Theatre of Sanctuary

Nottingham Playhouse is proud to hold Theatre of Sanctuary status, awarded by City of Sanctuary UK, for our work with refugees and people seeking asylum.

We are delighted to have had our Theatre of Sanctuary status renewed for a further 3 years, to 2028.

This means we have made a provable commitment both now and into the future to be a welcoming, safe and enjoyable space for refugees and asylum seekers

Ultimately we strive at all times to represent our community and everyone in it. We want to invite as many people as possible into the world of theatre that we love so much and share all of its possibilities.

Get Involved

Join us at Nottingham Playhouse for our Conversation Café, where refugees and people seeking asylum can come for a free hot drink and a chat.

For an hour every week, our session leaders will be using creative topic discussions and games to encourage conversation. If you have lived experience of the asylum system and want to practice your English language skills in a relaxed and comfortable setting, come along by booking your free ticket now. We’re excited to welcome you here to say hello and enjoy a drink on us.

Book here

We believe theatre is for everybody, so we offer a limited number of bursary places for all of our Get Involved programmes. If cost is likely to be a barrier to taking part, please click here to fill out a bursary form. If you have lived experience of the asylum system, you are eligible for a bursary. We have activities for everyone of all ages from drama to crafting, have a look through our programmes by clicking here.

Want to learn more about what is happening behind the scenes to make a Theatre of Sanctuary tick?

We offer backstage tours to sanctuary seekers and organisations working with sanctuary seekers. If you are interested in booking a tour please contact participation@nottinghamplayhouse.co.uk

Statement from Chief Executive, Stephanie Sirr:

“Nottingham Playhouse is an organisation that welcomes everybody and is interested in everyone’s story. We understand that everybody who comes here has a right to refuge – a safe space to share stories and conversation. We keep that possible through removing whatever barriers we can – be those financial, information or simply confidence-related.”

Statement from Director of Participation, Tara Lopez:

“We are thrilled to once again be recognised for our commitment to supporting refugee and asylum seeker communities through our participatory and audience development initiatives. We are proud of the work done to date to ensure these communities feel welcome in our theatre, but this renewed status also highlights our desire to keep improving our offer and to ensure that everyone sees themselves represented and reflected within our building and on our stages.”

Jane Burd, Coordinator of the Nottingham City of Sanctuary:

“We are thrilled to announce that Nottingham Playhouse has successfully renewed their Theatre of Sanctuary award, reaffirming their commitment to welcome for another three years. The reaccreditation recognises Nottingham Playhouse’s sustained and deepening dedication to creating an inclusive space for people seeking sanctuary.

“Over the years, they have consistently demonstrated excellence in making theatre accessible and meaningful to refugee and asylum seeker communities. Their ongoing commitment to amplifying refugee voices, sharing diverse stories, and fostering cultural exchange continues to set a sterling example of what it means to be a Theatre of Sanctuary. We look forward to seeing how they build upon this foundation and further strengthen their vital work with people seeking sanctuary in the years ahead.”

“Their programmes consistently encourage a welcoming environment for everyone, especially refugee and asylum seeker communities. ”
Jane Burd, Coordinator of the Nottingham City of Sanctuary

Other Resources and Activities

: We have developed a webpage in collaboration with ASKLiON that signposts to resources for refugees and people seeking asylum and includes a directory of accessible events in the city. This page features on the ASKLiON homepage and Nottingham Playhouse will collect event information from city-wide organisations to upload to the page. If you’re a sanctuary seeker looking for services or events in Nottingham, click the button below.

Click Here to Visit this Page

If you have events that you would like to be included on this webpage, please email holly.wilson.01@nottinghamplayhouse.co.uk

: Through our 50:50 campaign, tickets are donated to charities and community groups – meaning that people who otherwise would not have the means to come to the theatre are able to. In the last 2 years, we have donated over 500 tickets to groups of refugees and people seeking asylum; including The British Red Cross, Nottingham Refugee Forum, The BACA Project, Refugee Futures, Woman’s Culture Exchange, Mojatu and Language Café. To find out more please email holly.wilson.01@nottinghamplayhouse.co.uk

If you’d like to donate to our 50:50 fund and give someone the gift of theatre, click here. A donation of just £10 will fund one person’s ticket.

: Shine is our flagship outreach programme, offering high quality drama workshops to young people across Nottinghamshire completely free of charge. We run weekly Shine workshops with NEST (Nottingham Education Sanctuary Team), a full-time educational provision for asylum seeker and refugee young people, aged 15-19 years. These sessions feature drama games and opportunities to devise theatre, which will help to grow confidence and dramatic skills.

: Members of our Participation and Marketing teams sit on the Nottingham City of Sanctuary Steering Group and we regularly host this group’s meetings in spaces at the Playhouse.

: We worked with Care4Calais to secure 12 bursary places for sanctuary seekers with their organisation to join us in workshops during our 2022 May half term Family Fest.

: In 2022, we reserved 3 places in our Work Experience programme 2022 for young sanctuary seekers to take part. These participants gained valuable experience in theatre to improve their CV and knowledge of the industry.

: Art of Belonging is a Nottingham-based consortium that believes the arts and culture play a vital role in fostering a world in which refugees and asylum seekers can thrive and contribute to the enrichment of our communities.

We are a part of the Art of Belonging Steering group, and actively look at ways we can enrich and develop the lives of refugee and asylum seekers in our community.

You can read more about the pledge here.