Theatre of Sanctuary

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

We are thrilled to have been awarded Theatre of Sanctuary status.

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

Conversation Café

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.

Bursary Places

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.

Backstage Tours

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 Head of Participation, Martin Berry

“This award is recognition of a deeply embedded desire to build bridges, tell stories and to connect with those who have come to this country to feel safe. It is just the beginning and we will continue working to ensure everyone feels they can call the Playhouse home.”

Jane Burd, Coordinator of the Nottingham City of Sanctuary

“Nottingham city of Sanctuary is delighted that the Nottingham Playhouse has been given their Theatre of Sanctuary award and would like to congratulate the team at the Playhouse for the work they have put into this recognition. It reflects the tremendous work the Theatre has done over many years to encourage participation and accessibility to people seeking sanctuary in Nottingham. Their programmes consistently encourage a welcoming environment for everyone, especially refugee and asylum seeker communities. We particularly look forward to their ongoing work to share stories and culture from people with lived experience and to cultivate a wider engagement in the arts in Nottingham.”

“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, led by our Participation Project Producer Natalia Bruce, 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.

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