New exhibition celebrates theatre's work with young people
A new exhibition celebrating a theatre's work with young people in the community has gone on show in Wolverhampton.
The Stages exhibition from Wolverhampton Grand Theatre is now open to the public at the Light House.
On display is a wall of graffiti made by the young people, the graffiti art of Jack Sankson of GraffitiForU and a Cinderella dress made of patchwork stories from school students.
It also includes a series of free workshops that have been taking place this summer.
The workshops teach young people a variety of theatrical and artistic skills including drama, hip hop and bhangra dancing, costume making, graffiti art and more.
The exhibition highlights Speak Up, a new project for the theatre in direct partnership with the National Theatre.
The Grand Theatre will be working closely with schools in the area to help launch a new national programme which sees young people, who have been most affected by the pandemic, working in collaboration with local artists and teachers to co-create artistic responses to issues that are most important to them.
Responding to the current challenges in schools, the programme aims to develop young people’s self-expression, wellbeing and personal skills, with an open-ended offer to make creative projects in their local area.
Lucy-Ellen Parker, Speak Up and audiences manager at the Grand Theatre said: “At Wolverhampton Grand Theatre we strive to reach and positively impact the young people of Wolverhampton and the surrounding areas.
"We aim to ignite, excite and inspire the young people of Wolverhampton and the wider community to engage with the Grand Theatre and grow together in a cohort of peers who are committed to theatre and its development and impact in the West Midlands.
"We are hugely excited to have launched our Stages exhibition and connecting freelance creatives with young people to create engaging work. The Grand Theatre is committed to providing a platform for local young people to make their vital voices heard.”
The exhibition is open until the end of August at the Light House in the Chubb Building and is free to attend.
