The Future of Centre 42 at 42 Waterloo Street

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
23 JANUARY 2020

On 1 May 2020, Centre 42 (C42) will return 42 Waterloo Street to the National Arts Council (NAC). The premises will undergo renovations and reopen in the later part of the year to house both the Arts Resource Hub (ARH) and C42. 

NAC announced that 42 Waterloo Street will be the third ARH co-working space on 22 Jan 2020 at an engagement session between freelance artists and Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Transport & Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth Baey Yam Keng. The third ARH co-working space will open in the second half of 2020.

C42 officially opened in July 2014 and has operated from 42 Waterloo Street since. In our six years serving the Singapore theatre scene, this bright blue pre-war bungalow with its multiple shared art-making facilities has been home to hundreds of theatre-makers and theatre-making collectives, as well as art-makers from a diverse range of disciplines. These spaces have also seen the incubation and development of over 200 new works, and many public forums and networking events. Over 40,000 members of the public have witnessed the magic of Singapore theatre at 42 Waterloo Street.

C42 has grown to become a thriving community of art-makers and arts enthusiasts. Their efforts in creating work, exchanging ideas and building networks have made C42 at 42 Waterloo Street a unique and vibrant arts venue, and significantly contributed to placemaking in the Waterloo Arts Belt. We deeply thank the community for their support and presence at the blue house over the years.

Once renovations are completed, C42 will return to occupy the office space on Level 2 of the annexe at 42 Waterloo Street. We will be carrying on our mission to support the creation, documentation and promotion of Singapore theatre, and, in the next few months, will share updates to our programmes and initiatives.

As co-tenants, C42 will be working with ARH to support the provision of resources to arts freelancers. We hope to build upon our work in the past six years, and maintain 42 Waterloo Street as an open and inclusive environment for the Singapore arts community to work and create in. 

UPDATE 24 Jan 2020:

Thank you to everyone for your outpouring of support and encouragement. We know this news is difficult and many of you have concerns.

Following our statement yesterday, Centre 42 (C42) understands that the National Arts Council (NAC) intends to maintain the Black Box on 42 Waterloo Street as a performance space. The Black Box will remain accessible to the arts community, under the management of the Arts Resource Hub (ARH). ARH will announce, in due time, details on how the remaining spaces will be utilised. Details of future operations at 42 Waterloo Street are being worked out by ARH and NAC. And as mentioned earlier, C42 will continue to operate out of its current office on Level 2 of the annexe.

We’re extremely moved by all your thoughts and words for us, and, rest assured, we have no inclination of stopping our work! C42 will continue to support Singapore theatre and the wider arts community. We will be working with ARH to see how best 42 Waterloo Street can continue to be a thriving community space and physical resource for all art-makers in Singapore.

UPDATE 29 Jan 2020:

NAC has released the following statement about the Arts Resource Hub that is to be opened at 42 Waterloo Street in the later part of the year:
https://www.artsresourcehub.sg/opportunities/latestannouncements

UPDATE 7 Feb 2020

Following our meeting with the Arts Resource Hub (ARH) on 5 Feb 2020, there are further details about ARH @ 42 Waterloo Street to be shared. Here are some important points to note:

• 42 Waterloo Street will be closed for renovations from 1 May 2020 up to early 2021. All spaces will not be available for use during this period.
• The current spaces (i.e., Black Box, Rehearsal Studio, Library, and Meeting Room) will be renovated with structural improvements and disability access. We welcome the planned upgrades and will be working with the National Arts Council Singapore to gather feedback from our community on the improvements to be made to the spaces.
• We will be returning to our current office in Level 2 of the annexe after renovations are completed, and will have priority access to the Black Box, Rehearsal Studio, Meeting Room, and Library to run our core programmes in 2021 and 2022.
• ARH will manage bookings of the spaces and maintain booking rates similar to present rates, available to all practitioners.

For more details, please head to the ARH website: https://www.artsresourcehub.sg/opportunities/latestannouncements

MEDIA COVERAGE

• [Straits Times, 24 Jan 2020] New co-working space for arts freelancers
• [ArtsEquator, 3 Feb 2020] A house is not a home: Centre 42 and Arts Resource Hub
• [Straits Times, 17 Feb 2020] Different role for arts hub in Waterloo
• [TODAY, 27 Feb 2020] Can Singapore’s arts community build a sense of place amid shifting cultural policies?
• [TODAY, 3 Mar 2020] Lease terms for arts spaces have not hindered development of vibrant scene in Singapore: NAC

 

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