Nottingham Playhouse is celebrating 10 years of Shine, its flagship community theatre programme, with a sharing event on 3 July. Shine provides free theatre sessions for young people aged 4-25 across Nottinghamshire.
Shine is a targeted theatre programme, enabling those who might otherwise face financial, geographical or medical barriers, to get access to theatre workshops. Drama is proven to help mental health and wellbeing, fosters a sense of community and boosts self-confidence, alongside developing transferable skills.
Nottingham Playhouse is a registered charity and relies on fundraising to support its broad Participation offer of over 60 different programmes for the local community. Fundraising activities include support from local community grants and trusts, national trusts and funders, and direct fundraising from audiences.
There are currently 14 Shine groups across the city and county, some based in community centres, others in schools and one at the Queens Medical Centre, for children who have long-term illnesses. One of the latest groups to be set up is in The Meadows, a legacy of the community engagement work that took place around James Graham’s Punch in 2024.
Shine’s term-time sessions offer a mixture of improvisation and devising skills, led by experienced practitioners, but also aim to give young people the opportunity to shape the development of the sessions themselves.
On Thursday 3 July, 11 Shine groups will come together to share their work on the main stage in a showcase called Taking Control. Inspired by George Orwell’s Animal Farm, which was recently produced at Nottingham Playhouse, they will explore themes of power, equality, kinship and hope, with young Nottingham voices telling stories that matter to them. The event will also see the launch of a new Shine logo.
- Soraya (15) takes part in the Aspley Shine group and commented:
“I love that we get to read actual scripts and do different games. I’ve learnt to be a leader of a group and to be more confident in myself.“
- Kathy Harwood, Higher Level Teaching Assistant at the QMC Hospital School, said:
“The Shine team have an amazing impact on all of our children. Sometimes, treatments are invasive, and what’s missing is the child being lost in the moment. For parents to see that smile come back, or a little giggle, that’s so important.
- Director of Participation, Tara Lopez, said:
“The 10th anniversary of Shine is a great opportunity to celebrate the impact of our flagship programme, working with young people across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. We engage with over 550 young people each year through this programme alone and we can see the impact and importance in terms of developing skills and self-confidence, creating a space for self-expression and supporting young people’s mental health. It is life-changing for some young people, and for many, the first and only opportunity to experience theatre and the performing arts for free.”
- Artistic Director at Nottingham Playhouse, Adam Penford, commented:
“Engaging young people through theatre enhances their communication and social skills, increases confidence and helps develop empathy and resilience. It’s a vital part of our work in the local community, and one of the most rewarding, as we see the young people thrive. Most of this work is supported through direct fundraising, particularly from our audience at panto time, and it is heart-warming and humbling to see the kindness and generosity of people in wanting to support this vital work.”
Shine was set up in 2015, to offer a structured and targeted resource for young people. It follows on a tradition of Nottingham Playhouse providing free community youth theatre for almost 10 years prior to that.
Other than Shine, the Participation team at Nottingham Playhouse offer a wide variety of programmes for all ages and abilities for the local community, from singing groups for toddlers to dance for the over 50s, theatre workshops for disabled people, to hosting a Conversation Café for refugees and asylum seekers.
You can make a donation and find out more about Shine at nottinghamplayhouse.co.uk.
Nottingham Playhouse is grateful to Nottinghamshire County Council, The Thomas Farr Charity and ChalleNGe for funding support.
The current Shine groups are:
· SHINE Aspley (based at Minver Crescent Sports Centre) ages 7 – 14
· SHINE Beechdale and Bilborough (based at Beechdale Community Centre) ages 7 – 11
· SHINE Carrington (based at Indian Community Centre Association) ages 7 – 13
· SHINE Chilwell (school based)
· SHINE Foxwood (school based)
· SHINE Mansfield (school based)
· SHINE The Meadows (Based at Queens Walk Community Centre) ages 7 – 11
· SHINE NEST (school based)
· SHINE Portland (school based)
· SHINE QMC (school based)
· SHINE Radford (school based)
· SHINE Rise Park and Top Valley (school based)
· SHINE Pathways (school based)
· SHINE Sneinton (school based)
Posted on 30 June 2025
