Why we’re here
The Ladder exists to support theatre-makers who work in the wild. This is writers, performers, directors, designers, technologists, technicians, musicians and many more.
Who’s behind this?
The Ladder is run by Felix Mortimer and Joshua Nawras. They have worked together as theatre producers and venue operators for over 15 years.
They have performed plays in shops, tower blocks and warehouses and ran the music venue; Styx, in Tottenham, North London for five years.
They are transforming The Ladder into a place for performance-related organisations to develop new work. In September 2024, they hosted Harbour Festival, a new festival happening every two years in Redruth.
History of the building
Cornish philanthropist John Passmore Edwards founded the Redruth Library, now The Ladder, as part of a building programme initiated to deal with unemployment in 1895 after the copper mining industry rapidly declined in Redruth.
He bequeathed £2,000 for the construction of the library to match Octavius Allen Ferris
of Truro's sum for the provision of free libraries. "There was no reason why libraries", he said, "should not be universal - in every town, many, and in every village, one."
The renovation story
In 2021, we first visited the former Redruth Library and College; charmed by its gothic architecture and appalled by the sorry state we found it in, we began the process to fundraise to save it and renovate it for a renewed purpose.
In 2022 we leased the building from Cornwall Council and replaced all the windows, in 2023 we renovated the old college and worked with Naturally Learning to bring children to the building as a nursery, we also purchased the building in 2023 and began renovating the old library.
Our people
Josh Nawras
Josh is one of the founders of the Ladder, having previously run theatre company RIFT, and established London arts venue STYX, which closed in 2020. Josh is originally from Penzance and loves surfing and neolithic villages.
Felix Mortimer
Felix is one of the founders of the Ladder. Felix and Josh have worked together for 12 years, running their theatre company RIFT. Felix also works part-time for the Mayor of London's Culture Team, and bakes a mean sourdough, and brews slightly undrinkable beer.
Grace Davies
Grace is our Community and Engagement coordinator, supporting the many uses of the rooms within The Ladder’s granite walls. When Grace isn’t working for us you can find her in our resident creative writing hub, The Writers’ Block.