Theatre / acta
acta turns 30 with new funding and programmes
Congratulations to Bedminster community theatre company acta, which has been awarded a new grant from the BIG Lottery for the continuation of its successful local community arts programme Get Together.
The first four years of the project involved hundreds of local people in Bedminster and Redcliffe in creating a projects such as the first Bedminster Lantern Parade (2011), youth and kids’ theatre groups, a community choir, intergenerational projects with older people and children, and a programme of new plays devised and performed by local people – including Stories, which re-told the history of Redcliffe.
“The first four years were a real success,” says artistic director Neil Beddow, “and we are absolutely delighted that the BIG Lottery have decided to fund the next three years of Get Together. It means we can continue to offer fun, free and local theatre and arts activities to our community here in Bedminster and beyond.”
The new programme will include Making Time (weekly creative arts group for adults aged 55+), youth theatres, a community choir and the young adults’ theatre group, Phoenix. There will also be a new weekly adult theatre workshop, after-school kids’ theatres and holiday activities for families with children aged 5-7 years – the latter developed in partnership with acta’s neighbours, local school and children’s centre Compass Point.
Initiatives will start from September 7, as the acta centre is currently undergoing a large extension and refurbishment programme. The new space will include a studio for rehearsals, meetings and small performances, a bar and refurbished backstage space. The re-opening coincides with acta’s 30th birthday and, to mark this, the first show in the re-opened centre will be TheNow (Sept 23-Oct 1), a wry and comic look at social changes since 1985.
For more information, call acta on 0117 953 2448 or visit www.acta-bristol.com
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