This year, theatre works! brought the magic of live theatre to young audiences, inspired by their heartfelt reactions to shows like The Boys at the Back of the Class. With your support, we’re creating educational programs and expanding opportunities for disadvantaged young people. Until 31st December, donations will be matched—help us spark dreams and open new doors!

Shoebox Theatre competition hosted by our Education Coordinator Lucy Bellingham.

We are thrilled to announce the award of a £1,000 grant from The Honourable Company of Gloucestershire Charitable Trust, which will open up the world of live theatre to around 80 disadvantaged school children across Gloucestershire.

In this issue, we aim to raise £30,000 ($40,000) to fund a part-time education coordinator for three years, enabling us to provide enriching educational and workshop materials that help children enjoy theatre while gaining essential life skills. We also celebrate recent milestones, including reaching 15,000 children served, welcoming our new Honorary Patron, Baroness Floella Benjamin, and the excitement of providing over 600 tickets to The Lion King through Disney's support.

We are delighted that Prime Minister Keir Starmer has made it clear that he is strongly committed to supporting the arts. He highlights the major benefit the arts give to children’s economic and social success, and notes it is particularly important for those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

In this issue, we are introduced to the theatre works! team. Building a strong team is one of the things we are doing to create a sustainable future for theatre works! There’s also the big reveal of our new strap line and we have big giveaways from the producers of Wicked and to attend the Globe theatre.

Although simply “giving cash” is the most popular way for people to donate to charity, there are other ways to make gifts both during your lifetime and after death.

As our charity grows and the potential becomes clearer we need to add to our small enthusiastic volunteer group with the following part-time remote working roles.

In this issue, we share comments from children and teachers who attended recent theatre performances. Additionally, we spotlight an exciting venture where theatre becomes a powerful tool in addressing teen mental health issues. These stories not only showcase the impact of theatre on young minds but also illustrate how it serves as a catalyst for discussion and understanding around critical topics.

We are thrilled to announce that The Cotswold Youth Theatre Group was recently awarded a spectacular evening at The Bridge Theatre in London to see the acclaimed production of "Guys & Dolls."

This month we hit a meaningful milestone - 8000 children will now experience the joy of live theatre through our programme. We think of each theatre ticket as a gateway for a child, unlocking doors to imagination, inspiration, and the sheer delight that live theatre brings.

We are pleased to announce that the musical Wicked has chosen theatre works! as their charity partner for Wicked Day celebrations taking place 30 October to 1 November.

We’ve just finished our busiest period to date, with grants for over 1700 theatre tickets approved for disadvantaged children in the last three months. We are also excited to announce the receipt of a generous donation of £10,000 from an anonymous donor… click to read more.