Red Ladder Theatre Company has announced its partnership with The Cluntergate Centre, Horbury to deliver its Theatre for Wakefield project. The project, created by The Cluntergate Centre, has been made possible thanks to funding from Wakefield Council’s Culture Grant.

As part of the project, Red Ladder, with The Cluntergate Centre, will work to deepen the reach and impact of cultural offerings in the district by taking high-quality theatre and professionally run participatory projects to three venues across Wakefield: The Grove Hall in South Kirkby, Queen’s Mill in Castleford and The Cluntergate Centre itself in Horbury. This includes delivering three theatre shows at each venue from October 2022 – March 2023 with all show tickets £5 or below.

The Cluntergate Centre was awarded funding to create, produce and generate creative and cultural activity in Wakefield, for the people of Wakefield. The pieces have been specially chosen based on the venues and their members’ feedback, reflecting the communities they represent and their values.

Another element of the project is to build a creative network across Wakefield. Linking up these three venues will facilitate collaboration, allowing them to swap successes and discuss shared goals. This includes bringing new people to the centres, growing participation at workshops, showcasing the venues as hire spaces, and increasing overall footfall.

The productions include: My Voice Was Heard But It Was Ignored, a gripping tussle of power which provokes questions about racial identity, and Blow Down, a production which explores the hopes and anxieties around the closure of Ferrybridge Power Station. Blow Down is expected to resonate with similar communities in the north and the urgent need for ‘levelling up’. Plus, Curious Investigators, an interactive engineering adventure for young scientists of 3-7 years old, and their grown-ups. A fourth and final production is also yet to be confirmed.

Two free stand-up comedy courses will also be held at The Grove Hall from the 18^th of January and The Cluntergate Centre from the 22^nd of January, run by comedian Alex Dunlop. The courses will provide attendees with an introduction to stand-up comedy and teach them the basics of creating and developing material, and delivering it to audiences. Alex also runs the Armley Comedy Club for Leeds Playhouse, which is funded by Comic Relief and won the Best Age Friendly Outreach Award at the Fantastic for Families Awards 2022.

As well as this, at The Queen’s Mill Castleford from the 12^th of January, Red Ladder will host its popular actor training course, Red Grit, a free and flexible alternative to formal acting training led by Red Ladder’s Artistic Director, Rod Dixon. Open to anyone who wants to explore their potential as an actor, the eight weekly sessions will teach attendees how to create a character, develop relationships and work as an ensemble. Also at The Queen’s Mill, the venue will host an Arts At The Arms event (12th December) providing an evening of cabaret from the best talent in the region.

For full details on how to sign up to the Stand-up Comedy courses and Red Grit, audiences should visit Red Ladder’s website here: https://www.redladder.co.uk/news/

To buy tickets to attend Arts At The Arms at The Queen’s Mill, visit Red Ladder’s website here: https://www.redladder.co.uk/whatson/arts-at-the-arms/

The performances were supported with a Culture Grant by Wakefield Council.