UK update report - Spring 26

There is nothing like hearing directly from young people, teachers and parents about what a theatre visit can mean.

Thanks to our continuing partnership with Wicked, children from schools across the UK have experienced the excitement of a West End performance. You can feel their excitement in the following quotes: 

“The show was amazing, it was the best thing I have ever seen, the singing, dancing and show itself was incredible. Thank you for this experience.” Student, Baycroft School, Hampshire

“It was an absolute joy to take some of our most disadvantaged students on this trip… for the majority this had been their first time in the theatre.” Teacher of Music & Performing Arts, Co-op Academy, Stoke-on-Trent

“He was so excited and happy when he came back from the Wicked trip, he bounced and danced around and into the house… He said the best bit was everything.” Parent, Baycroft School, Hampshire

These are the moments that remind us why theatre works! exists. A theatre visit is not simply a few hours out of school. For many children, it is a first experience of live performance or a glimpse of the creative teamwork that produces great plays.

We are therefore delighted and deeply grateful that Wicked is renewing its support for theatre works! for a third year. This generous partnership has already opened the doors of one of the West End’s most loved productions to children who might otherwise never have had the chance to see it. 

We are also planning a special theatre works! Wicked Birthday Party on 26 September to mark our fifth birthday in the UK. Invitations will be sent to donors in August. It will be a particularly special event as it’s also Wicked’s 20th birthday. 

As theatre works! approaches this milestone, there is much to celebrate. Since we began, more than 33,000 children and young people across the UK and US have attended live professional theatre through our grants. But the need is growing quickly. We now receive far more deserving applications than we can fund.

That is why the next stage of our work matters so much. From our next UK grants window, opening on Monday 11 May, every theatre works! grant will include an educational component alongside the theatre visit. We want children not only to see a performance, but to learn from it and connect it to their own lives.

We are delighted to welcome Sir Derek Jacobi as an Honorary Patron of theatre works!. His support is a wonderful encouragement as we look ahead to the next five years.

And finally, a personal note. The theatre bug appears to have been passed down a generation. Two of our grandchildren, Leo, aged 8, and Calina, aged 11, recently appeared in a Minneapolis community production of Winnie the Pooh - Leo as a bee and Calina as a deer. When asked what the best part was, Calina said: “Honestly, meeting new friends and expressing who you are.”

We could not have put it better ourselves.

With warmest wishes,

Sharon Studer
Chair & Co-founder
theatre works!

Wicked and theatre works! - The Partnership That Keeps Growing

We are delighted that Wicked is once again supporting theatre works! with another £10,000 of free tickets. This partnership has already helped hundreds of young people experience the magic of live theatre in the West End. 

Wicked’s Wednesday matinees include a post-show Q&A, giving students the chance to hear from both performers and members of the backstage team. These conversations help young people understand that theatre is created by many different people, with many different skills. As a student said after a recent visit: 

‘One thing I enjoyed was talking about the jobs in theatre. The lesson made me think about how creative people can be in plays!’ Yr 5 student reacting to a theatre works! Education Hub lesson. Baycroft School.

This year’s Wicked promotion will help even more schools access this experience. We are hugely grateful to the Wicked team for their continuing generosity and belief in the value of our work.

As noted above, we are also planning a special theatre works! Wicked Birthday Party on 26 September to mark our fifth birthday in the UK. 

Sir Derek Jacobi Joins theatre works! as Honorary Patron

We are honoured to welcome Sir Derek Jacobi as an Honorary Patron of theatre works!.

Sir Derek’s career has inspired generations of theatre-goers, and his support for theatre works! is a wonderful endorsement of our mission: to make live professional theatre accessible to children and young people who might otherwise miss out.

At its heart, theatre works! is built on the simple belief that a child’s first encounter with live theatre can be unforgettable. It can spark curiosity and open doors for young people to the wide range of careers available in theatre. 

We are deeply grateful to Sir Derek for lending his name and encouragement to our work as we enter our next stage of growth.

UK Grants Window Opens Monday 11 May

Our next UK grants window opens on Monday 11 May and will support performances taking place after 1 August.

Applications will close on Friday 26 June.

From this round onwards, all theatre works! grants must include an educational component alongside the theatre visit. This might include a post-show Q&A, a teacher-led classroom activity, or use of the theatre works! Education Hub materials available on our website.

We are emphasising this need because we know that the greatest impact often comes when young people have the chance to explore a production before or after seeing it. A theatre visit can be powerful on its own, but when it is connected to discussion and reflection, the experience can go much further.

Eligible schools and theatres can find more information and apply through our website.

We’re Seeking a Part-Time General Manager

As theatre works! approaches its fifth birthday, we are planning carefully for the future.

We are looking for a part-time UK General Manager to help support the charity as it grows. This new role will help strengthen our day-to-day operations and allow Graham and me to focus more of our time on development and long-term sustainability. This is a paid position and only requires 1.5 to 2 days a week. It will be a shared position; we are also seeking a US person for the same amount of time. 

You can read more about the role on our website.

The Challenge Ahead: Meeting Growing Demand

Thanks to our supporters, we have provided grants enabling more than 33,000 children and young people to experience live professional theatre. Many of them came from schools where opportunities like this are rare, and many were attending theatre for the very first time.

The more difficult news is that demand for our grants is rising at exactly the moment when many charities are facing a tougher fundraising environment. We are now approaching a point where we can fund less than a quarter of the many deserving applications we receive.

That means saying no to schools and young people we would dearly like to support.

A gift of any size helps us say yes more often. A monthly donation is especially valuable because it allows us to plan ahead with greater confidence. Legacy commitments are also vital as we think about the long-term future of theatre works! and the children we hope to reach in the years ahead.

Please consider giving whatever you can at this time.

Education at the Heart of Every Visit

From this year onwards, education will sit even more firmly at the centre of the theatre works! model.

Our Education Hub already provides free resources for teachers, and we are continuing to develop materials that help students explore theatre before and after a performance. These resources are designed to be easy for busy teachers to use, while still encouraging thoughtful discussion, persuasive speaking, creative thinking, and curiosity about theatre careers.

Theatre can be thrilling in the moment. With the right educational support, it can also become part of a young person’s wider learning.

That is why every new grant will now include an educational element.

Thank You

As we look ahead to our fifth birthday celebration, we are more grateful than ever to everyone who has helped theatre works! grow from an idea into a charity that has reached tens of thousands of children.

Your support has opened theatre doors for young people who might otherwise never have had that chance.

Thank you for being part of the story.