Published: Tuesday, 12th March 2024
Oldham Council is pleased to support Oldham Coliseum Theatre's newly-announced spring and summer programme of theatre, live performance and creative activities.
Aimed at people of all ages and backgrounds, plans include the Coliseum at the Roundabout, a 167-seater pop-up theatre that will host a variety of live events and an artistic programme focusing on work made in Oldham.
The theatre will open next month and run until July, with many events free to attend.
Councillor Arooj Shah, Leader of Oldham Council, said: “I’m delighted that we as a council are working hand in hand with Oldham Coliseum on their spring and summer programme.
“The plans, including the pop-up theatre, will give local people and community groups the chance to take part in new and exciting activities, as well as giving us all the opportunity to go and enjoy some brilliant performances.
“As we move forward with the Coliseum on our joint plans for their future home, it’s so important that we keep working together to provide cultural, artistic and educational opportunities in the meantime – keeping the Coliseum’s proud legacy of producing theatre beating in the heart of our town.”
As well as the artistic programme, the Coliseum team are inviting local community groups to use the space at the Roundabout, which was developed by theatre company Paines Plough as the world’s first pop-up, plug-and-play theatre and has been hosted at locations up and down the country.
Already set to take place are activities for Full Circle, the Coliseum's over 50s group, Culture and Chips, where local people come together to discuss arts and culture in Oldham, and Roma Connections, a project for Roma women. Other groups are being invited to take part by Oldham Theatre Workshop as part of their partnership with the Coliseum. These include LumenUS, for young people with special educational needs; Chrysalis, a company for adults with a range of physical and learning disabilities; and its creative youth council, a group to help shape the future of theatre in Oldham.
There will be opportunities for aspiring theatre technicians and creatives, including the return of the popular Cultivate Festival, the Coliseum’s unmissable opportunity for anyone wanting to get into the different areas of theatre.
There will also be space for local theatre makers to develop and showcase their work through ‘Crafted at the Coliseum’, a new project where local theatre makers will be offered a bursary and given access to the theatre space for a week to progress work they are developing, with the option to present in front of a ticketed audience.
This August will see the return of the Khushi Festival, named after the Urdu word for happiness, with local community groups working with specially commissioned artists to co-create brand new pieces of work. Poet Nasima Begum will be working with Werneth CHAI; actor and facilitator Perveen Hussain will be working with West Oldham CHAI and the Indian Association; and folk arts and craft visual artist Maryam Hussain will work with Yuvanis Foundation and a group from Greenhill Community Sports and Recreation Club.
Lauren Clancy, Interim Chief Executive, Oldham Coliseum Theatre said: "We've been working with local community groups as part of an engagement process to look at what they would like to see in Oldham, so we’re thrilled to unveil some of our plans for the year ahead, in which we’re bringing new opportunities for people of all ages to come and be creative.
"The Coliseum at the Roundabout is a lynchpin for those plans - a beautiful, theatrical space that will offer artists, community groups and audiences the chance to explore, develop and experience theatre in different ways."
More details about the Oldham Coliseum Theatre spring and summer programme, which is supported by Oldham Council and Arts Council England, will be released shortly.
Last year's programme was enjoyed by thousands of children and young people and included partnering with Stand & Be Counted Theatre on an eight-week project, working with over 200 participants drawn from local community groups and clubs, who came together to co-create a live event, 'Gifted', which took place in December.
This involved a free magical craft trail which transformed Oldham's historic Hilton arcade into an interactive family adventure, where hundreds of visitors gathered to make creative gift boxes celebrating the act of giving and the diversity of the town. Participants from the community groups also produced 2,000 activity books, which are now available through Oldham libraries.
The theatre also partnered with Oldham Theatre Workshop to produce the Christmas show 'The Wrong Reindeer', which reached thousands of people in Oldham Library’s Performance Space. In addition, the Coliseum funded a schools tour of the show, which was seen by 2,128 young people and involved 570 young people in creative workshops.
For further information visit the Oldham Coliseum Theatre website at www.coliseum.org.uk.