Lockdown diary – Week 15: launching Kiln Associates, Arts Award success, and The Fron Choir reach number one

13th April 2021

With spring in the air, we hope that we can now look forward to the moment when we can welcome you back through our doors for performances, and to our café. Until then, we hope you are continuing to stay safe and well.

We are making plans to reopen the theatre when indoor performances are able to restart, and are pleased to let you know that David Graham Productions will return to the New Vic with Third Time Lucky, Eric from Monday 17 May until Saturday 29 May. Eric is back with his blend of laugh-out-loud comedy and upbeat ’60s tunes in this show that is sure to lift spirits post-lockdown. Tickets are on sale now and you book online here.

This month, we have also been working on the launch of our Kiln Associates and Kiln Network programmes. Led by the New Vic’s Associate Director, Vicki Amedume, these are new initiatives that will help support and nurture the performing arts sector locally and nationally.  Kiln Associates will offer development opportunities to three other performing arts companies; and our Kiln Network will deliver a programme of talks, advice and inspiration, plus in-person and virtual gathering places for Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent based performing arts professionals.

If you know anybody who could benefit from these wonderful opportunities, please do help us spread the word! You can find out more about our scheme here.

Congratulations to our Arts Awarders!

Our Education team are very pleased to share the great news that their whole Arts Award group have passed their Silver awards. The national Arts Award scheme allows young people to get a wealth of experience from different theatre departments, and the Silver award is equivalent to a GCSE. Despite the course being interrupted half way through due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and work being taken online, the group worked really hard to complete the qualification. During the course these talented young people have produced online reviews, taken part in debates, and completed their own personal ‘arts challenges’ which have ranged from full show costume designs, to creating and editing a radio play.

It’s Not As Simple As Black and White uses ‘theatre of football’ to tackle racism

County-wide project It’s Not As Simple As Black and White has been launched by New Vic Borderlines, Port Vale FC Foundation, Sporting Communities CIC and Mackman Group, to use the power of football and the arts to tackle racism and unite communities. The  project is supported by the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government’s Faith, Race and Hate Crime Scheme and has already engaged over 700 people from 55 different groups. The team continues to work with groups of young people across Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire, to spark meaningful conversations that challenge prejudice and hate, and a short film inspired by some of the discussions has been released – you can watch it here.

New Vic favourites The Fron Choir hit Number One in classical Charts

The Froncysyllte Male Voice Choir, who we welcome annually at the New Vic, released their sixth album Voices of the Valley: Echoes last month, and were delighted to discover a week later that the recording had reached Number One in the Classical Artist Albums Chart! Vice-Chairman of The Fron Choir, Roger Williams, said: “It’s an amazing achievement and a real boost at a time when we have not been able to rehearse and sing together now for over a year which has been very difficult for all of us.” We’re so pleased for them!