caine in Concrete Jungle Full of Wild Cars Alum Kandace Caine Shares Why Wac Arts Matters to Her “I need to write,…

Design Our Logo!
Wac Arts has launched a 40th Birthday logo creation project and we would love for you to be involved. You can create a…

Calling our Alumni
This year Wac Arts is turning 40! We have just kicked off our year of events to commemorate the occasion with a fantastic…

Durga Puja at Wac Arts
From 15th to 19th October Durga Puja will be holding their annual festival at Wac Arts. Durga Puja, also called Durgotsava, is an…