Between Autumn 2024 and Spring 2025, our Youth Theatre groups worked on the Light Up project; exploring light, imagination, creativity and joy!
We interact daily with light; from bright summer days to Christmas twinkly lights, from guiding streetlights to cozy torch lights, from putting “the big light on” in the living room to the excitement when the lights “go down” at the cinema.
For this project we challenged our youth theatre to explore the ways in which light illuminates the beauty in the world around us, influences our mood and perspective and in the absence of light, what mystery and magic may exist.
Light Up inspired new characters from a clown who just can't get off to sleep, to a party of adults finally letting loose, and a fairy hunter questioning societal norms! We created hilarious scenarios, and meaningful moments, drawing attention to the people and ideas that matter to our members - their guiding lights.
In addition to exploring the concept of light, our groups worked with our Youth Theatre Practitioners and Production Staff to experiment with theatre lighting as a production tool to create captivating performances, bringing different characters, environments and memories to life.
For this project we challenged our youth theatre to explore the ways in which light illuminates the beauty in the world around us, influences our mood and perspective and in the absence of light, what mystery and magic may exist.
Light Up inspired new characters from a clown who just can't get off to sleep, to a party of adults finally letting loose, and a fairy hunter questioning societal norms! We created hilarious scenarios, and meaningful moments, drawing attention to the people and ideas that matter to our members - their guiding lights.
In addition to exploring the concept of light, our groups worked with our Youth Theatre Practitioners and Production Staff to experiment with theatre lighting as a production tool to create captivating performances, bringing different characters, environments and memories to life.
KEY SUCCESSES
- Worked with 71 young people across 4 youth theatre groups and 2 creative intervention groups to co-create a wide range of performances and creative outputs.
- Ran 2 live events with audiences of 163 people including friends and family, local advocates, charity workers a youth group and more. This was a great opportunity to spark interesting youth led conversations and foster community connections.
- Experimented with theatre lighting as a production tool, using shadow, projection, light trail photography and more to create bold and captivating theatre.
- Tried out different performance techniques and styles using clowning, spoken word, movement based performance, music, comedy and more to unlock their imaginations.
- Experimented with new ways of presenting theatre and creative projects, using guided promenade performance at NCEA Dukes Secondary School and providing lots of creative, interactive activities for our audiences to get involved with!
- Collaborated with YMCA Northumberland to work with a group of 13 young people to design a multimedia installation based around their love of music.
"This was a brilliant project for working in new ways with our youth theatre groups. Everyone embraced the idea of ‘light up’ being more than just a theme, it was a way of working and creating performance together. The young people really enjoyed working across the project to learn about telling stories in different ways.
Staff and youth theatre members all go to try working in new ways and create things we hadn’t created before, like an art installation and an immersive Christmas party. We also explored stories around ‘light up’, the people, places and hobbies that bring us joy, as well as learning about light pollution, and how sometimes we need to break away to let our own light shine.
- Zoe Lamming, Lead Artistic Practitioner
"I was proud of the enthusiasm in my lines, it got better every performance."
- Youth Theatre Member
LIGHT UP LIVE EVENTS
In January and February 2025, we held events in Ashington and Tyne Valley for our Mortal Fools Youth Theatre and Creative Interventions groups to showcase short performances and art pieces created by them.
Light Up Tyne Valley
The whole of Tyne Valley shined during our creative cabaret event at Riding Mill Parish Hall, where our members showcased funny and thoughtful short performances.
The hall was transformed into a vibrant performance space; and audiences were taken to outer space, unleashed their inner nerds, discovered new things and had a good laugh, all while the Parish Hall lit up around them!
The hall was transformed into a vibrant performance space; and audiences were taken to outer space, unleashed their inner nerds, discovered new things and had a good laugh, all while the Parish Hall lit up around them!
Light Up Ashington
This exciting youth theatre event was bursting with colour, mystery and creativity, designed to help visitors discover their guiding light.
We invited audiences to explore our Gallery of Light at Dukes Secondary School, taking in 4 playful short performances and 3 thoughtful installations, all created by our Ashington Youth Theatre and Creative Interventions groups based at Dukes Secondary School and YMCA Northumberland.
We went on a magical journey meeting fairies and shadow creatures, indulging in childhood nostalgia as we reignited long-forgotten memories, and sharing what brings us joy.
We invited audiences to explore our Gallery of Light at Dukes Secondary School, taking in 4 playful short performances and 3 thoughtful installations, all created by our Ashington Youth Theatre and Creative Interventions groups based at Dukes Secondary School and YMCA Northumberland.
We went on a magical journey meeting fairies and shadow creatures, indulging in childhood nostalgia as we reignited long-forgotten memories, and sharing what brings us joy.
LIGHT UP PHOTOS
AUDIENCE FEEDBACK
"I enjoyed it hugely and was impressed by the setting, acting, smooth choreography, lighting – all of it. It was a real pleasure to be part of the audience, and also to see how much the audience appreciated it all too."
- Lucia Bridgeman, High Sheriff of Northumberland
"Very enjoyable show. The cast were all excellent. Use of lights was beautiful. It was obvious everyone was enjoying performing and felt safe and included."
- Audience member
"The small performances were really powerful and impactful. Great way to demonstrate and show emotions and challenges young people are faced with"
