Nursery World - Regional early years theatre scheme takes off

An early years project aimed at bringing theatre to more than 3,500 children in rural and less advantaged areas has selected six theatre companies that will be part of the scheme.

The Hopper project, a 20-month collaboration between Take Art, Surrey Arts and China Plate, is being trialled in Somerset and Surrey, where it will tour throughout 2018.

The six selected theatre companies were announced after months of ‘intense’ competition following a national call out for participants.

Over the next two years, Hopper will work with the six chosen companies to develop or adapt theatre shows for pre-schools, nurseries, village halls, libraries and children’s centres, focusing on children from areas of low arts engagement and deprived backgrounds.

Tamsin Mosse, Hopper project manager at Take Art, described the scheme as ‘pioneering’.

‘Social mobility in Somerset is very low. We think we can increase opportunities for disadvantaged families by creating a sustainable touring network of early years settings that have been encouraged to take on the role of promoters,’ Ms Mosse said.

Register now to continue reading

Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:

What's included