LOCAL COMMUNITY THEATRE COMPANY AWARDED 10K GRANT TO ENABLE COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION IN THE ARTS!
Moonstruck Astronaut community theatre company has been awarded a 10K grant raised by players of People’s Postcode Lottery to support staffing for their outdoor cross-arts workshops that run in the Easter and Summer holidays at Wrekin Forest School. The funding was awarded by Postcode Local Trust which is a grant-giving charity funded entirely by players of People’s Postcode Lottery.
The ‘Spring’ and ‘Summer Drama in the Forests’ are a highly creative series of week-long outdoor cross-arts workshops for 6 to 12 year olds where they learn a plethora of soft skills through play and grow their confidence. Participants get the chance to work as a team crafting their own piece of unique theatre incorporating drama, music and movement skills they are taught. All feel a sense of accomplishment performing their play to families and friends at the end of the last day. Previous Drama in the Forests have received rave reviews from parents and guardians; ‘amazing and essential’, ‘confidence has increased massively’, ‘best holiday club we’ve had’.
The ‘Drama in the Forest’ projects are the brainchild of Hannah de Quincey, an experienced secondary school drama teacher and theatre director. She set up Moonstruck Astronaut as a not-for-profit Community Interest Company in December 2017 and has since obtained grant funding and support from several organisations to bring people from all walks of life together through theatre projects. Hannah wishes to express her thanks to the many people who have helped the theatre company progress and improve these past five years.
“What’s magic about each ‘Drama in the Forest’ is that they expose young children to the combination of movement, music and drama skills in an idyllic setting supported by wonderful, heart-centred staff and volunteers keen to make sure all the children thrive and grow. The concept of them is to unite children from an eclectic mix of backgrounds in creativity and the outdoors who would never get to meet otherwise and introduce them to the thrill of making community art while getting to play and chill in nature too.”
“Thank you to all who have supported the growth of the ‘Drama in the Forests’; in particular, Judie Udale and Bec James of Wrekin Forest School CIC, Nicky Kent of Social Heart CIC, Andy Craddock of Tech with No Limits CIC and Laura Atyeo of Open Harmony CIC who supported me to achieve this particular grant success. Thank you to my family and friends, especially my husband Ed for being my mainstay amid much change and uncertainty, financial and otherwise, these past five years. Thank you to all the sterling volunteers, particular mention to Alex Vickers, an Adams’ Grammar school graduate, who volunteered on all the Drama in the Forests until he left for Oxford University – he was a sensational and valuable male role model.”
“Setting up a not-for-profit community theatre company in Newport is a steep mountain to climb, and I’m still climbing! This grant has enabled the theatre company and myself to start to function as a viable not-for-profit business where I can make a living honouring my soul purpose, fairly paying myself and a team of admin/creatives/educators in order to introduce children, volunteers, families to the powerful benefits of communal creativity. Massive thank you to players of People’s Postcode Lottery for making our work viable and accessible by awarding us the funding through Postcode Local Trust so we can enable grassroots community participation in the arts through these timeless ‘Drama in the Forest’ workshops.”
For more info on the work of the theatre company go to www.moonstruckastronaut.com , watch our films on You Tube (search ‘Moonstruck Astronaut community theatre company’) and follow our Facebook (www.facebook.com/moonstruckastronaut/) and Instagram (@moonstruckastronaut).
For more info on the work of the Postcode Local Trust go to http://www.postcodelottery.co.uk/ and http://www.postcodelocaltrust.org.uk/
