"It is rare to find an organisation with this quality, community focus, and ambition."
-Rob Huggins, Chief Executive Liberdade Community Development Trust
Mortal Fools is a multi-award-winning theatre, drama, and creative learning company based in Ashington, Northumberland - specialising in co-creating dynamic, original theatre-based art work with children, young people and communities and using it as a tool for positive social change.
In 2018, we were named 'Small Charity of the Year' at the North-East Charity Awards, and in 2021 we won 'Best Arts & Business Partnership' with Vida Creative for our work on Melva Digital. In 2022, we were nominated for 'Uniquely North East' in the North East Charity Awards, and in 2023 we were nominated for a National Diversity Award. Both nominations were for our high-impact work with vulnerable young people, many of whom have intersectional needs.
We are a purpose-driven organisation. Our work must be relevant to and matter in wider society, and make a demonstrable and measurable difference to those we work with.
Positive mental health and wellbeing outcomes are an integral part of our work. We use the ratified PERMA Framework™ as our approach to embedding, monitoring, and evaluating the impact of our work against defined wellbeing outcomes. Therefore we can demonstrate that our work brings about changes in behaviour and outlook, confidence, personal accomplishment, resilience, and positive self-image - and empowers young people for a more positive future.
We are working to create a society where everyone is motivated, engaged, and able to bring their unique abilities to help make the world a little bit better. The problems of the world are essentially the problems of individuals. And through supporting individuals to change, together we may just be able to change the world.
In 2018, we were named 'Small Charity of the Year' at the North-East Charity Awards, and in 2021 we won 'Best Arts & Business Partnership' with Vida Creative for our work on Melva Digital. In 2022, we were nominated for 'Uniquely North East' in the North East Charity Awards, and in 2023 we were nominated for a National Diversity Award. Both nominations were for our high-impact work with vulnerable young people, many of whom have intersectional needs.
We are a purpose-driven organisation. Our work must be relevant to and matter in wider society, and make a demonstrable and measurable difference to those we work with.
Positive mental health and wellbeing outcomes are an integral part of our work. We use the ratified PERMA Framework™ as our approach to embedding, monitoring, and evaluating the impact of our work against defined wellbeing outcomes. Therefore we can demonstrate that our work brings about changes in behaviour and outlook, confidence, personal accomplishment, resilience, and positive self-image - and empowers young people for a more positive future.
We are working to create a society where everyone is motivated, engaged, and able to bring their unique abilities to help make the world a little bit better. The problems of the world are essentially the problems of individuals. And through supporting individuals to change, together we may just be able to change the world.
A Message from our Artistic Director & CEO, Kiz Crosbie:
“I’ve been with Mortal Fools since its inception, almost 11 years ago, and my excitement, belief, and drive for this fantastic organisation remains unwavering.
We are committed to enabling the delivery of life-enhancing experiences for our thousands of beneficiaries. Young people need more opportunities to use the arts to explore, understand, and express their current experiences, questions, concerns and hopes, and I’m excited for Mortal Fools to do this with them, now and into the future.
April 2023 saw Mortal Fools join Arts Council England’s National Portfolio of regularly funded organisations. This signals a new chapter for us as a growing company, and on a national stage. Mortal Fools has demonstrated considerable resilience and ingenuity throughout a challenging period for the cultural sector, pivoting our work to keep serving audiences with high-quality participatory arts opportunities, whilst learning and growing through the experience. The 3 years of investment from Arts Council is a welcome addition, which, alongside our other funding supporters, will provide us with greater stability in a tumultuous economic climate and enable us to treat our staff team properly so they can continue to provide excellent services for our beneficiaries and audiences.”
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WHY we do what we do...
We work with children and young people - with the aim of contributing to shaping future generations to become a society where everyone is motivated, engaged, and able to bring their unique abilities to help make the world a little bit better...
The creative arts are at the core of everything we do. We use theatre and drama to help people unlock their personal brilliance. Whilst it may not be crucial to survival, creativity is a fundamental human need, and vital for a fulfilling life. The act of creating something makes us feel present, and that we can make a mark on this world – it shouts, ‘I’m here!’ We use the creative arts to support people in their personal and professional development; helping those we work with to bring about changes in behaviour and outlook, to build confidence, experience personal accomplishment, and shape a more positive self-image. We believe that many of the world’s problems arise from disengagement, and that fundamental to engagement and well-being is having a positive self-image, confidence, and a sense of purpose. We are working to create a society where everyone is motivated, engaged, and able to bring their unique abilities to help make the world a little bit better. The problems of the world are essentially the problems of individuals. Through supporting individuals to change, together we may just be able to change the world. 
HOW we do what we do...
We use high-quality drama and the process of making and performing theatre as our tools for change, supporting the next generation by focusing on activities with children and young people.
We’re passionate about the arts and know that they have the potential to change and enrich lives, to share and show our potential as human beings, and to transform society. Our theatre productions explore contemporary concerns and the realities of the world we’re living in right now – inviting positive change. We believe there is huge value in shared, enjoyable, and entertaining experiences, and of group achievement – especially through challenges. The way we work supports achieving excellence in both the process of making theatre and in the end products. Our work with adults and businesses is founded on the same principles and values that we apply when making theatre; creating an environment that is genuinely supportive and accessible, where everyone feels valued as an individual, and is enabled to contribute. 
WHAT we do...
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Main funders: Arts Council England Community Foundation Kavli Trust North East Combined Authority Northumberland County Council Postcode Community Trust- Millionaire Street Funding Project/Programme-specific funders: Ashington Town Council BBC Children in Need Co-Op Local Community Fund Garfield Weston Foundation Hadrian Trust Hays Travel Foundation Healthier Together North East and Cumbria Natural England NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board Northumberland Children’s Trust Northumberland Community Chest Northumberland LCEP Paul Hamlyn Foundation Promise Awards- World Youth Clubs Ridley Family Charity Sir James Knott Trust Sylvia Waddilove Foundation UK The Catherine Cookson Charitable Trust The D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust The Joicey Trust The Rothley Trust Youth Music Partners & Supporters: Accelerate Ashington Advance Northumberland Appleby Technical Art Works Alliance Arts Centre Washington Ashington Children’s Network Beyond Youth Children & Young People’s Mental Health Coalition Children North East Culture Northumberland Curious Arts Cyber North Gosforth Civic Theatre & Liberdade Community Development Trust Highfield Middle School Muckle LLP NCEA Duke’s Secondary School NENC Child Health & Wellbeing Network Newcastle Gateshead Initiative North East and North Cumbria NHS North East Cultural Freelancers North East Museums Northumberland Arts Development Northumberland College Northumberland Employability Network Northumberland Health and Wellbeing Network Northumberland High Sheriff Pride Action North Riding Mill Parish Halls Trust Ryder Architecture Schools North East Small Business Northumberland Square One Law Thriving Together Northumberland Trinity College London TSG Foundation Virgin Money Womble Bond Dickinson Foundation YMCA Northumberland Youth Employment UK Youth Theatre – national NPO partners and ‘Running a Youth Theatre’ network |
