Wiltshire Creative restarts in-person Youth Theatre

Youth Theatre sessions begin on Tuesday, September 22 at Salisbury Arts Centre, with groups available for all school year pupils from Year 2 to Year 12+.

Due to popular demand, another session has also been added on Thursdays at Salisbury Playhouse and weekly workshops are being offered at Bemerton Heath for pupils in school years 3 to 6.

Wiltshire Creative Associate Director Dave Orme said: “We’re really excited about starting up in-person Youth Theatre sessions once more.

"Naturally things will be very different and we’re focussing on keeping everyone safe, but it’s important that young people are given the chance to express themselves in creative ways and ensure that their voice is heard during these ground-shifting times.”

Pottery classes, Story Time Movers for pre-school children and Mind the Gap providing creative arts for the over 65s are all also re-starting sessions this week.

Meanwhile work has been going ahead behind the scenes at Salisbury Playhouse to ensure that audiences can safely return to the main auditorium in a Covid-secure way.

The capacity of Salisbury Playhouse’s main auditorium has been reduced from 512 to 148, with audiences sitting in their household bubbles across the auditorium and some rows completely removed.

Other measures include paperless ticketing, a one-way system, enhanced cleaning, mandatory face coverings, performances without intervals and advance ordering of refreshments available on newly installed tables amongst the seating.

A performance by Wiltshire Creative’s Performing and Production Arts students will be the first event on the newly reopened Salisbury Playhouse Main Stage on 6 October. The students will explore character and language through a series of spoken word pieces, monologues and poetry.

Other events on offer include theatre performances such as an acclaimed solo performance of Dickens’ Great Expectations by Kneehigh founder member David Mynne, Elton John: It’s A Little Bit Funny, telling the incredible story of one of the greatest singer/songwriters ever and Saikat Ahamed’s The Tiger and the Moustache.

Dance comes from Lila Dance with The Hotel Experience,  Lourdes Fernandez’s Raices Flamencas (a sell-out at the 2019 Salisbury International Arts Festival) and Lost Dog’s Juliet & Romeo, blending dance, theatre and comedy to tell possibly the real story of Romeo and Juliet.

Live music includes singer-songwriter and cellist Ayanna Witter-Johnson (recently seen on the first night of the BBC Proms) and folk duo Kathryn Roberts and Sean Lakeman. Stand-up comedy comes from Suzi Ruffell (Live at the Apollo, Mock the Week) and a night of the popular Barnstormers.

Screenings include Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake filmed live at Sadler’s Wells, the Old Vic’s production of Arthur Miller’s All My Sons starring Sally Field and Bill Pullman, Frida Kahlo: Exhibition on Screen and Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s huge hit Fleabag.

Gareth Machin, Artistic Director of Wiltshire Creative, said: “We’ve all been missing the thrill of live performance and we’re excited that this dynamic programme of dance, music, theatre, comedy and film will enable us to begin welcoming audiences back to Salisbury Playhouse again.”

The news comes as Wiltshire Creative completes a restructuring process designed to protect the future of the organisation. Its venues Salisbury Playhouse and Salisbury Arts Centre were temporarily closed in mid-March and Salisbury International Arts Festival 2020 was cancelled due to the pandemic.

Wiltshire Creative is restarting its popular Youth Theatre sessions as it prepares to open Salisbury Playhouse for the first time in more than six months.

Youth Theatre sessions begin on Tuesday 22 September at Salisbury Arts Centre, with groups available for all school year pupils from Year 2 to Year 12+. Due to popular demand, another session has been added on Thursdays at Salisbury Playhouse and weekly workshops are being offered at Bemerton Heath for pupils in school years 3 to 6.

Wiltshire Creative Associate Director Dave Orme said: “We’re really excited about starting up in-person Youth Theatre sessions once more. Naturally things will be very different and we’re focussing on keeping everyone safe, but it’s important that young people are given the chance to express themselves in creative ways and ensure that their voice is heard during these ground-shifting times.”

Pottery classes, Story Time Movers for pre-school children and Mind the Gap providing creative arts for the over 65s are all also re-starting sessions this week.

Meanwhile work has been going ahead behind the scenes at Salisbury Playhouse to ensure that audiences can safely return to the main auditorium in a Covid-secure way.

The capacity of Salisbury Playhouse’s main auditorium has been reduced from 512 to 148, with audiences sitting in their household bubbles across the auditorium and some rows completely removed.

Other measures include paperless ticketing, a one-way system, enhanced cleaning, mandatory face coverings, performances without intervals and advance ordering of refreshments available on newly installed tables amongst the seating.

A performance by Wiltshire Creative’s Performing and Production Arts students will be the first event on the newly reopened Salisbury Playhouse Main Stage on 6 October. The students will explore character and language through a series of spoken word pieces, monologues and poetry.

Other events on offer include theatre performances such as an acclaimed solo performance of Dickens’ Great Expectations by Kneehigh founder member David Mynne, Elton John: It’s A Little Bit Funny, telling the incredible story of one of the greatest singer/songwriters ever and Saikat Ahamed’s The Tiger and the Moustache.

Dance comes from Lila Dance with The Hotel Experience,  Lourdes Fernandez’s Raices Flamencas (a sell-out at the 2019 Salisbury International Arts Festival) and Lost Dog’s Juliet & Romeo, blending dance, theatre and comedy to tell possibly the real story of Romeo and Juliet.

Live music includes singer-songwriter and cellist Ayanna Witter-Johnson (recently seen on the first night of the BBC Proms) and folk duo Kathryn Roberts and Sean Lakeman. Stand-up comedy comes from Suzi Ruffell (Live at the Apollo, Mock the Week) and a night of the popular Barnstormers.

Screenings include Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake filmed live at Sadler’s Wells, the Old Vic’s production of Arthur Miller’s All My Sons starring Sally Field and Bill Pullman, Frida Kahlo: Exhibition on Screen and Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s huge hit Fleabag.

Gareth Machin, Artistic Director of Wiltshire Creative, said: “We’ve all been missing the thrill of live performance and we’re excited that this dynamic programme of dance, music, theatre, comedy and film will enable us to begin welcoming audiences back to Salisbury Playhouse again.”

The news comes as Wiltshire Creative completes a restructuring process designed to protect the future of the organisation. Its venues Salisbury Playhouse and Salisbury Arts Centre were temporarily closed in mid-March and Salisbury International Arts Festival 2020 was cancelled due to the pandemic.