Village Underground

Village Underground is a multidisciplinary venue presenting live concerts and electronic music events alongside theatre, performing arts and visual arts. VU also plays host to commercial events, the revenue of which is put back into the artistic programme.

Each year, VU has an attendance of over 150,000 people, stages more than 500 performances and works with more than 1500 artists.

Atop the venue, four recycled Jubilee line trains and shipping containers make up the creative workspaces of Village Underground. These uniquely renovated spaces accommodate up to 30 artists, playwrights, filmmakers, architects, photographers, producers and start ups working side-by-side in a creative community.

Village Underground currently faces a number of challenges. We’re yet to decide which one(s) will be tackled through the catalyst programme.

Current challenges – in no particular order: transition from start up to a more traditional business; ineffective internal communications; artistic programme suffers from constant need to reach financial targets; lack of knowledge of our audience; the need to secure new revenue streams in order to stop being dependent on bar sales or commercial hires; working with a sole owner/no board; the limitations of our venue’s size.

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