OUR HISTORY
A BIT OF BACKSTORY
The Big House was founded by Maggie Norris, an actor, writer and director, as a response to her long-standing work with ex-offenders. She was shocked to find out that while only 1% of children in the UK have been in care, 40% of youth offenders and 70% of sex workers have a care background. So she set up The Big House in 2012 in order to support young people leaving care, and to break this cycle of disadvantage that they may find themselves trapped in.

EARLY ON
Phoenix was the first show ever staged by The Big House in 2013 and it was a huge success, receiving much critical acclaim. It was the culmination of the first Open House Project -a 12-week programme that uses drama and long term support in order to address the fundamental issues which act as barriers to independent living. 80% of young people who take part in our OHPs go onto Education, Employment and Training.

THE BIG HOUSE MEANS BUSINESS
The next five years saw a series of site-specific productions, including shows in the basement of the Rio Cinema, underneath Smithfield Meat Market, a Hawaiian restaurant and The Royal Court. We set up The Big House Means Business, which employs our members to lead workshops and performances influence the social care sector and train corporate partners. We have been commissioned by companies all over the UK, in Paris, Sweden, and Hong Kong.

THE BIG HOUSE GETS A HOME
In 2018, we moved into our own home – two renovated frame factories in Islington. It has since been the heart of our dynamic community, where we have staged productions, thrown parties, galas, dinners, careers fairs, and, most importantly, young people can walk into a safe environment as and when they need.

TEN BIG YEARS
In 2022, The Big House celebrated its ten-year anniversary and a decade of transforming young lives. We threw a big Open Day celebration for our members, friends, and neighbours. Bloomsbury published an Anthology of five of our plays.

IMPACT
OUR
MISSION IS WORKING
The Big House is now a dynamic community of over 500 young people.
Our members work at Netflix, BBC, and Amazon. TBH fights endlessly to improve access to opportunities, targeting the public sector, health services, hospitality and events, as well as the creative industry. Our young people are leading voices in their fields, striving for social change.
And some engage with us for more than ten years. They continue to join our workshops, in-house opportunities, celebrate together and mentor their peers.
“I now feel so powerful, so sure of who I am and what I want” – TBH Member

PEOPLE


Julie Dark

Julie Dark

Chloe Evans

Chloe Evans

Claire Wilkinson

Claire Wilkinson

Wendy Scott

Wendy Scott

Kiren Shoman

Kiren Shoman

Lesley Seary

Lesley Seary

Mark Goodin

Mark Goodin

Robert Meteyard
Safeguarding Lead.
Robert has worked for over 30 years in services that support young people looked after away from home. He began his career as a residential social worker and then as an aftercare worker. Before retiring from social care in 2016 he was the Strategic Manager for the Leaving Care Service in the London Borough of Islington. He was chair of the London Leaving Care Managers forum which aimed to benchmark and share good practice between London leaving care teams.

Robert Meteyard

Humphrey Edginton

Humphrey Edginton

Ziyad Marar

Ziyad Marar
MEMBERS
