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School children from Northend Primary, Bexley, were amongst the first to see inside the new £13m Unicorn Theatre on Tooley Street, Southwark.
The Unicorn Theatre is the first ever purpose designed professional theatre for children in the UK. It is a new national, cultural flagship and an international centre of excellence. The theatre formally opens on 1 December and will play to over 100,000 children per year, forming a major new arts and education resource for families and schools across the Capital.
Northend Primary pupils were taking part in Barclays First Class, a community initiative from Barclays PLC, to enable 1,500 children from across London to see Unicorn’s opening show, Tom’s Midnight Garden, before the theatre opens to the public.
Northend Primary Deputy Head Teacher, Gill Cantwell, said: “For many of the children here, this visit to the Unicorn is their first experience of theatre. So new is the experience that some struggle with the concept of theatre as apposed to film. It is tremendous that our children can come to the Unicorn; theatre, it links directly to our literacy work in the classroom, and this is an amazing opportunity for all the children.”
The schools taking part in Barclays First Class are those serving some of the most disadvantaged communities in their borough, emphasising Unicorn’s and Barclays’ commitment to make the new theatre accessible to all children regardless of background or parental income.
Barclays First Class is also providing transport, backpacks containing pencil cases and other stationery for schoolwork, programmes and ice creams as part of the initiative.
Debbie Philips, Community Manager, Barclays PLC said: “This is an exciting moment in the history of theatre for children in this country, and we are delighted to be making the experience accessible to children from all over London. At Barclays we are committed to communities and this initiative has given us the opportunity to make a real and lasting difference to the local community”.
Tony Graham, Artistic Director, Unicorn Theatre said: “The transformative power of theatre in the lives of children is a belief that drives the Unicorn. We have always aimed to reach out to all children regardless of their circumstances, and Barclays First Class helps us do this in the opening week of the theatre, underlining our commitment to access for all from the very beginning.”
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