In 2023 we celebrated our tenth birthday. We have achieved this remarkable milestone with some impressive support from the local community and our supporters. We have now launched our second major fundraising drive – 1889 Circle, a new scheme aiming to raise capital investment of £150,000 to create a more sustainable income. To get there we need to secure a more financial footing.
What is 1889 Circle?
In 1889, Clapham Library was opened – a public space for discovery, learning and storytelling. 136 years later, Clapham Library has moved but this beautiful redbrick building remains a space for the very same thing. In 2013 after a seven-year public campaign to save the building from being turned into private flats, our home – the Omnibus Theatre you know -opened its doors.
In 2019, the year of our fifth birthday, members of the 1889 Circle helped us refurbish the ground floor: moving the Café Bar to the front of the building and upgrading the spaces. The income generated from the capital improvement was invested back into our building which allowed us to provide over 3,000 free arts opportunities a year and platform accessible, inclusive, and high-quality performances. In 2025, we received royal patronage from the Duke of Edinburgh — the only Fringe Theatre in London to do so. We receive no core funding and rely on the generosity of supporters to keep our doors open and our programmes accessible to all.
Omnibus Theatre is more than bricks and mortar — it’s a cultural lifeline. However, our bricks and mortar are 136 years old and in need of more help.
We are re launching the 1889 Circle to help us to:
Open up the foyer area so that the building is more accessible, install more sound proofing so that we can programme more events at the same time and refurbish the toilets.
Will you join us and pledge £1,889?
Your support will:
- Maintain our historic building
- Keep tickets affordable
- Fund new writing and emerging talent
- Deliver more outreach and youth programmes
To join the 1889 Circle, we are asking for donation pledges of £1,889. You can join as an individual, or with friends and family, splitting the cost between four people.
For further information, please contact
Artistic Director, Marie McCarthy marie.mccarthy@omnibus-clapham.org
Executive Director: Bridget Kalloushi: executivedirector@omnibus-clapham.org
EVERY POUND MATTERS
Your donation keeps the lights on, the stories told, and the community thriving.
