Angus MacKechnie and Hannah Cox - Jackson Lane Arts Centre

Jacksons Lane Arts Centre is a multi-arts venue in Highgate, north London, located in a Grade II listed former Wesleyan Methodist church. The building is home to a 170 capacity theatre, a large scale dance and rehearsal studio, a cafe-bar and four other multi-purpose spaces.

We chatted with Angus MacKechnie and Hannah Cox, the joint CEOs. With Angus’s first season as Creative Director now underway, there’s an opportunity to explore their vision for the UK’s home of contemporary circus and a much-loved North London cultural hub.

Angus, as your first season as Creative Director gets underway, and Hannah, as you lead on Executive operations, how are the two of you establishing your joint-CEO partnership to shape the next chapter of Jacksons Lane?
Hannah: We’re both coming at Jacksons Lane from different perspectives but with a really shared ambition for its future. We both care deeply about the organisation's role in the lives of artists, audiences and communities. Working in a CEO partnership creates a lot of space for challenge, creativity and big thinking, but it also helps us stay connected to the day-to-day realities of running a busy Arts Centre. It feels like a model that's helping us be more ambitious, not less.

Angus: One of the most useful and straightforward things about this partnership is that we bring different experiences and perceptions. Hannah knows Jacksons Lane like the back of her hand and brings an understanding of the organisation, its people and, crucially, its place in the community. I bring a different perspective from my work as a producer, programmer advocate across theatre, festivals, outdoor arts and circus.

What really interests me is how those different experiences can help us ask bigger questions about Jacksons Lane. We're not dividing the organisation into artistic and operational halves; we're jointly responsible for its future. And having someone alongside you who can challenge your thinking, share the difficult decisions and occasionally tell you when you're getting carried away is a pretty handy thing.

Jacksons Lane holds a unique dual identity: it is the UK's premier home for contemporary circus while remaining a cherished North London community hub. How do you ensure national artistic influence and local civic relevance enrich—rather than compete with—one another?
Hannah: For us, the two identities are inseparable. The same creativity that drives exciting new artistic work can also create meaningful experiences for local people. We don't see a tension between being a national leader in circus and being a vital local arts centre. In fact, each makes the other stronger. Local communities deserve access to ambitious, world-class work, and artists benefit enormously from being rooted in a building that's alive with community activity every day.

Angus: One of the most exciting things about Jacksons Lane is that these two worlds can genuinely feed each other. It’s amazing to see extraordinary international circus be happening in a neighbourhood arts centre in Highgate. And a young person discovering circus for the first time in Haringey should feel they have a very real part of that same creative world. We have an opportunity for artists and communities to inspire each other with local intel and international ambition.

Contemporary circus often faces misconceptions in traditional theatre spaces. Why do you feel the art form deserves greater visibility across the wider UK theatre landscape, and how can Jacksons Lane lead that shift?
Angus: I could (and do) bang on about this for hours, but circus is one of the most exciting and inventive performance forms around, yet it still feels overlooked in the UK arts landscape. There's sometimes an assumption that circus is just a collection of tricks (and sometimes it is just that), rather than an artform capable of telling extraordinary stories, exploring complex ideas and moving an audience as profoundly as any piece of theatre or dance.

Of course, the skills are breathtaking but contemporary circus is also about the relationships between performers, the possibilities of the human body and the tension between risk and trust. It can be funny, political, deeply moving and occasionally completely anarchic.

I want Jacksons Lane to be somewhere that audiences discover circus, but also somewhere that helps make the case for the artform nationally. That means supporting artists, building relationships with other venues and helping contemporary circus take its rightful place in the wider performing arts landscape. 

Circus risk-taking is physical, emotional, and structural. What specific support, space, and conditions do artists need from a venue like Jacksons Lane to experiment and build groundbreaking new performance?

Angus: First and foremost, financial investment, which is sorely lacking in contemporary circus in the UK. Artists need time, space, trust and permission not to get everything right first time, but they need to be paid. We talk a lot about artistic risk, but it's very difficult to take risks when every creative decision has to rely on goodwill from the artists.

While we don't have the cash to invest directly, finding other ways to support artist development is all the more important. Our Summer Circus Hub opens up the building for artists to experiment, share ideas, learn from each other and test new work with audiences. But we have to think beyond those early stages, helping artists turn ideas into productions that can tour, connecting them with producers, partners and funding and supporting the development of sustainable careers. Ultimately, building a thriving circus sector needs proper, long-term financial investment alongside the creative support that organisations like Jacksons Lane, Bristol Circus City, Out There Arts and the training establishments can offer. 

Contemporary circus can push aesthetic and narrative boundaries. How do you welcome audiences—from first-time visitors to seasoned theatergoers—into performances that defy standard expectations?
Angus: I really do believe that one of the advantages of circus is that you don't need to know anything about it to have an interesting experience. It's immediate, thrilling, funny and often completely unexpected. Our job is to encourage that curiosity and build audiences who trust Jacksons Lane enough to take a chance on something unfamiliar.

Hannah: Circus is incredibly accessible and a great route into experiencing live performance. You don't need specialist knowledge or particular cultural references to connect with and enjoy it. People respond to the skill, the risk, the humour, the emotion and the storytelling on a really human level. Our job is to create an environment where people feel comfortable being curious, trying something new and trusting that not knowing exactly what to expect is part of the fun.

With your upcoming seasonal programming—from Halloween half-term cabaret to festive family shows—how are you using contemporary circus skills to reimagine classic holiday traditions?
Angus: Halloween and Christmas are great opportunities to introduce families to the extraordinary range of circus and live performance. For our Super Spooky Circus Cabaret for Kids, we're working with Abi Collins, a hugely experienced cabaret performer, to create and curate the show. She's not specifically worked in children's theatre before, but we're bringing the same level of artistry, technical skill and experience you'd expect from a West End circus cabaret, exploring how that work can connect with a younger audience. There should be some great laughs too.

At Christmas, we've got six very different shows bringing together circus, theatre, puppetry, dance and music. I'd love to see even more circus in our Christmas programme, and that's something I hope we can build on in future years.

The winter season brings diverse local audiences through your doors. How do your Halloween and Christmas offerings cater to multiple generations simultaneously, balancing high-level artistry with accessible, community-minded joy?
Hannah: In my experience, the best family experiences are the ones where everyone can gasp, laugh and have a brilliant time all together. It’s about cultivating that shared experience which will last beyond the end of the show and still be talked about over dinner days later. Circus is particularly fantastic at achieving that because it combines extraordinary, breathtaking skill with playfulness and wonder. It’s a little bit impossible, which is captivating for children and adults alike.

Our aim is always to create experiences that feel welcoming, joyful and accessible, while still showcasing the exceptional artistry and creativity that Jacksons Lane is known for. We don't see artistic excellence and accessibility as competing priorities. The most memorable work achieves both.

We also think carefully about whose stories are being told on our stages and who audiences see reflected there. In a borough as diverse as Haringey, it's important that the artists we work with represent the richness of our communities. Everyone should be able to see something of themselves in the work, while also being introduced to different perspectives and experiences. That's what helps create a sense of connection across generations, cultures and communities.

Angus: Great family theatre is made for everyone in the room, not just the youngest person. All our children’s work is about creating something that genuinely engages different generations, without ever compromising on artistic ambition or quality. The real test is when the adults put down their phones to enjoy the show with their kids.

What should a neighbourhood arts centre mean to the people living directly on its doorstep today? How has that mandate evolved for high-street cultural venues post-pandemic?
Hannah: At a time when fewer spaces exist where people from different backgrounds and generations regularly come together, arts centres have an increasingly important civic role to play. Your local arts centre should be more than somewhere you come to watch a performance. It should be a place where people feel welcome and inspired, where you can try new things and feel part of a community. That's a role Jacksons Lane has always played. We have participants who have taken part in programmes with us for over a decade, people who use our space who used to come as children and rediscovered us as adults, and people walking through the door for the very first time. It’s all important.

Angus: an arts centre should be somewhere you feel you have a stake in, whether you're coming to see a show, taking part in a workshop, meeting friends in the café or simply finding out what's going on.
There's something increasingly important about places where people can come together without everything being about consumption or commerce (although we do want to sell you a ticket or two). Arts centres, as opposed to pure performance venues, have a unique ability to create those connections because active creativity gives people something to share.

I also think we should be ambitious on behalf of our local communities. People living on our doorstep deserve access to extraordinary artists, ambitious ideas and work from across the world. And the artists benefit from being rooted in a real, living community rather than working in isolation.

Beyond the main auditorium, Jacksons Lane is known for using circus arts to build confidence, well-being, and social connection. Could you share a standout example of how participation projects impact youth or older generations locally?
Hannah: Our Youth Circus has run for over a decade and it’s an extraordinary programme, run from community spaces across Haringey, which sees young people aged 4 – 17 learning circus skills for free every week. One of my biggest highlights in our year is the Youth Circus showcase where 80+ young people come together to share their devised circus performances and their very best tricks in an auditorium packed with their family and friends. The atmosphere is electric and you can feel the pride of the participants pouring off the stage. It’s so important to have those moments where they can celebrate and be celebrated, and realise they are part of something much bigger. Over the years I've seen participants grow up on our stage. Some are now supporting our holiday programmes as paid assistants, and others have gone on to advanced training. What matters just as much, though, is their confidence, and belief in what they're capable of.

Angus: One thing that most excites me here at Jacksons Lane is the possibility of circus being something you discover and continue to enjoy throughout your life.

We talk about young people discovering circus, developing skills and perhaps going on to professional training, but that isn’t the end of the story… circus is about physical possibility, confidence, collaboration and challenging what you think your body can do at any time of life. Those things can be just as powerful for someone in their seventies as for someone who's seven.

I'm particularly interested in how we bring our work with older people and our circus expertise closer together, creating opportunities not just for participation but potentially for performance too.

Culture can sometimes feel exclusionary or geographically isolated. What practical initiatives are you implementing to ensure the Highgate facility remains accessible, affordable, and welcoming to all corners of Haringey and beyond?
Hannah: Accessibility isn't something we think about separately from the rest of our work; it's at the heart of why Jacksons Lane exists. Haringey is an extraordinary borough, but it's also a place of real contrasts, with areas of significant affluence sitting alongside communities facing high levels of poverty, inequality and social isolation. It's vital that the benefits of culture reach the people and communities who can gain the most from them.

That's why so much of our work happens beyond our building. Every year we work with more than 30 community organisations and local venues, delivering activity in community spaces, supported housing schemes and alongside other cultural partners across the borough. We try wherever possible to keep opportunities low-cost or free and to remove barriers to participation.

Jacksons Lane was founded by local residents who recognised a need in the community and understood the power of people working together to create meaningful social change. More than fifty years later, that spirit still run through everything we do. While the programmes and audiences may have evolved, our belief that culture can bring people together, create opportunity and strengthen communities remains unchanged. We want everyone to feel that this is their cultural home, whether they come through our front doors or engage with us somewhere else in their community.

If you look back at this current era of your joint leadership five years from now, what would be the single clearest sign that Jacksons Lane successfully reshaped the UK circus landscape?
Angus: I'd like Jacksons Lane to be recognised not just for presenting great contemporary circus, but for helping create it, supporting artists, commissioning new work and advocating for greater investment and recognition across the UK. And a show created here in our studios in Haringey touring across Europe would be a pretty great measure of success too…

Ultimately, it's about strengthening the circus sector while making Jacksons Lane an even more exciting and welcoming place for our local, national and international communities. I'd love to see new leaders emerging within a thriving circus sector and young people who've discovered circus through our programmes creating extraordinary work for our stage. Those ambitions really do belong together.

Hannah: For me, success would be Jacksons Lane feeling more alive, connected and ambitious than ever. I'd like it to be recognised as a national example of how arts centres can nurture an art form, strengthen communities and create opportunities for people at every stage of life.

My hope is that Jacksons Lane becomes a place where a lifelong love of circus and creativity can begin. Whether someone first encounters us as a child or in their eighties, they can continue finding inspiration, connection and joy here for years to come. Alongside that, I'd love to see more circus artists building sustainable careers, creating bold new work and developing their practice through the support they received here.

If, in five years' time, Jacksons Lane is known as a place where artists and communities don't simply exist alongside one another but actively shape, challenge and support each other to thrive, I'd feel incredibly proud of what we'd achieved.

You can find out more about the work at Jacksons Lane by visiting their website https://www.jacksonslane.org.uk/