Kilburn High Road Project

Over three years and through co-creation, Kiln Theatre in collaboration with local residents, artists, organisations and community groups will uncover and showcase the hidden stories of Kilburn. Local residents are invited to participate in heritage-inspired activities that will amplify the voices of the communities who call Kilburn home. Platforming stories through theatre, music, movement, poetry, visual art, costume, film and photography. Activity will take place across Kilburn encouraging connection, cultural exchange and a sense of pride along the High Road.

2024

Initial activity includes a new Arrive Build Create Community Company formed in partnership with Salubury World for newly arrived adults with experience of migration. Chronicles of Kilburn; heritage-inspired workshops in collaboration with local organisations, and artists. Move at the Movies; a movement-based cinema programme working with adults referred through social prescribers. Community co-curated Town Hall Talks and Listen Local Young Writers, a project which supports 10 young people aged 18-30 to write their first short plays inspired by their connection to Kilburn.

2025

Kiln Theatre will work with artists and residents to develop work inspired by the first year, such as Celebrating our Stories, an intergenerational community company will work with a playwright and creative team to tell the stories of Kilburn. Passages; a collaboration between residents and playwrights and The Design Collective in collaboration with Action Space and a theatre designer.

2026

The project will culminate in events and performances along Kilburn High Road in the summer of 2026 including Celebrating our Stories on the main stage at Kiln. Performances and events in outdoor spaces include, Capturing Kilburn; a photography exhibition showcasing the people who work on and buildings along the High Road. Unexpected Sounds; gigs in unexpected places drawing on the area’s musical heritage, along with talks, installations and more to be developed with the Community Advisory Board. The project will close with a period of evaluation and a celebratory exhibition coordinated by the Neighbours programme, at Brent Museum and Archives in December 2026.

The project includes opportunities for training and pathways for Kilburn residents, including the Community Advisory Board (of local volunteers) who will develop activity, Kiln Collaborators; local adults aged 18+ who receive paid creative facilitation training and will support the delivery of the programme. Through the Neighbours programme, training and upskilling opportunities will be created for local people to take on backstage roles and support the production of the final performances.

Photos by Harry Plowden. Photos taken during pilot projects.