On Tuesday 11th September over 170 young secondary school pupils from Central Foundations Girls Schools, Jo Richardson Community School, Preston Manor All Through Co-operative School, Whitefield School, Gladesmore Community School, Harris Academy South Norwood and The Black Ticket Project attended a theatre production of Dreamgirls at The Savoy London as part of the Mayor of London’s #BehindEveryGreatCity campaign.
The Mayor is working with theatres in London this month to throw open their doors to children from disadvantaged backgrounds who don’t usually get to go to the theatre.
Boroughs with schools attending included:
Tower Hamlets, Barking and Dagenham, Brent, Barnet, Haringey and Croydon
The Mayor is working with theatres in London this month to throw open their doors to children from disadvantaged backgrounds who don’t usually get to go to the theatre.
The schools visiting Dreamgirls at the Savoy Theatre have been participating in the Mayor’s summer school programme – Stepping Stones. The programme aims to support vulnerable young people in their transition from primary to secondary school, through positive activities such as summer schools and peer mentoring. The programme is now running in 15 new London schools thanks to scale-up funding from the Mayor’s Young Londoners Fund.
Women are a driving force in the London theatre scene, from running some of the biggest theatres as Executive Directors such as Kate Varah at The Old Vic, to production and numerous lead roles in an increasing number of women-led productions. Following the performance, Priya Parmar – co-author of the show – spoke to the children about her role in the production and her journey into theatre, with the aim of inspiring the next generation of theatrical talent.
About #BehindEveryGreatCity
To mark the centenary of the first women in the UK winning the right to vote, and to drive forward gender equality across the city today, the Mayor has launched a year-long women’s equality campaign: #BehindEveryGreatCity.
The campaign will include a year-long programme of public art by women artists on London Underground and the unveiling of the first statue of a women – suffragist leader Millicent Fawcett – in Parliament Square. For more information, visit: https://www.london.gov.uk/about-us/mayor-london/behindeverygreatcity
