There’s an obvious question to ask South Street Arts Centre co-ordinator John Luther, and I went straight in with it.
To be fair to John he was a good sport – turns out I, as as I thought I might be, wasn’t the first to make the connection with a certain impulsive TV detective – and it was great to see the centre in the daylight.
The only time I’d previously visited was for Craft Theory Festival last year and with all the crowds and bars spread around the venue, it looked very different.
The centre had an £800,000 refurbishment in 2016 having previously been under threat of closure and is now an impressive space for theatre productions, comedy and live music.
Find out how to listen to the latest podcast below.
In the interview, which will be available on the podcast this week John talks about some of the musical acts that have passed through the doors and particularly about Reading’s comedy circuit which has seen some big names on stage at the venue.
Leaving the best until last, he told us about the time actual famous musical comedy act Flight of the Conchords (and Oscar winning performers Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie) came to South Street and what happened. I feel awkward just thinking about it.
As ever, comments, questions and suggestions for future guests are very welcome!
Oh, and here’s how you can listen to the podcast that contains everything from Cow Lane to Reading’s Monkey tax here.
