Cate Le Bon to play Chats Palace anniversary celebrations

Under-funded: Chats Palace is calling on residents to help plug the gap. Photograph: Chats Palace

Chats Palace is reviving its arts programme as part of a programme of events to mark the community arts centre’s 40th anniversary.

The imposing building on Chatsworth Road is to stage the London premiere of the award-winning Tailor of Inverness, on the 23 and 24 March.

Singer-songwriter Cate Le Bon is set to perform on 14 March and later in the year Chats plans to relaunch its Christmas show.

“We have fantastic stuff lined up but that’s all we can announce for now,” said Paula Van Hagen, the new Director of Chats Palace. “What else we can offer all depends on what funding we have available.”

Although Chats is part-funded by Hackney Council, its ability to stage theatre or host or commission artists has in recent years been thwarted by a lack of money.

“We’re an arts centre and Hackney has to have one of the biggest conglomerates of artists in Europe,” said Ms Van Hagen, “so we hope to bring artists back into the building, and relaunch a programme of music and theatre.”

“We’d love to be in the position to commission work with a local flavour, but we haven’t the money at the moment.”

1913 vintage: The grade II-listed building on Chatsworth Road originally opened as a library in 1913. It was reopened as a community arts centre in 1976. Photograph: Chats Palace

To help raise funds the Chats team is launching a new membership scheme called Chats Pals.

Residents can sign up for varying levels of membership from ‘New Pal’ (£25), which includes special ticket offers, to ‘Pal for Life’ (£500), which gives you an invitation to the annual Chats Pals reception and a limited edition print from the Chats Palace Photo Archive.

“Any level of support, large or small, will make a huge difference to us,” said Ms Van Hagen. “We want to keep the centre accessible, and that means keeping ticket prices low.”

Further programme announcements will be made later this spring, once the centre hears back about funding applications.

For information visit chatspalace.co.uk