Community, Projects & Outreach Work
Our Outreach work is everything we do to support and get involved with our local community. At the Theatre we know the life-changing impact getting involved in the arts can have. We also know the arts can be hard to access. Our aim is to break down barriers, and get everyone – young people, families, elders, schools, youth groups and more – involved in the life of the theatre.
If you ever want to get involved in theatre activities or to find out more about our free meals, films and plays, just send me a message to Clare at [email protected] or on 01608 649 112. I have free places for anyone who needs them. Remember, you are always welcome at the Theatre. Come as you are, this is your home too.
Bursaries
The Theatre is for everyone, and we never want finances to prevent people from getting involved and joining us. Our core, year-round Take Part activities are charged so we can pay for the practitioners and resources needed to deliver them. We are incredibly lucky to have the support of the Tony & Judith Yarrow Bursary, which enables us to make one third of our Youth Theatre places now 100% free.
If you are interested in a bursary place please complete the form below and pop it back to us at the Theatre Box Office or via email. Or if forms aren’t for you then give me a ring or an email and we can chat instead:
Community Tickets
We are delighted to give out free community tickets for our films and plays to partner groups and local families who otherwise might not be able to join us. Recently, we have given tickets to: local mental health groups, families entitled to free school meals, St Mary’s life skills group, Chippy Larder users, local care homes, our wonderful local Ukrainian families and many more.
If you would like to access free community tickets for yourself, your family or a local group, please just get in touch with Clare.
Free School Meals
Every holiday we offer free school lunches for children and young people whose families are stretched by current costs of living. This year we have given out over 5,000 free lunches.
We work with the nurture team in our local primary schools and family support team in our local secondary school, as well as the Methodist church food bank, Chippy Larder and St Mary’s Outreach to reach local families who could use this support.
Every free meal we give out comes with free art activities, and every major holiday we also offer free film screenings or free tickets to our shows, breaking down barriers and getting families involved in their local theatre.
If you would like to find out more or to join our free lunches programme please contact Clare.
Work Experience
Year-round, our Outreach team are happy to receive work experience requests. We get lots of requests, so we prioritise young people who might face challenges or where we can offer extra help and support. Please check out our work experience info pages, and if you need any extra support to make work experience work for you, just let us know and we’ll do all we can:
https://www.chippingnortontheatre.com/get-involved/volunteer
Our Projects
Throughout the year, we run projects in response to the needs of the town and surrounding area. Our aim is to support our local community, and to be present where the need is greatest. This year our focuses have been on those facing financial hardship and on mental health.
Breaking Down Barriers:
Acting Out saw 14 highly talented young people who are entitled to free school meals join us for a targeted youth theatre term at Glyme Hall. They performed in our YT showcase, blew us all away, and 12 of them plus 2 siblings have now joined YT on bursary places – we can’t wait to see what they come up with for next year’s showcase.
During the summer, we worked with Oxfordshire County Council to run 3 weeks of theatre, film-making and backstage learning for children entitled to free school meals as part of the Holidays Activities Fund. 45 places got booked out within 2 days, and we had a blast making performances, trying new foods and having fun on Fridays at Chippy Lido.
Mental Health:
Mental Health is a priority this year, with young people deeply impacted by the aftermath of the pandemic. The CAMHS waiting list in our area is years long, and we are doing what we can in partnership with Chipping Norton School to support pupils who are struggling with low mood and anxiety. This year we have been working with year 7s, year 9s and year 10s once a week with specialist practitioner Abie Walton, focusing on using theatre and drama to support anxiety and low mood.
We also made 650 mental health art support packages for local children, given out at the three schools, St Mary’s, Remix and Chippy Larder. If you or your child could use some mental health activities at home please get in touch. You can download our mental health pack here, and we have boxes ready for you:
Reaching all Ages:
We are also popping up once a term at Remix, the town’s after school club run by St Mary’s Outreach team. We’re bringing art and performance activities to get local teenagers trying new things and involved in the arts.
Throughout the year, we also run Reminiscence Sessions for local care homes and day centres for elders, aimed at reducing isolation and supporting those with memory loss and dementia. Recent highlights include items from Chippy Museum and the Royal Mint bringing the Jubilee celebrations to life, and our 50th Panto exhibition touring to local care homes. If you’d like us to bring our free reminiscence sessions to your setting please get in touch.
Get Involved:
If you know a group who you think would benefit from working with us at the Theatre, get in touch anytime and we can work together. All our projects rely on funding, so we will seek out support and find a way to help local groups however we can.
01608649112
