The idea
The festival would include a variety of groups including children's theatre clubs, musical theatre groups, youth theatre, adult drama groups and other community groups. This will be performed over a weekend in Neston Town Hall to an audience of the wider community.
The festival will celebrate the creativity and talent in the Neston and Cheshire West area. Keeping it local in the market town of Neston will ensure that there is access to theatre activities in an area where transport links to bigger cities and town are severely restricted. This will result in ease of access for residents who do not drive, especailly the elderly.
The arts festival will also be offering opportunities to perform supported by theatre professionals. Community organisations such as the community centre and local churches will be offered collaboration opportunities as well as working in partnership with Neston Town Council.
The festival will take place over a weekend in the summer at Neston Town Hall.
What we'll deliver
- Dress and technical rehearsals for various groups
- Festival presentation weekend for the public
- Community involvement
- Professional mentor director
- Opportunities for local groups and individuals to perform
- Publicity for the event
Why it's a great idea
1. Promoting creativity and talent in Neston and the wider county
2. Improved social cohesion
3. Participation in the arts improves health and well being
4. The participants of all ages will have the opportunity to perform their material to a public audience. This gives a sense of value to their efforts.
5. As a small rural community, access to the arts can be difficult to achieve so having a participatory theatre festival delivered in that community provides more creative opportunities for engagement.
6. Little Actors' technical and staging equipment will enhance the production values of the space available.
The community will benefit from intergenerational interaction
7. Local coffee shops and other businesses would benefit from increase footfall as external groups come to the town to perform and bring their own audience with them.
8. Visiting groups will be faciltiated to stage their work in the town by Little Actors experienced staff.
Steps to get it done
- Set the dates for the festival
- Liaise with the venue to organise the festival
- Recruit the actor facilitators
- Recruit the participating groups
- Rehearse material with the groups
- Publicise the festival in the community
- Recruit volunteers
- Deliver the festival over a weekend in Neston Town Hall
- Recruit technical support
The Artistic Director of Little Actors has just completed the MA Applied Theatre at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. Therefore she and the company are demonstrating a committment to developing and enhancing theatre arts provision in Neston. In particular by cultivating and growing a positive relationship with Neston Town Council which manages the Town Hall venue, so as to develop theatre access in the town.
This festival will bring a much needed collaborative and participatory theatre event to the town. It will aim to involve as many people as possible as performers, volunteers and audience.
