Theatre Delicatessen

Sheffield | Organisation, Performance Venue

17 The Moor contains a large shop floor at the front on the ground floor, which once housed Sheffield’s branch of Woolworths. This magnificent open shop floor opens directly onto The Moor, in the heart of the city centre’s regeneration project. However, the real attraction of the building is the old unused spaces, not touched for over a decade or more. These include a large basement and derelict 2nd floor. Full of atmosphere, with secret corners and dark rooms, they are perfect for immersive and promenade performance practice. They opened the space with a version of their flagship artist development programme, Theatre Souk, giving it a horror theme to reflect the spookiness of the space itself. 9 new and emerging local theatre and circus companies were commissioned to make 9 new pieces of immersive theatre in a specific space around the building. It is their ambition to make the Sheffield space a vibrant community venue, providing structured opportunities to make art for both artists and non-artists. 

Opportunities 

Theatre Deli have a core group of resident artists we support by providing:

• Unlimited free use of our spaces to develop, rehearse and perform-new work
• Commissioning brand new theatre pieces
• Artistic and company mentoring
• Workshops and training
• Providing regular funded performance opportunities
• Providing ancillary job opportunities through our bar and café, so they have an income to support their artistic career

We also provide opportunities for non-resident artists:

• Low cost space hire
• Free development space
• Sheffield and hallam universities – drama course break out
• Immersive practice spaces

Theatre Deli are also partnering with charities working with specific groups, to provide new participatory platforms where artists provide community members with opportunities to make art:

• Crisis have a weekly day long workshop for homeless people in sheffield (Tuesdays)
• Working with help the aged and other charities for older people to set up a weekly arts meet to take place across the ground floor, including arts activities from painting to circus, tea and cake and social time.
• On Mondays they host graffiti and performance sessions for disadvantaged young people
• Arts Café: They hope to attract new audiences to alternative theatre, and make the space feel accessible to all. To do this they have set up an Arts Café which hosts weekly resident artists from various disciplines, who make their art in the café so that users can either observe the process, or participate. Open Thursday – Saturday 10am – 4pm.