Making Space

In this special bonus episode of Making Space, we turn the tables and hear from Marcus Davey, Roundhouse CEO and Artistic Director. Roundhouse Alumni Katie Stokes and Cherise Hamilton-Stephenson hear from Marcus about his very first day at the Roundhouse 27 years ago, as we mark an incredible legacy. This episode is a special thank you to Marcus for all the support and inspiration he’s given so many young creatives over the years.Making Space is a six-episode series featuring intimate conversations with leading artists and thinkers connected to the Roundhouse. Previous episodes welcomed Oscar-winning actor, writer, producer, and director Daniel Kaluuya, internationally renowned artist Sir Antony Gormley, poet and former Young People's Laureate for London, Cecilia Knapp, internationally renowned dancer and choreographer, Akram Khan and artist, producer, composer, technologist Imogen Heap and comedian and writer Jack Rooke.The Roundhouse is a youth charity and independent multi-arts venue based in Camden, London. Set within a Grade II* listed performance space, it is the UK’s leading creative centre for young people, engaging more than 10,000 young people annually through its creative youth programme.CreditsGuest: Marcus DaveyHosts: Cherise Hamilton-Stevenson and Katie Stokes Audio Producer: Mia CampbellEditor: Sarah WarrenTheme music by ShunajiSenior Producer: Marie Horner

Fresh from the red carpet after getting his second BAFTA, writer, comedian and performer and Roundhouse alum Jack Rooke joins Roundhouse CEO and Artistic Director Marcus Davey on the latest episode of Making Space: Exploring Creativity, Society, and the Roundhouse.Jack shares his personal story, which draws from his lived experience and often involves themes of grief and suicide, in an intimate conversation about writing his first poem, ‘Lasagna’ at the Roundhouse and returning to the Main Space this August with his show, Good Grief.Hear Jack explore his writing and performing career, the success of his Channel 4 show Big Boys and why he considers the Roundhouse his home.For tickets to the Roundhouse Comedy Festival head to www.roundhouse.org.uk. Making Space is a six-episode series, featuring intimate conversations with leading artists and thinkers connected to the Roundhouse. Previous episodes welcomed Oscar-winning actor, writer, producer, and director Daniel Kaluuya, internationally renowned artist Sir Antony Gormley,poet and former Young People's Laureate for London, Cecilia Knapp, internationally renowned dancer and choreographer, Akram Khan and artist, producer, composer, and technologist Imogen Heap.The Roundhouse is a youth charity and independent multi-arts venue based in Camden, London. Set within a Grade II* listed performance space, it is the UK’s leading creative centre for young people, engaging more than 10,000 young people annually through its creative youth programme.CreditsGuest: Jack RookeHost: Marcus DaveyAudio Producer: Mia CampbellEditor: Sarah WarrenTheme music by ShunajiSenior Producer: Marie Horner

Multi-award-winning artist, producer, composer, and technologist Imogen Heap joins Roundhouse CEO and Artistic Director Marcus Davey on the latest episode of Making Space: Exploring Creativity, Society, and the Roundhouse.  Heap reflects on creativity, improvisation, neurodiversity, technology, failure, success, flow states, and her two-decade relationship with the Roundhouse. Following her acclaimed performance at the Roundhouse Three Sixty Festival, Heap also reveals that the experience has inspired a new live creative identity, Him Gone Ape, through which she plans to explore fully improvised performance and experimental music-making. She notes: “Improvisation is what I really want to do… it feels effortless, like you’re on a current”.We also hear about Imogen’s short lived career as a palm reader and her political ambitions if the Green Party gets in!Making Space is a six-episode series, featuring intimate conversations with leading artists and thinkers connected to the Roundhouse. Previous episodes welcomed Oscar-winning actor, writer, producer, and director Daniel Kaluuya, internationally renowned artist Sir Antony Gormley,poet and former Young People's Laureate for London, Cecilia Knapp and internationally renowned dancer and choreographer, Akram Khan.The Roundhouse is a youth charity and independent multi-arts venue based in Camden, London. Set within a Grade II* listed performance space, it is the UK’s leading creative centre for young people, engaging more than 10,000 young people annually through its creative youth programme.CreditsGuest: Imogen HeapHost: Marcus DaveyAudio Producer: Mia CampbellEditor: Sarah WarrenTheme music by ShunajiSenior Producer: Marie Horner

Internationally renowned dancer and choreographer, Akram Khan, joins Roundhouse CEO and Artistic Director Marcus Davey to explore the power of stories to help us understand the world and uncovers a connection artists seem to find with the world.Akram reveals his personal journey with creativity, starting with his training in Kathak dance and finding community in cross-cultural collaboration, which he calls "the essential engine of my work." He shares his unique perspective on what dance is—a physical language built to convey something "primal and universally resonant," cutting directly to the heart of what is often "unsayable" with words alone. Akram shares how he brings courage and honesty to his performances, noting that movement can be "a powerful reflection of trauma, joy, and the beauty of human fragility."Making Space is a six-episode series, featuring intimate conversations with leading artists and thinkers connected to the Roundhouse. Previous episodes welcomed Oscar-winning actor, writer, producer, and director Daniel Kaluuya, internationally renowned artist Sir Antony Gormley and poet and former Young People's Laureate for London, Cecilia Knapp.The Roundhouse is a youth charity and independent multi-arts venue based in Camden, London. Set within a Grade II* listed performance space, it is the UK’s leading creative centre for young people, engaging more than 10,000 young people annually through its creative youth programme.CreditsGuest: Akram KhanHost: Marcus DaveyAudio Producer: Mia CampbellEditor: Sarah WarrenTheme music by ShunajiSenior Producer: Marie Horner

Poet, novelist, playwright and former Young People's Laureate for London, Cecilia Knapp, joins Roundhouse CEO and Artistic Director Marcus Davey to explore the power of authentic human stories and how not to overthink a poem.Cecilia reveals her personal, transformative journey with creativity, starting with finding community at the Roundhouse Poetry Collective, which she calls "the pivotal moment of my life". She shares her unique perspective on what poetry is—a language we’ve built to convey something "complex or slippery to convey," cutting directly to the heart of what is often "unsayable" with bog-standard words. Cecilia shares how she brings courage and honesty to her writing, noting that grief can be "mundane and it can be surreal and it can be funny sometimes".Cecilia’s latest book, Lack, is out in May 2026. Go to www.ceciliaknapp.com to find out more.Making Space is a six-episode series, featuring intimate conversations with leading artists and thinkers connected to the Roundhouse. You can hear previous episodes with Oscar-winning actor, writer, producer, and director Daniel Kaluuya and internationally renowned artist, Sir Antony Gormley, wherever you get your podcasts. Series two will be announced in May.The Roundhouse is a youth charity and independent multi-arts venue based in Camden, London. Set within a Grade II* listed performance space, it is the UK’s leading creative centre for young people, engaging more than 10,000 young people annually through its creative youth programme.CreditsGuest: Cecilia KnappHost: Marcus DaveyAudio Producer: Mia CampbellEditor: Sarah WarrenTheme music by ShunajiSenior Producer: Marie Horner

One of the world's greatest living artists and former winner of the Turner Prize, Sir Antony Gormley, joins Roundhouse CEO and Artistic Director Marcus Davey on Making Space; exploring creativity as a vital social force.Antony talks about the profound significance of clay—a material he believes grounds us and allows us to "think and to feel through making". He reveals how his need to "make a mess" in his garden shed shaped his early work and how his celebrated works, like the sculpture that sits on top of the Roundhouse, are rooted in the place, community, and history where they stand.Hear Antony's unique perspective on accessing a place of infinite possibility within the mind, which he calls the "darkness of the body":“But in the space where there are no things, everything is possible.”Making Space is a six-episode series, featuring intimate conversations with leading artists and thinkers connected to the Roundhouse. You can hear the first episode with Oscar-winning actor, writer, producer, and director Daniel Kaluuya wherever you get your podcasts. The next episode is out on 29 April with poet and author Cecilia Knapp. Series two will be announced in May.The Roundhouse is a youth charity and independent multi-arts venue based in Camden, London. Set within a Grade II* listed performance space, it is the UK’s leading creative centre for young people, engaging more than 10,000 young people annually through its creative youth programme.CreditsGuest: Antony GormleyHost: Marcus DaveyAudio Producer: Mia CampbellEditor: Sarah WarrenTheme music by ShunajiSenior Producer: Marie Horner

Oscar-winning actor, writer, producer, and director Daniel Kaluuya is the first guest on Making Space, a new podcast hosted by Roundhouse CEO and Artistic Director Marcus Davey exploring creativity as a vital social force. Daniel talks openly about growing up in Camden and how tuning into his inner voice became one of his most valuable creative lessons. As the Roundhouse’s Associate Artistic Director, hear his bold vision on fostering young talent through new youth theatre company, Centre 59: "It’s about empowering young people, letting them show us what they can do and then finish…We can’t hold their hands. That’s how you make space for creativity to grow.”Making Space is a six-episode series, featuring intimate conversations with leading artists and thinkers connected to the Roundhouse. Future episodes in Series 1 include sculptor Sir Antony Gormley, released on 22 April and poet and author Cecilia Knapp, available to stream from 29 April. Series two will be announced in May.The Roundhouse is a youth charity and independent multi-arts venue based in Camden, London. Set within a Grade II* listed performance space, it is the UK’s leading creative centre for young people, engaging more than 10,000 young people annually through its creative youth programme.CreditsGuest: Daniel KaluuyaHost: Marcus DaveyAudio Producer: Mia CampbellEditor: Sarah WarrenTheme music by ShunajiSenior Producer: Marie Horner