Music and Media Venue

South Street Studios is a multimedia community hub catering for people from all walks of life and delivering new experiences. Our goal is to increase engagement with the arts and media within the area and the greater Eastern region, promoting a social change to improve access to the arts for all.

Opening in Summer 2016 with the support of a £50,000 grant from Biffa Award, the space seeks to support the cultural integration and cross-pollination of around 70 different nationalities and languages present in Ipswich today. It promotes community groups such as wellbeing workshops, art classes and charity projects during the day while the evenings are often packed with live music in The Smokehouse.

Situated off Norwich Road in Ipswich’s Westgate Ward, South Street Studios is within one of the UK’s most deprived areas. With provisions for young people in need of support beyond what is traditionally available at schools and colleges being cut in recent years, this new platform offers direct pathways to organisations and networks able to compensate for these shortfalls. Ultimately, the ambition is to act as a springboard upon which the local U18 population can gain access to employment and a greater level of wellbeing.

For sometime Ipswich has lacked a purpose built live music venue which is able to bridge the gap between local pubs and 100+ capacity performance spaces; South Street Studios aims to remedy this with The Smokehouse.

With a performance programme and schedule directly influenced by the local community, South Street Studios looks to flourish as a fixture around which Ipswich as a whole can develop.

OUR PARTNERS

At South Street Studios we share the space with a number of fantastic organisations. You can find out about the great work they do by clicking on the icons below.