Community Theatre Celebrates Milestone

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A Huddersfield based community arts and theatre company has been bringing Yorkshire to life for the past 21 years.
Established in 1995, Chol Theatre has been providing entertainment, producing thought provoking plays, supporting talented writers, inspiring budding actors, engaging local communities and boosting the local economy and arts scene; quite an achievement for a small community theatre company.

Over two decades ago, husband and wife team, Adam and Kim Strickson set up Chol Theatre as an innovative multilingual theatre company, specialising in theatre projects that celebrated connections between different communities.

Susan Burns, Creative Producer of Chol Theatre has been integral to the development of the organisation over the last 15 years and explains; “Engagement is at the heart of everything we do and has been since our inauguration. We divide our time between cultural education projects and producing plays in local communities. We are always out and about in neighbourhoods, working with real people. Our core ethos is that theatre has the power and potential to transcend boundaries regardless of race, age, religion, culture, or postcode.”

Huddersfield will be put under the spotlight in April as a compelling new play gives a surprising, funny and emotional snapshot of what it’s like living in this great northern town. Produced by Chol Theatre, in association with The Lawrence Batley Theatre, the thought provoking drama will celebrate the Yorkshire town’s culture, residents and workers by bringing to life the testimonials of 100 people in a story all about one day.

Susan continues; “For the last 10 years I’ve had the desire to uncover and showcase the vibrant mix of culture and attitudes in West Yorkshire, so we asked 100 people the same three questions about what it’s like to live in Huddersfield, their hopes and their fears. Through the recruitment of local budding actors we have produced a captivating performance answering these questions and highlighting Huddersfield as one of the most diverse towns in Britain to live. Celebrating Huddersfield has always been part of our remit and our artistic programme is driven by our desire to involve people, sharing real people’s experiences of what it’s like living in this dynamic town. Making the arts accessible to everyone is part of our ethos and something we pride ourselves on. We’re delighted to be able to put on this production, showcasing the talents of our aspiring actors and taking the audience on a journey into the lives of those who live in an ever changing energetic town.”

Directed by Amanda Huxtable and funded through the Arts Council England and Kirklees Council, the opening scene begins at the iconic railway station, which was built in 1846-50 and is recognisable in architectural circles for its classic front. The stories include those of a wannabe salsa dancer, a student, a health worker, a graphic designer, a Syrian refugee, ayoung mum and a barista.

Chol Theatre prides itself on being in the heart of the community, running projects in local youth centres and in partnerships with housing associations. From muddy fields to swimming pools, the organisation is always on the hunt for new and exciting spaces to tell stories. Last summer, it presented a unique interactive outdoor show set in beach huts, in association with Creative Scene and Connect Housing. Residents were invited to take part in free arts workshops, which gave people the chance to build a beach hut, sew a fish, paint the set and imagine, tell and perform stories, all in the middle of Dewsbury town centre.

Core funding is provided by Arts Council England and Kirklees Council, yet as a charity, it still requires individual donations. For the last four years, Chol Theatre has had a profoundly positive effect on over 8000 young people’s lives through its ‘Imaginary Communities’ programme. Now a permanent fixture in 12 schools across Yorkshire, Chol Theatre works with teachers to deliver a drama based approach to education. Results have been phenomenal in literacy attainment across the curriculum.

Susan concludes; “It’s fantastic to reach such a milestone and we are eternally grateful for all the support we’ve received over the years. Our aim is and always will be, to empower ordinary people through the experience of making theatre and connecting people from different areas and different backgrounds. We will run a range of community projects over the next year, in addition to our play, HD100 at the Lawrence Batley Theatre, but we want to do lots more. There are still so many people we haven’t reached, maybe in another 21 years we will have.”

HD100 will premiere at The Lawrence Batley Theatre for two nights on the 14th and15th April. Tickets cost £10-£14, under 26s £7 and Kirklees Passport Holders receive £3 off. They can be bought online at www.thelbt.org or via the box office on 01484 430528.

For more information contact Assistant Director, Carly Clarke at the Chol Theatre office on 01484 536008 or email her on carly@choltheatre.co.uk

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