Theatre Royal Plymouth are delighted to announce that South West Water’s parent company, Pennon Group, who have supported TRP for over 13 years, have agreed to another year of sponsorship for TRP’s community project, Young Company Hubs. This will be the third year that they have directly supported the project.
TRP bring their youth theatre, Young Company, to those that need their support the most through the Hubs project. They partner with local secondary schools in areas of high deprivation, where the young people have limited access to arts provision
Over the past academic year, they have taken Hubs into five local schools: Lipson Co-operative Academy, All Saints Academy, Marine Academy Plymouth, Saltash.net and Tor Bridge High. Thanks to Pennon’s sponsorship, TRP are reaching the young people within these schools and creating strong relationships with them, their families and their leadership teams.
They have run three terms of after school workshops in the last academic year. The young people involved, often referred to TRP by their teachers, will have expressed an interest in theatre and may need some help developing certain skills or they may face particular issues so would benefit from participation.
With Pennon’s support TRP are able to continue to offer further engagement opportunities alongside the workshops, as the young people are encouraged to audition for Young Company productions, take part in additional workshops with visiting companies and enjoy theatre trips.
TRP work very closely with the young people involved in the project to ensure that it is participant-focused, current and gives them what they most need. The young people develop a range of key skills including confidence, team building, communication, problem-solving, resilience and critical thinking – all of which are key for the next stage of their lives and beyond. It’s a safe space for young people to be open, say what they need to say, explore new opportunities and imagine themselves differently.
“Young Company Hubs has helped with my confidence. It is a safe space and sometimes feels like a therapy session for me. I hope it continues so that younger years can have the same opportunity” - Young Company Hubs member.
“I’ve never seen my child express themselves like this. What an incredible setting you have created here. We are forever grateful to the Young Company Hubs.” – parent of a Young Company Hubs member.
With this further funding from Pennon, TRP can connect with and inspire more young people in some of the most deprived areas of Plymouth.
Jane Pawson, TRP’s Head of Artistic Planning, Projects said: “We are delighted to be able to continue the Young Company Hubs with our partners schools. The generous support from Pennon allows us to reach young people that would otherwise not be able to get involved in youth theatre. Youth theatre allows young people to develop their skills in so many areas, develop friendships, have a creative outlet, and for many can have positives impacts which follow them into adulthood.”
Susan Davy, Chief Executive Officer of Pennon, said: “It’s important to us to promote and contribute to the region we live and work in, and we’re delighted to be continuing our proud sponsorship of the Theatre Royal Plymouth and the fantastic work it does through Young Company Hubs to support local schoolchildren.”