A Thriving Theatre And Arts Scene

The Theatre and Arts Service at Caerphilly County Borough Council are celebrating yet another very busy year – which included a record breaking Christmas pantomime! ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Throughout 2016, Blackwood Miners’ Institute hosted a total of 178 performances at the venue, attracting over 52,400 audience members. The ever-popular pantomime, which for 2016 was Beauty and the Beast, proved more popular than ever, welcoming 15,377 audience members during the show’s run. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

A truly family friendly venue, during 2016 Blackwood Miners’ Institute hosted 41 performances for children and families – including a number of ‘relaxed’ performances, specifically designed to welcome people who benefit from a more relaxed performance environment. The theatre also became the first ‘dementia friendly’ theatre in Wales, following months of close partnership working with the Alzheimer’s Society to ensure the venue complied with the high standards required to receive such prestigious status. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The Arts Development team also had an equally busy year, accessing £291,200 of external funding to develop projects through grant applications and partnership working. Almost 24,000 people participated in arts activities during 2016 and an additional 76,350 engaged with the arts through the service. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Some highlights included the annual Community Dance Showcase held at Blackwood Miners’ Institute which featured over 230 participants from 11 different dance schools and groups, and the Caerphilly Youth Theatre, which sees over 60 young people regularly attending theatre sessions. 2016 saw the Caerphilly Youth Theatre produce their biggest and best-attended large scale production to date – with the impressive production of Grease, held at Blackwood Miners’ Institute. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The team have also been at the forefront of developing the Caerphilly Young Writers’ Squad, which has over 55 members. During 2016, the young people worked to create a poetry anthology on the theme of refugees, which was subsequently published and put on sale to raise money for Save the Children. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The newest edition to the service, the South East Wales Arts and Education Network, was officially launched in September. The network, which is a five year programme aimed at improving the range and quality of arts in schools, is hosted by the Caerphilly Theatre and Arts Service and covers the areas of Caerphilly, Monmouthshire, Newport, Blaenau Gwent and Torfaen. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The Arts Council Wales and Welsh Government funded programme aims to deliver a programme of high quality professional development for teachers, artists, and arts and cultural organisations, and coordinate networking opportunities to further develop arts in schools. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Cabinet Member Cllr Ken James said, “It’s certainly been a very busy and extremely productive year for our Theatre and Arts Service. We have a thriving arts and culture scene here in Caerphilly county borough, and it’s great to see that so many people continue to enjoy and engage with the theatre and arts at a local level”. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​