Money for Old Prose

On Saturday, December 11, at 7:45 pm, a group of 
renowned actors and musicians will give a special 
performance at Old St Mary's Church, Stoke 
Newington, in aid of a great local cause.
 
Hackney residents and stars of stage and screen 
Selina Cadell, Paul Bradley, Paul Jesson, Carrie 
Quinlan, Maggie Steed, Michael Thomas, Jane 
Wymark and The Occasional Choir are stepping 
forward into the spotlight to help save the 
beautiful, 400-year-old church from closure.
 
All proceeds from their performance - an evening 
of festive readings and song called Money for Old 
Prose - will go towards the fundraising effort to 
transform Old St Mary's into a vibrant arts 
centre for the whole community.
 
This is the fourth year that the group has joined 
together at Christmas in support of the project, 
St Mary's Arts Centre for the Community. Actors 
Selina Cadell and Michael Thomas say:
 
'It is such a pleasure to perform in the old 
church. For an actor it has a warm acoustic, and 
the audience sit like friends in a front room. 
And a tiny church like this, in the middle of a 
busy city, feels like a stolen treasure. When the 
great new church was built for an exploding 
population, this quiet old church next to it 
could have been demolished. But it wasn't, and it 
stands for all demolished buildings; the one that 
got away.'
 
Fundraiser Sarah Robson says:
 
'We are thrilled that Selina, Michael and the 
whole troupe are coming back for what promises to 
be another wonderfully entertaining evening, and 
for helping to raise funds for the work needed to 
save and transform the church. As well as being a 
gem of a theatre for our community, Old St Mary's 
could become a place to bring our children for 
art classes, an affordable venue for our 
teenagers' first gigs, a space to book for a 
special occasion and a treasure trove of history 
for pupils to explore.'
 
Tickets for this very special event are £12 / £10 
concessions and are available on the door. To 
reserve a ticket email artsmanager@smartn16.org
 
For further information about Money for Old Prose 
and the St Mary's Arts Centre for the Community 
project, please contact John Field on 02076907449
 
Details about the project are also available at http://www.smartn16.org/