A Summer Celebration of Creativity!
Theatre Orchard and Culture Weston are inviting the Weston community to celebrate the Summer with them in a bumper-packed programme of free, creative activities.
Join Theatre Orchard’s Engagement team for drama, dance and art workshops being held on Coniston Green Park on the Bournville estate in Weston, as part of the SWAN Summer Playscheme. Drop in for free, family sessions including streetdance, mural design and comedy improvisation, with guaranteed fun and laughter for all ages. Taking place on Tuesday 10 and Tuesday 31 August from 12pm to 2pm, everyone welcome!
Become one of the ‘Wild World Heroes’ with this year’s Summer Reading Challenge, a national library project aiming to not only get children reading but also connected to their local environment. Working in partnership with North Somerset Council, Theatre Orchard will be offering a free session of drama, music and creativity exploring local environmental issues and helping children to create their own superhero in the most imaginative of ways! You can take part on:
Monday 16 August – The Campus Library, Worle (10.30am – 11.15am)
Tuesday 24 August – Worle Library and Children’s Centre (10.30am – 11.15am)
Tuesday 24 August – Weston Central Library (1.30pm – 2.15pm)
These sessions are aimed at 8 – 11 year olds and are all free but spaces are limited. Booking in advance via Eventbrite at https://bit.ly/NSLibrariesEventbrite
Angela Athay-Hunt, Engagement Manager at Theatre Orchard, said: “With staycations on the rise and lots of young people spending the Summer in their home towns, creativity can add some fun and sparkle to the holidays! Check out all the wonderful activities we have lined up – all free and fun guaranteed!”
A series of artist-led youth workshops will also be taking place in late August and September, as part of Picture This, a public campaign and art competition inviting residents to share their visions of life in a zero carbon future society. The workshops will explore environmental issues and co-develop a youth-centred vision for a carbon neutral North Somerset.
The project is a partnership between North Somerset Council and Culture Weston, which aims to inspire local people and provoke change to make North Somerset carbon neutral by 2030.
The first Picture This ‘Lino Printing and Patterning’ workshop for young people is taking place on Wednesday 25 August at Weston Artspace, 73 High Street, Weston. Sessions are at 10am to 11am for 7 to 11 year olds and from 1.30pm to 3pm for
12 – 16 year-olds.
Artists Ramona Eve and Jasmine Collings will be encouraging social action in a fun, colourful and imaginative way, sharing sustainable and environmentally friendly arts practices in this hands-on session where young people will make multiple prints with FSC certified paper and eco-friendly inks. Artwork created will include designs to submit to an exhibition and ‘Printstallation’. Group ideas will also inspire a handprinted poster campaign featuring images and manifesto messages, to encourage people to make positive choices for the environment, that will be ‘wheat pasted’ in locations across North Somerset.
Following workshops will take place on Tuesday 31 August at the For All Healthy Living Centre, 68 Lonsdale Avenue, Weston, BS23 3SJ from 12pm to 2pm, as part of the SWAN Summer Playscheme, with more workshops planned for September in other areas. Details will be coming soon at superculture.org.uk and updates will be announced on Theatre Orchard and Culture Weston’s social media platforms.
The Summer culminates in a Party in the Park on Saturday 4 September being held at Coniston Green Park, Weston-super-Mare, BS23 3RX. People are invited to come along from 2pm to 5pm for a free afternoon of circus, arts, dance and music for all the family.
Marvel at one-woman trapeze artist Tilly Lee-Kronick and her outstanding aerial show ‘Ripe’, packed with laughter, fun and fresh ideas. Tilly is a Bristol trained singer, dancer, aerialist and physical theatre performer. She has worked for renowned circus company Cirque Bijou and performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Prepare to be amazed by Roll Up, Roll Up as Simple Cypher perform explosive tricks within a large, spinning steel ring known as a Cyr Wheel, fusing Hip Hop and acrobatics with juggling in an innovative and original way to create a truly dynamic performance. The performance will be followed by a circus skills workshop, bookable on the day.
Join a host of artists for a variety of uplifting, creative activities, including Future Radicals art activities, music and creative play session for under 5s, a family dance flashmob, a large scale community art canvas, poetry with Shagufta Iqbal and much more.
Elsewhere in Weston this Summer, several community groups will be working with professional artists to create stunning new benches for the gardens of Weston General Hospital, to be launched as part of Weston Arts + Health Week from 18-26 September.
To find out more about Theatre Orchard’s year-round programme of engagement, including the new Autumn season for Theatre Orchard Youth drama group starting on 16 September, check out theatreorchard.org.uk or contact engage@theatreorchard.org.uk for more information.