Love Blog: I was at the RFH last Friday night

I was at the RFH last Friday night, notebook in hand, ready to talk to strangers. I was expecting it to be lively (it was) and a very different crowd – but I was wrong about the latter. Although there were many people there for the performance, the ten minute dances, the hanging out with friends on the balcony, there were also many people on their own who I recognised from the daytime. I’d thought of them being there as a day shift, somewhere to go to fill the 9-5 when you don’t have a job, or your job is on your laptop. Of course there are many other day visitors going specifically for events or as part of a southbank day but these are the people I’ve seen on a regular basis and I hadn’t thought about how the same reasons they are there in the day are also relevant in the evening. It is a remarkable space for a community.

Sarah Carne’s This is a Public Service Announcement is taking place during the Festival of Love (6 June – 31 August 2015) at Southbank Centre.