If we think of the public facing cultural sites, largely aimed at national and international tourists and visitors, such as monuments, museums, galleries and theatres, where culture is consumed and displayed as the ‘urban stage’, then its behind-the-scenes counterpart is the ‘urban backstage’, which includes both the hidden spaces where cultural production takes place. The urban backstage is made up of invisible networks, relationships and labour that exist out of public view in our cities and are vital in fostering and cultivating a shared cultural identity and sense of belonging in our urban spaces.

An evening of film and discussion, celebrating the launch of Theatrum Mundi’s book ‘Urban Backstages’. The conversation following the screening of these films covered themes around value, culture and regeneration in the context of London’s constantly shifting cultural and urban landscape.