Back in June I wrote a piece for Yorkshire Bylines, ‘Climbing the Red Ladder’, about Red Ladder Theatre Company with whom I have had a great working relationship for several years and a company whose output I admire greatly. The article was about our work to make the arts in general far more accessible to a wide range of people.
Theatre for Wakefield
One of my last acts at the end of my time at Queen’s Mill in Castleford was to assist in a funding bid that Red Ladder put forward in partnership with The Cluntergate Centre, Horbury, in order to deliver its Theatre for Wakefield project that would do just that. I am thrilled that this has been made possible thanks to funding from a Wakefield Council culture grant.
As part of the project, Red Ladder and The Cluntergate Centre will work to deepen the reach and impact of cultural offerings in the district by taking high quality theatre and professionally run participatory projects to three venues across Wakefield: The Grove Hall in South Kirkby, Queen’s Mill in Castleford and The Cluntergate Centre itself in Horbury. This includes delivering three theatre shows at each venue from October 2022 to March 2023, with all show tickets £5 or below.
Chris Lloyd, Red Ladder producer, told me:
“Theatre often presents real and perceived logistical and economic barriers, but as a theatre company it is our mission to tackle these issues. Red Ladder’s ethos has always been to take theatre to wherever the audience is.
“Our Red Ladder Local scheme brings theatre to communities’ doorsteps, sharing powerful stories that reflect and represent the local community, or share a thought-provoking perspective.
“In these areas of Wakefield, which are often excluded from cultural participation, we hope with this funding, and the partnership with The Cluntergate Centre, we can increase cultural opportunities available in Wakefield and encourage creative aspirations in the district. We are also delighted to be continuing our long-standing relationship with these three venues, who have hosted numerous Red Ladder productions over the years.”
For the people of Wakefield
The Cluntergate Centre was awarded funding to create, produce and generate creative and cultural activity in Wakefield, for the people of Wakefield. The pieces have been specially chosen based on the venues and their members’ feedback, reflecting the communities they represent and their values.
Another element of the project is to build a creative network across Wakefield. Linking up these three venues, this will facilitate collaboration, allowing them to swap successes and discuss shared goals. This includes bringing new people to the centres, increasing participation at workshops, highlighting the venues as hire spaces, and increasing overall footfall.
The productions include: My Voice Was Heard But It Was Ignored, a gripping tussle of power which provokes questions about racial identity; and Blow Down, a production which explores the hopes and anxieties around the closure of Ferrybridge Power Station. Blow Down is expected to resonate with similar communities elsewhere in the North and the urgent need for ‘levelling up’. Plus, there’s Curious Investigators, an interactive engineering adventure for young scientists of three–seven years old, and their grownups. A fourth and final production is yet to be confirmed.
Arts are for everyone
Two free stand-up comedy courses will also be held at The Grove Hall from 18 January and The Cluntergate Centre from 22 January, run by comedian Alex Dunlop. The courses will provide attendees with an introduction to stand-up comedy and teach them the basics of creating and developing material and delivering it to audiences. Alex also runs the Armley Comedy Club for Leeds Playhouse, which is funded by Comic Relief and won the Best Age Friendly Outreach Award at the Fantastic for Families Awards 2022.
As well as this, at The Queen’s Mill Castleford from 12 January, Red Ladder will host its popular actor training course, Red Grit, a free and flexible alternative to formal acting training led by Red Ladder’s artistic director Rod Dixon. Open to anyone who wants to explore their potential as an actor, the eight weekly sessions will teach attendees how to create a character, develop relationships and work as an ensemble.
Also at The Queen’s Mill, the venue will host an Arts at the Arms event (12 December) providing an evening of cabaret from the best talent in the region.
Don’t you just love it when a plan comes to fruition? Please support these organisations in proving that the comment we hear so often of ‘the arts aren’t for people like us’, just isn’t true as long as there are the Red Ladders of this world around.
For full details on how to sign up to the stand-up comedy courses and Red Grit, audiences should visit Red Ladder’s website here. To buy tickets to attend Arts at the Arms at The Queen’s Mill, visit Red Ladder’s website here.
