Thanks to generous donations from members of the public, charities, trusts and local businesses, the Wonderfund is celebrating achieving its ambitious first year aim to fund theatre trips for 4,000 young people from state schools to The Egg at the Theatre Royal Bath.
In its first year, the Wonderfund has reached 40 local organisations including primary schools, secondary schools, special schools and educational groups. The scheme has also succeeded in alleviating other barriers such as transport and teacher cover for the schools facing the greatest hardship.
The 4,000 young people who have benefitted from the Wonderfund so far are pupils, aged from 4 to 18 years old, from state schools based in Bath, Corsham, Radstock, Keynsham, Trowbridge, Freshford, Bristol, Bathford, Yate, Durrington, Calne, Winsley, Lovington, Marksbury, Swindon and Chippenham – with more children and new schools being added every day.
Notably, a third of the schools who have experienced live theatre paid for by the Wonderfund had never engaged with The Egg before and for many of the young people involved it was the first time they had ever been to the theatre.
Andrea Harris, Head of Development at Theatre Royal Bath, said, “Nothing could be more magical than the sound of excited chatter from the school groups as they arrive at The Egg for a performance. Teachers, without exception, are thrilled to be able to bring their classes and share the special adventure of what is often a child’s first theatre trip. The joy of The Egg is that such a wonderful response can be embraced in this world class theatre designed especially for young people and their families.”
Some of the many Wonderfunded theatre experiences enjoyed by young people at The Egg over the past eight months have included The Living Tree, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, Jina and the Stem Sisters, Hot in Here, Five Children and It, Everything Has Changed, Breathe, A Square World, Macbeth and I Want My Hat Back Trilogy.
As part of the Wonderfund’s work, the team from The Egg have delivered a Playground Tour and the Education Officer has visited 20 schools to extend The Egg’s engagement with the community and spread the word about the Wonderfund.
Looking to the future, the Wonderfund is already working hard to extend its programme to Spring 2024 and beyond to achieve the best possible impact for young people and teachers, ensuring that schools are supported to embrace the arts and bring their children to the theatre.
Sam Kenyon Hamp, Education Officer at The Egg, said, “Whilst maintaining our relationships with previous Wonderfunded organisations, we are looking to extend our reach to more schools with high pupil premium, more rural schools and more special schools and schools with low engagement with the arts. We also want to see 35% of all young audiences visiting the Egg to be young people attending with their school or nursery.”
Andrea Harris, Head of Development at Theatre Royal Bath, added, “Our ambitions for the Wonderfund continue to grow as support blossoms with new partners emerging all the time. By the end of the next financial year, our aim is for an additional 4,500 children and young people from diverse backgrounds in Bath and North East Somerset to experience the life enhancing and transforming impact of theatre.
“We encourage families, who are able to come to some of the wonderful family shows we have lined up for Easter and throughout the Spring, to think about whether they can ‘pay it forward’ for others by donating the cost of a Wonderfund ticket for just £10!”
The Wonderfund’s Pay It Forward campaign allows theatregoers buying a ticket at the Theatre Royal Bath to donate the cost of another ticket to the Wonderfund ticket bank. Wvery Pay It Forward donation represents a young person’s ticket to the little bit of wonder that could make a lifelong difference to them.
Anyone wishing to donate to the Wonderfund can do so at the Theatre Royal Bath Box Office on 01225 448844, online at theatreroyal.org.uk or by texting the word WONDER to 70470 to donate £10 (texts cost the donation plus a standard network rate message).