News
BBC chooses Central Hounslow Youth Theatre!
18 Feb 2011
Central Hounslow Youth Theatre (run by Bounce Theatre) is one of only 52 youth theatre groups nationwide to have been chosen to receive a grant from the BBC Performing Arts Fund.
The BBC Performing Arts Fund has awarded more than £190,000 to non-profit youth theatre groups across the UK through its Young People's Musical Theatre scheme. Partners of the scheme include the Voluntary Arts Network, the Media Trust and the National Operatic and Dramatic Association (NODA). A total of 52 groups have been given a grant to help them realise more ambitious projects, or to produce a musical theatre show for the very first time. In order to achieve these goals, the funding will be used to provide training and development opportunities for members, to run workshops, or to hire a professional director or choreographer, for example.
For Central Hounslow, the grant will enable them to bring a musical version of The Wizard Of Oz to Hounslow in June 2011. Production director Louise Pendry says " We have been lucky to receive a grant from Hounslow Council to turn The Wizard of Oz into a thriving community arts project. By June, we think over 100 local residents of all ages will have contributed to the show. Over Easter we will be working Age Concern and young people to produce mixed media art to form the backdrop for the show, there will be family puppetry workshops, design workshops, the chance to dance, sing and play live at the performance in an Oz band!"
She goes on to say "The BBC grant is a testimony to the young people from the group, as much of our application was founded on their desire to experience working on another production, after their first - Alice in Wonderland was mounted in July 2010. The group sold out two performance at the Paul Robeson theatre and were bitten with acting bug, along with feeling the benefits of making new friends, increasing confidence and being creative."
Central Hounslow Youth Theatre is an inclusive group between 9-12 years old, involving over 25 children from six local schools. It was established in 2006 in partnership between Bounce Theatre and Central Hounslow Extended Schools Services.
For more information about The Wizard of Oz and how to get involved, please visit http://www.bouncetheatre.com or call 02084081124.
The project was great for the children's confidence.