Banbury theatre company to host next festival workshop at unusual venue

The event hosted by the Cherwell Theatre Company, and supported by Oxfordshire Community Foundation, Cherwell District Council and the Ragdoll Foundation is free to attend.

The event will see young people take over the car park space at the new Lidl Supermarket on Spiceball Park Road, Banbury for a fun filled day of comedy, music, drama, film screenings and interactive workshops for all the family.

Tristan Jackson- Pate, artistic director for the Cherwell Theatre Company, said: "Our young people had a fantastic week over the Easter holidays devising work with a range of professional artists. From film-making, to performance poetry, there were so many opportunities for participants to try new things and to tell their stories the way they wanted to."

The week culminated in a live streamed 'work in progress' performance of work developed by young people which will soon feature in the festival event, alongside performances from professional companies.

The programme on June 5 is split into two. From 2-4.30pm on June 5 ages 0-11 can enjoy a range of participatory workshops from illustration to music and puppet making.

Mr Jackson-Pate added: "There are so many great artists involved in this project. There are also fantastic family performances on offer by the brilliant Emma Boor, Under The Bed Theatre's brilliant 'Where Do the Lost Socks Go?' show, which comes straight from Brighton Fringe Festival, and the musical stylings of the David Gibb Trio, a phenomenal kids band based right here in Banbury."

From 5pm Ages 12+ can join the event, which features a range of comedy and drama based workshops with performances from the Oxford Imps improvisation troupe, and the main showcase itself which features live theatre, stand up comedy, performance poetry and film screenings; all work created by young people throughout this project.

Mr Jackson-Pate added: "Our team have been working exceptionally hard with Cherwell District Council, Wild Property and the team at Castle Quay to make this a Covid compliant event, which can be enjoyed safely by local residents.

"As such, there is a limited allocation of free tickets for families with children aged 0-11 and for young people aged 12+. I'd encourage anyone interested in finding out more to visit our website and book their free tickets as soon as possible, to avoid disappointment."

To view the full programme of workshops and performances and to book your free tickets, please visit www.cherwelltheatrecompany.co.uk.